This module explores contemporary representations of African American experience—from literature and film to popular music and television —in the context of a longer history of African American cultural production. It pairs very recent works such as Paul Beatty’s satirical novel The Sellout, Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out, rapper Kendrick Lamar’s magnum opus To Pimp a Butterfly, and comedian Issa Rae’s HBO show Insecure with others dating from the second half of the twentieth century. In examining these modern and contemporary texts in conversation with one another, we will explore how authors and makers work with and against established traditions and genres. Our discussion of issues of identity and inequity will approach race in connection with other forms of social difference, such as class, gender, and sexuality.

• discuss and analyse a range of contemporary texts by African American authors and makers, in different media;
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the relationship between these texts and longer histories of African American representation and culture;
• situate their analysis of literary, cinematic, televisual, photographic, and/or musical texts in relation to a range of critical perspectives; and,
• communicate their analyses through a creative form of assessment.

The module will consist of one one-hour lecture and one two-hour seminar each week. The content of lectures will vary from week to week, depending on the set texts, but they will typically provide students with an introduction to the social, cultural, and historical context of the texts studied, an overview of key critical approaches to these texts, and close analytical readings of individual works. Students will be expected to come to lectures and seminars having read, watched, or listened to the set texts. In addition, prior to the weekly seminar, students are expected to familiarise themselves with the critical perspectives advanced in the secondary readings listed in the class schedule.

Students will be encouraged to participate in seminar discussion through small group work, larger group discussion, and other creative and/or collaborative learning exercises. There will also be regular opportunities for reflection and review of students’ learning.

This module will develop and practise skills in close reading and independent scholarly research. It will enable students to build upon their ability to formulate and articulate an informed analytical opinion. In studying the set texts, students will be encouraged to closely examine their formal, stylistic, and narrative effects, to investigate their thematic and aesthetic preoccupations, and to contemplate the ethical and political implications of their representations of African American experience. They will also be encouraged to contemplate the connections and tensions between the set texts. In so doing, students will develop their ability to synthesise information and to refine their ideas into independent, thoughtful conclusions.

These essential skills will be developed through group discussions and targeted learning activities in seminars, as well as in the major assessment, a creative portfolio of three feature articles, which will help students to enhance their skills in research, writing, and argumentation.

Portfolio
100%
A series of three feature articles written for an online arts and culture magazine
3200 words

The set texts for this module include novels, films, essays, music albums, photographs, and television episodes. Students should contact the module leader as early as possible if they will require readings in an alternative format.

Week 1. Introduction: Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

NIGHTMARES

Week 2. Everyday Horror: Stanley Kramer, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967), and Jordan Peele, Get Out (2017)

Weeks 3 & 4. Slavery Returned: Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979), and Paul Beatty, The Sellout (2016)

Week 5. Freedom Songs: Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On (1971) and Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)

Week 6. Letters Home: James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time (1963), and Ta-Nahisi Coates, Between the World and Me (2016)

VISIONS

Weeks 7 & 8. Filming Black Life: Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep (1978), and Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (2017)

Week 9. Against Type, part 1: Carrie Mae Weems, From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried (photographs, 1995), and Robin Coste Lewis, Voyage of the Sable Venus (2015)

Week 10. Against Type, part 2: Julie Dash, Four Women (1975), and Issa Rae, Insecure (selected episodes, season 1, 2016)

Primary literary texts:

James Baldwin (1963), The Fire Next Time (Penguin Modern Classics, 2007)

Paul Beatty (2016), The Sellout (Oneworld, 2016)

Octavia Butler (1979), Kindred (Headline, 2014)

Ta-Nahisi Coates (2016), Between the World and Me (Text Publishing, 2016)

Robin Coste Lewis (2015), Voyage of the Sable Venus (Knopf, 2017)

Other primary texts:

Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep (1978)

Julie Dash, dir., Four Women (1975)

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On (Tamla Records, 1971)

Barry Jenkins, dir., Moonlight (2017)

Stanley Kramer, dir., Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967)

Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records, 2015)

Raoul Peck, dir., I Am Not Your Negro (2017)  

Jordan Peele, dir., Get Out (2017)

Issa Rae, Insecure (HBO, selected episodes, Season 1, 2016)

Carrie Mae Weems, From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried (1995): https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/carrie-mae-weems-from-here-i-saw-what-happened-and-i-cried-1995

A list of secondary readings, including selected feature articles on the contemporary texts, will be provided in class.