WGSS 66.07 African Diaspora Women Writers

This course will be organized around four themes prevalent in contemporary portrayals of Black women across the African diaspora. The themes, Body, Voice, Memory, and Movement provide a center from which discussions of agency, representation and counter-narrative can be situated within a larger discourse of canon formation. We will explore various parts of the United States and the Caribbean through analyses of literature and visual culture, paying particular attention to shifting dialogues of culture and identity. Among the central questions posed will be: What constitutes a feminist ideology in black women’s literature? How are images of subjection and victimization re-appropriated by Black women writers and image-makers and utilized for their own empowerment? What are the penalties inherent when a Black woman “comes to voice” in the arena of self-representation?

Cross Listed Courses

AAAS 67.06 ENGL 53.47

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:CI

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.