Black AF: superhero edition
Marvel’s depiction of the conflict between Professor X and Magneto has been read as an allegory for assimilation versus separatism for marginalized people. Specifically, Professor X has been compared to MLK and while Magneto represents Malcolm X. What happens when the allegory is removed? What is possible when we examine blackness directly within the genres of superhero and speculative fiction?
Luke Cage is bulletproof. T’Challa is king. Black Lightning and Thunder are metahumans. What are the limits of Blackness? Who draws those limits? What is imagined as possible for Black characters in the superhero, speculative, fantasy genres? Are black people allowed to transcend the boundaries of space, time, reason. Can black superheroes dismantle the greatest villain of all: the systems of power that rely upon dominance and violence as tools of extraction? Do such fictions and fantasies connect to the real world liberation of black people, if so how? If not, why not?
This course examines representations of Black Superlatives in select literature, film, and television. We will consider the varied roles that Blackness plays as an asset and liability for characterization, plot, theme, and the cultural influence of these creative works.
Works examined in this session include but are not limited to Watchmen (HBO), Raising Dion, See You Yesterday, Queen Sono, Siempre Una Bruja/Always a Witch, Black Lightning (on Netflix) Black Panther (film), in additional to short fiction/graphic fiction.
You can read the “Love” of this course’s title as an adjective, noun, or imperative verb: we are going to deepen our love of poetry by studying the poetry of love written across time periods (from antiquity to the present) and global cultures: from Sappho and Horace to Rita Dove and Lisa Russ Spaar. We will be looking closely at how poems work -- how they accomplish their particular magic – while also thinking about the varieties of love and the complexities each offers to language and to art. Daily writing and small group conversation, occasional larger group meetings where you will be called on to speak, two formal papers, and a concluding exercise.
In this studies in fiction course, we will read short stories, a short novel or two, and watch some short television shows (think Black Mirror) or films about the fear of things going horribly wrong. Along the way we will practice close reading strategies; reflect on acts of interpretation through brief references to some works by literary and cultural critics; and inquire into some of the elements, functions, and effects of narratives. Students will write regular reading responses, lead discussions with brief oral presentations, write two short essays, and take a final exam.
Fulfills Second Writing Requirement/WE.
ENGL 2559 New Course in Introduction to English Literature
Black AF: superhero edition
Marvel’s depiction of the conflict between Professor X and Magneto has been read as an allegory for assimilation versus separatism for marginalized people. Specifically, Professor X has been compared to MLK and while Magneto represents Malcolm X. What happens when the allegory is removed? What is possible when we examine blackness directly within the genres of superhero and speculative fiction?
Luke Cage is bulletproof. T’Challa is king. Black Lightning and Thunder are metahumans. What are the limits of Blackness? Who draws those limits? What is imagined as possible for Black characters in the superhero, speculative, fantasy genres? Are black people allowed to transcend the boundaries of space, time, reason. Can black superheroes dismantle the greatest villain of all: the systems of power that rely upon dominance and violence as tools of extraction? Do such fictions and fantasies connect to the real world liberation of black people, if so how? If not, why not?
This course examines representations of Black Superlatives in select literature, film, and television. We will consider the varied roles that Blackness plays as an asset and liability for characterization, plot, theme, and the cultural influence of these creative works.
Works examined in this session include but are not limited to Watchmen (HBO), Raising Dion, See You Yesterday, Queen Sono, Siempre Una Bruja/Always a Witch, Black Lightning (on Netflix) Black Panther (film), in additional to short fiction/graphic fiction.
ENGL 3515 Medieval European Literature in Translation
This class helps students grow as writers using a theme of "Sports and Society." While reading and writing about sports, students will gain valuable knowledge and skills to help them succeed in various writing contexts. This course fulfills the first writing requirement. ***If this course is moved online, students will engage synchronously in small-group Zoom meetings held a couple of times a week and asynchronously through the use of short video lectures, discussion board posts, and online peer feedback.***
This course helps students develop their writing abilities by reading and writing about contemporary film and television—and considering how new media and new technologies have changed what we mean when we say “film” or “television.” We will watch movies and tv shows and practice making interpretive arguments about them, learning the practices and conventions of writing about visual media in the process. We’ll also consider how new media has changed contemporary cultural criticism, and students will practice writing for the ear by making a podcast in response to a film or tv show of their choice. As in all sections of ENWR 1510, we will focus on developing the skills and habits that make a strong writer: through daily writing both casual and formal, students will work on writing thoughtful, analytical, and stylish prose. This course satisfies the first writing requirement. **If this course moves online, we'll meet synchronously (online on Zoom during the course period) a few times a week, and students will also work asynchronously (on their own time) for about half the weekly class sessions. Asynchronous work may involve discussion posts, drafting, watching lectures or films, or other kinds of work.
This class is for any writer--novice or experienced--eager to become more aware of the power of language and the subject of style. Through reading, research, and constant experimentation, students will learn to control grammar, punctuation, phrasing, and syntax for rhetorical and aesthetic effect and to identify and correct common errors in writing. This course will proceed both synchronously (meeting as a class online through Zoom several days a week) and asynchronously (contributing to discussions and activities off-line on a weekly basis).
Expand All
AAS 2559 New Course in African and African American Studies
MoTuWeThFr 1:00pm - 3:15pm
MoTuWeThFr 1:00pm - 3:15pm
MoTuWeThFr 1:00pm - 3:15pm