EN 559           African American Writing, 1860-1960            Fall 2006

Professor James D. Wallace, Carney 453.

Office Hours:  Tues. 1-2; Wed. 2-3; Thurs. 12-12:45; and by arrangement

Phone:  2-3712           e-mail:  wallacej@bc.edu     

Web page:  http://www2.bc.edu/~wallacej    

 

This course is a survey of fiction, non-fiction and poetry by African American authors from the Civil War to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, including works by W. E. B. DuBois, Jean Toomer, Richard Wright, Nella Larsen, Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin.  Writing for this course will be two medium-length essays, a midterm and a final exam.

Attendance:  You should attend every class.  More than 3 unexcused absences will affect your grade.

Participation:  You should participate in class discussions; they are an important part of courses work, and I do give a grade for participation.  Make sure you've done the reading.  In addition, you should come to every class with a poem not on the syllabus, one you're interested in and would like to discuss.  From time to time I'll ask at random for students to introduce such a poem to the class.

Writing:  Two essays (8-10 pages), a midterm, and a final exam.  Essays are due in class on the indicated due-dates.  Late work will affect your grade.

Texts: Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson (Dover)

Cane, Jean Toomer (Norton)

Imperium in Imperio, Sutton Griggs (Modern Library)

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison (Vintage )

Native Son, Richard Wright (Harper Perennial)

Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin (Beacon Press)

Passing, Nella Larsen (Penguin)

Souls of Black Folk, W. E. B. Dubois (Dover)

The Vintage Book of African American Poetry, Harper and Walton, eds. (Vintage)

Three African American Novels, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., ed. (Vintage)

Up from Slavery, Booker T Washington (Dover)

Academic Integrity:  Any form of cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Department Chairperson and to the appropriate dean, as required by university policy.  See the full University statement on the Web at www.bc.edu/integrity.

 

Syllabus

Jan.      15        Introduction; Brown, Clotel

 

            20        Brown, Clotel

            22        Harper, Iola Leroy

 

            27        Iola Leroy; poetry by Frances Harper

            29        Griggs, Imperium in Imperio

           

Feb.       3        Imperium; poetry by James Weldon Johnson............................1st Essay Due

              5        Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition

 

            10        Marrow; poetry by Paul Laurence Dunbar

            12        Washington, Up From Slavery

 

            17        Up from Slavery; poetry by Anne Spence

            19        DuBois, Souls of Black Folk

 

            24        Souls; poetry by Claude McKay

            26        Midterm Exam

 

February 30-March 8 Spring Vacation

 

Mar.    10        Johnson, Autobiography of an Ex-coloured Man

            12        Autobiography; poetry by Melvin Tolson

 

            17        Jean Toomer, Cane

            19        Cane; poetry by Sterling Brown

 

            24        Larsen, Passing

            26        Passing; poetry by Langston Hughes

 

            31        Wright, Native Son

Apr.     2         Native Son; poetry by Countee Cullen

 

             7         Poetry by Robert Hayden, Margaret Walker and Gwendolyn Brooks

             9         Easter Break

 

            14        Poetry by Bob Kaufman, Raymond Patterson, Derek Walcott and Etheridge Knight

            16        Ellison, Invisible Man

 

            21        Invisible Man

            23        Invisible Man; poetry by Amiri Baraka..............................................................2nd Essay Due

 

            28        Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son

            30        Notes of a Native Son; poetry by Michael Harper

 

Final Exam:   Wednesday, May 6, 12:30 P.M.