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This course explores the prominence of LGBTQ identities and narratives within African American literary and cultural traditions. Through a purposefully multi-genre exploration of African American literature, spanning from the Harlem Renaissance to the contemporary moment, we will focus on writers who identify as part of the LGBTQ community, as well as those artists who prominently feature LGBTQ subjects and figures within their work. While examining the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender in creative expression, we will also engage the broader social, political, and cultural implications of these works, considering themes of marginalization, identity formation and articulation, social justice, and activism.