English: Great American Race Novel

Topics address the concept of race and/or the contributions of ethnically diverse writers to American culture. Focus and readings vary. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisites: Three hours in English numbered 1010 to 1990; minimum Sophomore standing.

Prerequisites: Three hours in English numbered 1010 to 1990; minimum Sophomore standing. PACE students with permission and override

In 2018, PBS launched The Great American Read. According to PBS, The Great American Read “explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey). It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience.” But, how do we define “great” and “American”? What are the criteria by which we consider a novel an American “classic”? Furthermore, as the focus of this class on The Great American Race Novel (or GARN), how does race as well as other intersectional categories such as gender/sexuality, class, and religion complicate our understandings of “great” and “American”? Through a comparative race approach, this class explores how several of today’s most influential and award-winning works of fiction envision the racial terrain and force us to redefine prior understandings of The Great American Novel. Questions for exploration will be divided into two main categories: 1) Generic: what is the Great American Race Novel? Who defines it? What are the criteria for inclusion? What are some of the central concerns and/or controversies of the genre? and 2) Thematic: what are some of the common issues and themes addressed by these authors? How do various racial communities respond to the “race question” differently? How does a study of literature help us better understand the continuing struggles with race and racism? We will investigate these questions by closely examining literary works published in the past decade, highlighting the current urgency to recognize and address our ongoing predicament with race and racism in the 21st century.