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CS92PROD
When Harlem Was in Vogue
ENGL 286
Spring 2019
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: AFAM 286, AMST 282

This course will examine the aesthetics and politics of the first Modern African American cultural movement, known today as the Harlem Renaissance. In our readings of key literary texts by authors such as Alain Locke, Jessie Fauset, Zora Neale Hurston, Eric Walrond, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Nella Larsen, and Jean Toomer, we will discuss both the national and global contexts of so-called "New Negro Writing" and focus on debates surrounding representation, "respectability," and racial authenticity. During this course students will read canonical and popular literary works by early 20th-century African American authors in tandem with the vibrant body of literary criticism that emerged from this cultural moment in order to arrive at a richer understanding of how the early 20th-century African American canon was curated and proliferated. To this end, we will pay special attention to the role of anthologies and literary magazines (such as "The Crisis," "Opportunity," and "Fire!!") in collating an emergent modern African American literary tradition. At the end of this course, students will not only be familiar with the key authors and works of the Harlem Renaissance, but also with the central debates about the direction and uses of African American art.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (AFAM-MN)(AFAM)(ENGL)(ENGL-Literature)
Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74%

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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