 
|
|||
| |||
Saint Paul’s College: Department of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences African American Literature
Course Information: Instructor: English 230-1 Dr. Raphael Comprone
Fall Semester 2008
Class Time: Office: MWF 1-1:50 PM RH 136
Classroom: Office Hours: RH KIVA MWF 10-12 PM
Office Phone: Credit Hours:
Email: raphaelcompr@hotmail.com 3
Website: www.comprone.info
Pre-requisite: Students must have completed Composition II and must pass the exit examination for Composition II.
Required Texts: Comprone, Raphael. Poetry, Desire, and Fantasy in the Harlem Renaissance. Lanham, Maryland: UPA, 2006. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature: Second Edition. Ed. Gates & McKay. New York: Norton, 2003. Endorsmement Competencies for Education Majors: Knowledge of reading strategies and techniques used to enhance reading comprehensive skills. Knowledge of varied works from British, American, world, and ethnic/minority literature appropriate for English instruction. Selection of Texts:
This anthology is REQUIRED, and you cannot pass the course without using it because all exams will be open book. You must also purchase my book because we will be using it extensively when covering the Harlem Renaissance. Course Description: The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the achievements of African American writers throughout time. We will study the various historical periods in African American literature and discuss the contributions of African American writers to American society and culture. We will cover the Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance this semester. We will also watch movies of these two important time periods in African American literature.
Course Rationale: The purpose of this course is to develop an awareness of the significance of African American literature in American society.
Course Goals, Objectives, and Corresponding Program Outcomes: 1 Develop an awareness of the achievements of African American writers and their contribution to American democracy and culture 2 Discuss the historical struggle of African American writers in American society 3 Develop students’ writing skills in an academic context 4 Develop among students an awareness of the importance of essays, music, poetry, drama, short stories, and novels written by African Americans
Expectations for Student Behavior as Related to Course Objectives and Their Corresponding Program Outcomes: Please arrange for meeting with me during office hours. Students must behave appropriately by: 1) avoiding talking when the professor is speaking, 2) being punctual (students will lose points for tardiness and excessive absences), 3) ALWAYS bringing their textbooks to class, 4) actively participating in class, 5) not plagiarizing, 6) avoiding the use of foul language and abusive behavior, 8) being polite to other students, and 9) following the dress code and wearing appropriate attire.
Class Format, Process, and Methods of Instruction: * Students can only receive incompletes upon permission by the instructor and only if they are experiencing financial difficulties or a grave personal matter. Grades cannot be changed after the semester is completed, and ABSOLUTELY no grade changes are possible after the semester. Please check with me before the end of the semester to see if you have any outstanding work to complete. 20% Music and listening comprehension exam 70% Exams (Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement Exams, 4 total) 10% Participation and attendance Course Outline and Assignment Due Dates: TBA
Tentative List of Assigned Readings and Assignments:
* You must keep a notebook and write all notes and in class assignments down in the notebook. I will collect the notebook periodically during the semester.
Black Arts Movement
Author Title of Work Page # Gates & McKay 1831 Mari Evans Status Symbol 1851 Mari Evans I am a Black Woman 1851 Malcolm X The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1860 John Alfred Williams The Man Who Cried I Am 1876 Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter From Birmingham Jail 1896 Etheridge Knight The Idea of Ancestry 1908 Etheridge Knight Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane 1909 Etheridge Knight For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide 1910 Audre Lorde 1919-1936 Amiri Baraka 1937-1962 Sonia Sanchez 1963-1967
First Exam
Introduction of Poetry, Desire, and Fantasy in the Harlem Renaissance
W.E.B Du Bois' Criteria of Negro Art
Alain Locke The New Negro
Langston Hughes The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
Hoyt Fuller Towards a Black Aesthetic 1853
Addison Gayle Jr. The Black Aesthetic 1912
Larry Neale The Black Arts Movement 2039
Listening Comprehension: Music
Midterm Exam
Langston Hughes First Chapter of PDF in the HR on Langston Hughes Paradox, Repression, and Resistance to the Paternal Ed Bullins Goin' a Buffalo: A Tragifantasy 1969 Eldridge Cleaver Soul on Ice 2007 A.B. Spellman Did John's Music Kill Him? 2015 June Jordan 2016 Lucille Clifton 2031 Jayne Cortez How Long Has Trane Been Gone? 2036 THIRD EXAM
Nikki Giovanni 2096 Quincy Troupe 2118 Caroly Rogers 2122 James Alan McPherson 2101
Poetry, Desire, and Fantasy in the HR, Chapter V Claude Mckay's Poetry and Novels 161 FINAL EXAM
the rest of the assignments are TBA
Recommended Internet Sites: www.comprone.info for updates on assignments, syllabi, poetry club submissions (extra credit) | |||
