Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0288 - Tales from the "Sunken Place"

Jordan Peele's famed movie, "Get Out," introduced the "sunken place" as a new way to name the angst of racism. But he's not the first to try to confront this nether region or the horror of its intellectual burdens. This course examines the "sunken place" and its stories over time. The sunken place suggests emplacement, geography and materiality and quite a bit of horror. We'll seek to understand where it is, when it is, or how it is and most importantly, how to get out. We'll also seek to understand what about it matters and is matter; what are its dimensions? What opposes the sunken place? Readings may include: Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison or Harriet Beecher Stowe, Percival Everett, Phillis Wheatley.

Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research In this course, students are generally expected to spend 9 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.