EGL 233 - 18-19th Century Early Literature of African Diaspora

Course Units: 1.0

This introductory survey course will trace African American movement towards literary and aesthetic mastery beginning with what Henry Louis Gates calls “oral writing.” Readings begin with the first known written poems and progress from slave narratives and autobiography to essays and fiction. Authors include Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Jacobs, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Solomon Northup, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. Du Bois, among others. Prerequisite(s): One 100-level English course or a score of 5 on the AP English Language or Literature and Composition test. CC: LCC, HUL, HUM, WAC, JCHF, JLIT ISP: AFR, AMS, GSWS