English 335
Studies in African American Literature: Harlem Renaissance
Professor Stephen Brauer
Fall 2008
TTh 9:30
Phone: 385-8168; Email: sbrauer@sjfc.edu
Office: Basil 111
Office Hours: TR 8:30-9:30; 1:30-2:30
Introduction
This class examines the Harlem Renaissance, a time of great energy, artistic
production, and vitality in the African-American community in the 1920s and 1930s. To
get a sense of the great artistic flowering that took place in this time period, we will read
poetry, novels, and essays, we will look at visual art, listen to music, and we will consider
theatrical performances and performers. Ultimately, we will want to consider what
happened during this time, what artists made of it, who those artists were, why it
happened then, and how it took shape. There will be a number of themes that we
explicitly examine, including racial pride and racial consciousness, assimilation vs.
isolation, primitivism, uplift, passing and identity, and the emergence of a distinctly black
culture in America. I hope to make this course as multidisciplinary as possible, bringing
music, visual art, and other forms to bear on the literary production of the time. Always,
as a foundation, we will consider the varieties of style and forms that artists took to
represent African-American life and culture.
As a 300-level English Department literature course, this class has certain student
learning goals that I wish to inform you of, in terms of the type of work we hope students
at this level will produce:
A focused, critical argument involving more than one text;
a sense of the historical and literary context of that text;
effective analysis of the formal components of literature;
effective application of the conventions of literary application;
effective summary, integration, and documentation of secondary sources; and,
mastery of the conventions of standard written English.
The assignments in this course will be designed to give you the opportunity to further
develop these learning goals.
Required Texts
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
Nella Larsen, Passing
Venetria K. Patton and Maureen Honey, eds., Double-Take: A Revisionist Harlem
Renaissance Anthology
Wallace Thurman, Infants of the Spring
Carl Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven
Cary Wintz, ed., The Harlem Renaissance: A History and an Anthology
There will also be some readings available on Blackboard.
Course Requirements
You will need to complete the required reading, come to class prepared, and be
ready to participate. You will complete two shorter papers, a group project – which will
be constructing a wiki on an assigned topic with a group of your fellow classmates – and
write a term paper. Finally, I will ask you to create a class blog as a means of tracing
your reactions to what we read and our discussions in class.
Preparation and Participation
We will read a number of texts that provide historical and cultural contexts for the
fiction and poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and at times I will speak to these in a
lecture format; however, this course is predominately not a lecture but a discussion-based
class. Your participation is key. The success of discussions will rely upon your
preparation, your ability to listen to others, and your willingness and desire to participate.
Make sure to read the assigned work and come to class ready to share your thoughts and
impressions.
Other Issues
Grading
Your final grade will be composed of 33% term paper, 33% short papers, and
33% group project, participation and preparation, and quality of blog posts (with a
significant part of that comprised of the group project).
Attendance and Tardiness
More than four absences, without medical documentation of illness, will
automatically constitute a failing grade. Excessive tardiness will negatively effect my
impression your investment in the course.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a very serious offense, and one I will handle with the utmost gravity.
Plagiarism is the unauthorized, undocumented use of another person’s words or ideas –
and it is a violation of college guidelines. Plagiarism will certainly result in a zero for
that written assignment, may result in failing the course, and, in some cases, may result in
suspension or expulsion from the college. Be absolutely sure to cite any sources that you
use in a writing assignment and to include a Works Cited List for those sources. We will
discuss the proper form for citation during this class.
Disabilities
In compliance with St. John Fisher College policy and applicable laws,
appropriate academic accommodations are available to you if you are a student with a
disability. All requests for accommodations must be supported by appropriate
documentation/diagnosis and determined reasonable by St. John Fisher College. Students
with documented disabilities (physical, learning, psychological) who may need academic
accommodations are advised to make an appointment with the Coordinator of Services
for students with disabilities in the Office of Academic Affairs. Late notification will
delay requested accommodations. Students with documented learning, physical, or
emotional disabilities/conditions should identify themselves to me after the first class so
that we can accommodate your needs.
Schedule of Assignments
September 4 – Introductions.
September 9 – Wintz, 1-19; Double-Take 7-9; Huggins 13-43 (Available on Blackboard)
September 11 – Wintz 39-41, 50-65; Double-Take 139-144, 371-380.
September 16 – Wintz 72-90; Double-Take 232-242, 272-276, 458-463.
September 18 – Wintz 90-99, 111-119. First Paper due.
September 23 – Double-Take 3-6, 10-16, 21-27, 28-35.
September 25 – Double-Take 152-170, 227-231, 268-270, 381-385.
September 30 – Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven (Pages TBA)
October 2 – Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven (Pages TBA). Second Paper due.
October 7 – Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven (Pages TBA)
October 9 – Van Vechten, Nigger Heaven (Pages TBA)
October 14 – Double-Take 40-44, 47-51, 96-101
October 16 – Wintz 130-146
October 21 – Larsen, Passing (Parts 1 and 2)
October 23 –Larsen, Passing (Part 3)
October 28 – Double-Take 450-457, 465-469, 508-510, 538-546, 554-562
October 30 – Group Project presentation.
November 4 – Group Project presentation.
November 6 – Readings on visual artists TBA.
November 11 – Thurman, Infants of the Spring (11-112)
November 13 – Thurman, Infants of the Spring (113-172)
November 18 – Thurman, Infants of the Spring (173-284)
November 20 – Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1-47)
November 25 – Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (48-122)
November 27 – THANKSGIVING.
December 2 – Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (123-184)
December 4 – Summations.
December 9 – Term Paper due.