Afro-American Studies 151 - Literature & Culture

Relevant forms of Black cultural expressions contributing to the shape and character of contemporary Black culture; the application of these in traditional Black writers. Includes: West African cultural patterns and the Black past; the transition-slavery, the culture of survival; the cultural patterns through literature; and Black perceptions versus white perceptions. (Gen.Ed. AL, DU)

This course is open to students in the Literary Perspectives RAP program. For students in Cultural Explorations RAP in Thoreau Hall.
Students will approach the study of Black music from historical, cultural and literary perspectives. Further, we will discuss the ways in which Black music permeates other forms of culture such as literature and media (film, fashion, dancing, etc.). Topics will include the simultaneous evolution of the blues and jazz, the radicalization of jazz after WWII, the sexual politics of soul and funk music and the creation of hip-hop culture from the remnants of disco. By the end of this course you will be able to identify and define characteristics that exemplify a basic knowledge of the Black music genres explored during the course.