HomeMy WebLinkAboutLIT-115 Bergen Community College
Division of Humanities
Department of English
LIT 115: Black Literature in America
Course Syllabus
Semester and year
Section Number
Meeting Times
Location
Instructor:
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E-mail:
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Course Description
This course is a study of major African-American authors. The course provides a
literary, historical, and sociological survey of the African-American experience. Students
read works by such authors as Wheatley, Douglass, Ellison, Hurston, Baldwin, Malcolm
X, Morrison, and Walker. 3 credits. General Education course. Diversity course.
Prerequisite: None.
Student Learning
Outcomes
Means of
Assessment
1. Analyze works of literature written during
the periods covered by the course.
Discussion, Writing, Multimodal
Presentation
2. Distinguish various literary techniques in the
works under study.
Discussion, Writing, Multimodal
Presentation
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3. Demonstrate, through discussion and
writing, an understanding of how the diverse
issues of the periods are addressed in the
texts selected for the course.
Discussion, Writing
4. Employ a variety of analytical techniques to
respond to the texts by African American
authors.
Discussion, Writing
5, Characterize, through discussion, writing
and presentation, the African American
experience as represented in the works of
writers of African descent.
Discussion, Writing, Multimodal
Presentation.
6. Produce a properly formatted written
evaluation of selected works of Black
American literature; and demonstrate
competency in literary analysis.
Writing, Multimodal
Presentation
Essential Learning Outcomes
SLOs: EL
1
EL
2
EL
3
EL
4
EL
5
EL
6
EL
7
EL
8
EL
9
EL
10
EL
11
1. x x x x
2. x x x x
3. x x x x
4. x x x x
5. x x x x
6. x x x x x
EL1-Effective Speaking
EL2-Effective Writing
EL3-Mathematical Reasoning
EL4-Scientific Reasoning
EL5-Technological Competency
EL6-Information Literacy
EL7-Social-Behavioral Analysis
EL8-Historical Analysis
EL9-Humanistic Analysis
EL10-Intercultural Awareness
EL11-Moral Literacy
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Signature Assignment
Analysis: Students will write an analysis of a text introduced in the course.
Course Content
This course requires you to do a great deal of reading, thinking, discussing and writing.
This is a survey course, and this semester, we will broadly cover AfricanAmerican
literature written from the 20th century through the 21st century. We will examine a
number of writers, issues, genres, styles, and themes. The literature is presented in an
historical context as a way of better understanding it within the sociopolitical climate in
which it was written.
Course Requirements
You will be required to do the following:
1. Write 10-15 pages or 2500-3750 words for the course. This includes a major
paper as well as discussions and reading responses, quizzes, and in-class
essays if appropriate. All formal papers must use MLA style and demonstrate
effective proofreading and editing. (Meets student learning objectives 1-6.)
2. Read, interpret, discuss, and analyze numerous literary works from the
assigned texts. (Meets student learning objectives 1-5.)
3. Learn and apply various literary terms to texts. (Meets student learning
objectives 1, 2, 4, and 5.)
4. Write at least one analytic 5-page paper that demonstrates effective
proofreading, editing and MLA style. (Meets student learning objectives 1-6.)
5. Participate in conferences to discuss your work, course progress, and any other
concerns you may have. (Meets student learning objectives 1-6.)
Suggested Texts
All of the course readings are linked on our course site, including but not limited to
excerpts from Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates, The Prentice Hall
Anthology of African-American Literature , The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste by
Isabel Wilkerson. There is no need to purchase a textbook, but you may need to
purchase access to the PBS documentary “Slavery and The Making of America”
(depending on whether or not you already have Amazon Prime).
Grading
Participation (Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes and Journals): 40% of final
grade
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Literary Cultural Presentations: 30% of final grade
Share a literary selection written, performed or directed by a person of African
descent. It may be a poem, lyrics, or an excerpt from a short story, novel, or play. You
may recite or read the work, or it may be a recording or clip from a film. It may be set
to music and may be recited or sung in your native dialect/language. If the work is in a
language other than English, be prepared to translate it. Please avoid using material
that contains profanity or sexually explicit language. Ideally the presentation is a video,
but you may present an audio presentation or use PowerPoint if you wish. You may
use original work if you write poetry, fiction or drama. The written portion of this
assignment (submitted separately) should explain why the work you have chosen is
important and why you have chosen it. You should indicate how the selection relates
to African American culture and its literary canon.
Analytic Paper (5 pages): 30% of final grade
Choose one of the course readings from Modules 1-7 analyze it, positing a thesis that
interprets your selection. Papers will be graded on organization, thesis, development,
evidence, clarity, grammar, and mechanics. The paper should be five pages,
well-edited, following these conventions
1. Make an argument about the meaning of the text. Develop a complex thesis
that conveys to the reader your interpretation of the text.
2. Describe the context of the reading in the introduction and throughout without
merely summarizing the text.
3. Incorporate (brief) quotes from the text to argue points in body paragraphs.
4. Avoid the first and second person (no “I” nor “you”).
5. Include the author/title and a general statement about the text in the first
sentence.
6. Do not use secondary sources.
Plagiarism
Bergen Community College, like all institutions of higher learning, is committed to
maintaining academic integrity. Plagiarism, the act of trying to pass any part of
another person’s writing off as your own without giving them proper credit, is
considered one of the most serious academic crimes. Any instance of plagiarism
will result in an automatic 0 for that assignment .
Examples of plagiarism are:
● Using any material from another source and including it in your writing without
attribution. These sources could be from the internet, books, newspapers, or
another student. Cutting and pasting without giving credit to the original source
is illegal.
● The use of another ’s ideas without the proper citations.
● The use of artificial intelligence to generate papers or discussion posts.
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Extra Credit
You may receive extra credit if you attend any of the many cultural programs, plays,
and activities on campus. To receive credit, you should write a review or critique that is
two full pages long, in which you include the date, time, place of the activity, your
reaction to the speaker, presentation, topic, etc., and why you think it is or is not
important.
Attendance Policy
All students are expected to attend every scheduled meeting. Attendance will be kept.
If there are circumstances that prevent you from attending, you must contact me to
arrange make-up work.
Accessibility Statement
Bergen Community College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all
students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or think you may have a
disability) and, as a result, need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this
class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the College’s programs or
services, contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) as soon as possible at
201-612-5270 or www.bergen.edu/oss . To receive any academic accommodation,
you must be appropriately registered with OSS. The OSS works with students
confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related information without their
permission. The OSS serves as a clearinghouse on disability issues and works in
partnership with faculty and all other student service offices.
Student Support Services
Bergen Community College provides exemplary support to its students and offers a
broad variety of opportunities and services. A comprehensive array of student support
services including advising, tutoring, academic coaching, and more are available
online at https://bergen.edu/currentstudents/ .
Sidney Silverman Library
BCC’s library (2nd floor, Pitkin Educational Center, 201-447-7131,
http://bergen.edu/current-students/student-support-services/library ) is a superb
resource for students in all disciplines, but particularly for students in Literature
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sections. Please visit the library and library for invaluable background information and
critical perspectives on all genres of literature, their historical significance, and
individual authors.
Sample Course Schedule
Week One
Introductions
Slavery and The
Making of America
Week Two
Isabel Wilkerson
Maria Stewart
Week Three
Frederick Douglass
Harriet Jacobs
Week Four
WEB DuBois
Week Five
Harlem
Renaissance Poets
and Contemporary
Poets
Maya Angelou
C. Awkward Rich
Tracy K. Smith
Terrance Hayes
Roger Reeves
Interpretation
Presentation
Week Six
Native Son & Native
Daughter: James
Baldwin and Zora
Neale Hurston
Baldwin “The
Discovery of What It
Means to Be An
American” and
Hurston “How It
Feels to Be Colored
Me”
Week Seven
“Stranger in The
Village”
Baldwin & Teju Cole
Midterm Papers due
Week Eight
“Mastery of Fear:” Dr.
Martin Luther King,
Jr.
Invisible Man ,
Prologue: Ralph
Ellison
Week Nine
“Poetry Is Not A
Luxury” Audre Lorde
“Honesty: Be True to
Love” bell hooks
Week Ten
Thanksgiving
“When We All Get to
Heaven” Randall
Kenan
Week Eleven
Toni Morrison
“Récicatif”
“Strangers”
Excerpt from The
Origin of Others
Week Twelve
“Letter to My Son”
from Between the
World and Me
Ta-nehisi Coates
Richard Wright
Baldwin
Week Thirteen
12/18
Literary Cultural
Presentations
Discussions