31 Aug What is Black Literature Now?
Final Paper: Students are required to write a final research paper due on the last day of the session (Wednesday, August 18 at 10 AM). All papers should be 7–8 pages long and double spaced with 1 in. margins on all sides and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. You must submit your paper via e–mail as a Microsoft Word document (I do not accept PDFs or Google Docs). For this paper, you will be answering the question, “What is Black Literature Now?” through a specific theme of your choosing. We will brainstorm possible themes during the first week of class, but examples include: How has mass incarceration impacted black literary production in the past ten years? How are black writers engaging with or responding to the Black Lives Matter Movement in their literature? How do recent African immigrant writers challenge and expand how we understand an African American literary canon? What roles do gender and sexuality play in defining black literature now? What does it mean when black writers win mainstream American literary prizes? What role has Oprah played in the advancement of black literary production? How is black literature circulating internationally and what effects does this have on this historical moment and for an international black community? How are black millennial writers redefining (black) literature, culture, and/or identity in the United States? You are required to use at least fivesources when writing your paper. Two should be scholarly and three should be from a reputable online source such as the New York Timesor O Magazine. We will develop a communal bibliography for you to draw from in the first few weeks of the class. During that time, I will be more specific about what constitutes a scholarly source and a reputable online source. Although I expect that you will mention/discuss specific literary authors and their works in your paper, you are not required to do any close readings of specific literary texts. However, you can if you so choose.
