This seminar is designed to provide English majors with intensive and closely supervised work in critical reading and writing. Although sections of the course may address any literary question, period, or genre, they all provide an introduction to critical and methodological problems in literary studies.

An introduction to black diasporic criticism, this seminar uses various angles of approach toward the notion of the spirit, the haunt, and the possession in order to trace a tradition of black presence English literatures and cultures. We will study fiction, artifacts from the visual and anthropological archive, contemporary poetry, and examples from popular culture--a range of genres that represents the multi-modal techniques of black literary studies. Key interlocuters will include: Toni Morrison, Saidiya Hartman, Christina Sharpe, Roberto Strongman, Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley, and Hazel Carby. Assignments will be geared towards developing a working knowledge of important concepts, debates, and interventions in the field -- and will range from the brief and experimental to a substantial immersion in a key text.

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Requirements class fulfills