Afro-American Studies 202 - TOPICS IN BLACK STUDIES

Topics course From Lucy Terry's "Bars Fight" composed in Deerfield, MA in 1746, to Tracy K. Smith's Life on Mars, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, African Americans have been making significant contributions to American poetry. In this course, we will determine the ways in which Phillis Wheatley is the "mother" of the tradition. We will explore Paul Laurence Dunbar's work and discuss the role of dialect throughout the tradition. We will study periods in African American poetry, including the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. We will investigate the role of women in contemporary African American poetry. Enrollment limited to 40. (E)

Topic: Yet Do I Marvel: The African American Poetic Tradition.