This course is designed to provide you with an overview of African American literature from the Harlem Renaissance to the present. You will not only examine traditional works of literature, such as fiction, autobiography and poetry, you will also examine nontraditional works of literature known as vernacular, which includes music (spirituals, jazz, and blues) and speeches (sidewalk and church sermons). You will study literature in combination with the historical, cultural and political framework of the times in which they were created by reading critically, participating in online discussions, writing analyses, conducting research, and evaluating resources.

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Read literary genres critically and respond in writing 
• Identify the major genres created by African American writers and the characteristics of those genres 
• Identify the major themes of African American literature produced from the Harlem Renaissance to the present 
• Write clear, coherent, well-organized analyses of the literature 
• Write a thesis statement which is supported in the analysis with details and textual evidence from the literary work 

In addition to the required texts, you will be viewing two popular movies in Blackboard using SWANK. You will also be viewing and listening to a number of online videos & recordings. You will need speakers or a headset to take full advantage of these recordings.

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass both exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 2 exams in this course.

Last Updated: August 8, 2013