ENGL 226 - Survey of African American Literature I

(HUMD, GEIR, GEEL, GCP)

A survey of African American literature from its earliest beginnings to the Harlem Renaissance, including vernacular tradition, spirituals, folk tales, slave and emancipation narratives, poetry, speeches, fiction, non-fiction and drama. This course emphasizes the trends, patterns and historical incidents that have influenced recurrent themes in African American literature. Students read, analyze, and respond critically to texts in class discussions, examinations, and essays. PREREQUISITE(S): A grade of C or better in ENGL 101 or ENGL 101A or consent of department. Three hours lecture/discussion each week.

3 semester hours

Course Outcomes:
Upon course completion, a student will be able to:

Identify the evolving characteristics of African-American literary traditions, authors, genres, and themes from their beginnings to the Harlem Renaissance.
Apply various literary terms to discuss, interpret, and analyze representative texts.
Respond to, explicate, analyze, and evaluate literary texts.
Express well supported opinions of texts and use a style appropriate for academic discourse using formal writing of three pages or more.
Understand and apply the political, socio-cultural or historical contexts of African-American literature from its beginnings to the Harlem Renaissance.
Synthesize connections between individual texts and a variety of literary interpretations, including secondary critical texts.
Cite sources in essays using standard documentation procedures.
Utilize technology in assignments.

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