SSCI 399A ST: Black Writers in Cntmpry America
This course critically examines selected writings from four of America's contemporary, influential Black authors, activists and intellectuals: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Emily Bernard, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Alice Walker. Attention will be given to their views on the Black experience in the United States. The course material will provide the groundwork for accurate, insightful, and timely works from Black writers that speak to the current state of education, social relationships, and visions for future progress in America. The primary objective of the course is to actively engage students by presenting a range of topics (e.g., race, gender, media representation, cultural/political/social identities) for exploration, discussion, and evaluation. In an effort to challenge current beliefs and suppositions around racism and inequity in our society, students will be exposed to counter narratives, concepts and theories from scholars of color who represent a progressive force for the future of change in our society. Students will also participate in a one-day field experience to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.