AFS 221 Literature of the Civil Rights Movement

This course explores literary and cultural expressions produced within and about the movement for African American Civil Rights, focusing on the Jim Crow period through the rise of Black Power. Taking a multi-genre approach, texts will include fiction, poetry, music, autobiography, public speeches, and essays. We will examine the manner by which the intellectual, cultural, and political elements of the movement are captured and expressed through literature. Moreover, we will consider literary expression as central to furthering the aims of the Civil Rights movement, preserving and promoting its legacy in the contemporary moment, and framing 21st Century movements toward social justice.