English (ENG)139: Black Literature in America
This course will introduce you to African American literature. Rather than a "how to read literature" course, it is a content-based, foundational course. Unit I will provide an historical overview of the literary tradition within the contexts of the following periods in American history: the Colonial Era, the Ante-bellum period, Reconstruction through the turn of the 20th century, the turn of the 20th century until 1950, 1950-1980, and 1980 to the present. Subsequent units will offer a sampling of readings in poetry, autobiography, and fiction; in each case the objective will be to highlight major authors and their works while focusing on common (or recurring) themes and issues.
Much of the African American literary tradition has roots in oral (spoken language) folk forms that were brought from Africa to America and adapted to New World circumstances. African epic poetry formed the basis for what came to be known as the "sorrow songs," or spirituals—an early African American oral form emerging from the experience of American chattel slavery--which we will cover in our broad overview. Similarly, The Blues began as an organic oral form that described southern rural African American life under late 19th and early 20th century Jim Crow rule. Clearly, blues music has undergone many transformations and is now played around the world, but its oral roots are in the African American experience of Jim Crow America. In the final decades of the 20th century, we witnessed a resurgence of spoken word forms in poetry and music. Thus, our discussions of the oral vernacular roots of African American literature will travel full circle from African epic poetry to Def Poetry Jam.
What will I learn in this course?
At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify significant figures, seminal texts, and important tropes
- Analyze changing discussions about the criteria for Black art
- Explain How social and historical contexts impact literary production
Are there any prerequisites for this course?
No specific classes are required before taking ENG 139.
I've never taken an online course before. What is it like?
This course is taught completely online. We'll use Penn State's course management system, ANGEL, for ENG 139, and you will be able to communicate with the professor and your classmates through chat, e-mail, and threaded discussions within ANGEL.
You do not need to come to campus at any time, and you do not need a proctor or remote testing site.
However, an online course is not easier than on-campus course. In fact, it takes a lot more self-discipline. You must be willing and able to commit the same amount of time as you would for attending class and studying for a traditional course. You must also be a motivated, organized student who feels confident about reading to learn and who is comfortable working independently. If you're wondering whether an online course is right for you, take this short survey to find out more about how online learning is different.
What are the technological requirements for this course?
To complete this course, you must have the following equipment or capabilities:
- have access to a computer that meets the ANGEL technological requirements.
How is the course structured?
This is an online course – all content, discussion, and evaluation will take place online, within the Angel course environment. The course is divided into five 3-week units: Historical Overview, Poetry, Autobiography, Fiction I, and Fiction II. All exams are administered online. No classroom meetings are required for this course.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about ENG 139 Online, see a recent course syllabus. To register, visit the Office of the University Registrar. At the beginning of each semester, all enrolled students should access ENG 139 at the site of Penn State's course management system, ANGEL.
James Weldon Johnson
Best remembered for his book The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, which was published anonymously in 1912. Other works include The Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925), Black Manhattan (1930), his exploration of the contribution of African-Americans to the cultural scene of New York, and Negro Americans, What Now? (1934), a book calling for civil rights for African Americans. Johnson was also an accomplished anthologist. Johnson's anthologies provided inspiration, encouragement, and recognition to the new generation of artists who would create the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.
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W.E.B. DuBois
Du Bois wrote many books, including three major autobiographies. Among his most significant works are The Philadelphia Negro (1899), The Souls of Black Folk (1903), John Brown (1909), Black Reconstruction (1935), and Black Folk, Then and Now (1939). His book The Negro (1915) influenced the work of several pioneer Africanist scholars, such as Drusilla Dunjee Houston[9] and William Leo Hansberry.
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