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CS92PROD
Special Topic: Something in the Air: Mining the Oral/Aural Tradition in African American Poetry
ENGL 334
Spring 2019
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: AFAM 334

In his book-length manifesto, Poetry as an Insurgent Act, Lawrence Ferlinghetti claims that "the printing press killed poetry." What he seems to be lamenting--at least, in part--is the privileging of the written word to the detriment of poetry's musical, or aural, qualities. In this advanced-level workshop, we will focus on the poem as something intended to be read aloud and listened to. This course will also examine the roots and evolution of the African American oral poetic tradition with special attention paid to the rhetorical strategies derived from the black church, adopted by civil rights leaders and speech writers, and used to varying degrees by poets ranging from those of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and '70s to practitioners of contemporary hip-hop and spoken word. Some of the poets under consideration include Amiri Baraka, Oscar Brown Jr., Jayne Cortez, Gil-Scott Heron, June Jordan, The Last Poets, Carl Hancock Rux, Sonia Sanchez, Patricia Smith, Jessica Care Moore, Laini Mataka, and Saul Williams.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: ENGL216 OR ENGL336 OR ENGL337
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ENGL)(ENGL-Creative W)
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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