AFS 238 Contemporary African American Literature

This course will examine the literary and cultural production of African Americans in the 21st Century, considering ways that contemporary African American writers have—through form and content—honored and advanced the expressive traditions that preceded them. Taking a multi-genre approach, we will also consider the manner by which fiction, poetry, film, essays, and music have presented and reflected upon the contemporary reality of African Americans. Potential themes and events considered within the literature include: the ongoing impact of history, the aftermath of 9/11, responses to Hurricane Katrina, Blackness in the age of Obama, post-Blackness/post-Raciality, African diasporan identity and immigration, identity formation and social media, popular culture, intersectionality, #BlackLivesMatter, and social justice movements of the 21st Century.