English: Race Talk

Introductory courses addressing the representation and construction of race in literature and/or the contributions of ethnically diverse writers to the American culture. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Cross-listed with: CRES 1821.

Open to Degree and PACE students

In The Souls of Black Folk (1903), the great cultural critic W. E. B. Du Bois wrote that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line." More than a century after this statement was made, race and racism remain one of today’s most pressing social, legal, and ethical concerns. This class will explore how some of today’s most influential authors envision the racial terrain across various racial and ethnic borders. Through these contemporary American race narratives, we will consider the complex question of racial identity, test the boundaries of DuBois’s color line across multiple racial communities, and explore how writing and reading can both reflect and challenge racial categories, hierarchies, and perceptions. Some of the themes we will investigate include whiteness and multiculturalism, immigration, inclusion/exclusion, gender and sexuality, inter-generational conflicts, authenticity, borders (geographical as well as other types of boundaries), and BlackLivesMatter in an age of neoliberalism and white nationalism.

Weekly readings, adhering to class-created contract.

2 race narratives, reading reflections, active in-class participation.