Black Girl Magic? Survival and Speculative Fiction in the Social World
SOC 324
Fall 2021
| Section:
01
|
"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. |
|
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS SOC |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: SOC151 OR AFAM101 |
|
Fulfills a Requirement for: (SOC) |
|
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Nishaun T. Battle, BLACK GIRLHOOD, PUNISHMENT, AND RESISTANCE
Octavia Butler, PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Patricia Hill Collins, BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT
Tracy Deonn, LEGENDBORN
W.E.B. Du Bois, THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK
Akwaeke Emezi, FRESHWATER
Nalo Hopkinson, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING
Marcus A. Hunter and Zandria F. Robinson, CHOCOLATE CITIES
Nnedi Okorafor, BINTI: THE COMPLETE TRILOGY
Caitlin O¿Neill, "Towards an Afrofuturist Feminist Manifest"
Ida B. Wells, CRUSADE FOR JUSTICE
|
Examinations and Assignments:
Three (3) Response papers, weekly discussion boards, take-home midterm exam, final paper |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
|
| Instructor(s): Patterson-Faye,Courtney J. Times: ..T.... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: RLAN106; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 2 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 3 |
|
|