Black Girl Magic?: Survival and Speculative Fiction in the Social World
CHUM 324
Spring 2023
| Section:
01
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| This course may be repeated for credit. |
| Crosslisting:
SOC 324, AFAM 322 |
"Black Girl Magic?" explores and examines the sociological origins, usages, and deployments of the now-popular hashtag. Shortened from "#BlackGirlsAreMagic," coined by CaShawn Thompson in 2013, #BlackGirlMagic has seen its share of celebration and controversy. Used by and for figures such as former First Lady Michelle Obama and Janelle Monae, the hashtag appears almost everywhere to provide exemplars for the resilience of Black women and girls. However, some critics have questioned trending characteristics among those who have been branded with the hashtag--cisgender, well-to-do, fit/thin, non-disabled, and/or famous--and have asked since the beginning: To whom exactly does this phrase belong? Who does it include? And why should we use it? This course aims to survey all those questions and more. It will highlight Black women, trans and gender non-conforming writers, as well as sociologists and those not officially affiliated with the field, to deepen our understanding of Black life experiences in a global social world. We will dive into and deconstruct what we know about concepts such as "survival," "joy," "imagination," and "community" via Black feminist thought, queer/quare studies, popular culture, political science, speculative fiction, and cultural sociology. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: SOC151 OR AFAM151 |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (AFAM-MN)(AFAM) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
OCTAVIA BUTLER, PARABLE OF THE SOWER
NALO HOPKINSON, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING
NNEDI OKORAFOR, BINTI: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY
REBECCA ROANHORSE, BLACK SUN
S.B. DIVYA, RUNTIME
AKWAEKE EMEZI, FRESHWATER
L. A. BANKS, SHADOW WALKER: A NETERU ACADEMY BOOK
DANIEL JOSÉ OLDER, SHADOWSHAPER
TOMI ADEYEMI, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE
TRACY DEONN, LEGENDBORN
JAFARI S. ALLEN, "BLACK/QUEER RHIZOMATICS"
LYNDON K. GILL, "SITUATING BLACK, SITUATING QUEER"
SAMI SHAULK, BODYMINDS REIMAGINED: (DIS)ABILITY, RACE, AND GENDER IN BLACK WOMEN'S SPECULATIVE FICTION
AIMEE MEREDITH COX, SHAPESHIFTERS: BLACK GIRLS AND THE CHOREOGRAPHY OF CITIZENSHIP
JUNE JORDAN, "NICARAGUA: WHY I HAD TO GO THERE"
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Examinations and Assignments:
Response papers and final project |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Patterson-Faye,Courtney J. Times: ..T.... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: CFH106; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 16 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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