ENGL 53.29 Introduction to African American Environmental Thought: The Black Outdoors

The persistence of black life, and blackness as a way of thinking about the organization of both human and nonhuman forms of life, has been absolutely central to the story of the United States and the Americas more broadly. This course provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the writing of thinkers from across the African diaspora, with special emphasis on literary works and criticism centrally concerned with the intersections of black literary studies and African American environmental thought. We will draw on a range of texts in order to wrestle with some of the key concerns of African American writers from the 19th century through the present. Students will be introduced
to a range of methods and approaches to the meta-disciplinary work of black literary studies. By the end of the course, students will be expected to possess a working knowledge of several major themes, figures and moments within the black expressive tradition.

Cross Listed Courses

AAAS 35.50

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:W

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.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Course Group III