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CS92PROD
Black Girl Magic?: Survival and Speculative Fiction in the Social World
CHUM 324
Spring 2023
Section: 01  
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.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CHUM
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: SOC151 OR AFAM151
Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFAM-MN)(AFAM)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on NOV-10-2024
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