AML 1600 — African-American Literature
This course is designed to survey the major fiction, poetry, drama, and essays of selected African-American writers through the twenty-first century. It emphasizes issues and ideas that have influenced African-American literary expression and explores personal responses to the African-American experience as reflected in American culture. It examines African-American literature through four periods: Slavery, The Civil War and Reconstruction, The Harlem Renaissance, and the Contemporary Period. It traces human experiences as they unfold in African-American literature and American culture, while also exploring the historical background, social issues, and diverse ideologies of each period. This course requires substantial reading, library research, and the composition of the research paper.