Course Overview
Focusing on twentieth-century African American literature and culture, this course explores the idea of the modern metropolis as both utopia and dystopia for African-American artists. Beginning with foundational texts from the Harlem Renaissance, including the paintings of Aaron Douglas and the music of Duke Ellington and Louis
Armstrong, among others, we will trace the contour of the City (as a place, real and imagined, and as a character) in African-American literature. Along the way, we will consider the African-American vernacular tradition, from spirituals to jazz, from sermons to rap, and how that tradition shapes literature.
Jacob Lawrence, from The Migration Series
