Topic outline


  • Welcome to Black American Poetry!

    Poster that says Lift Every Voice.

    Course Description: Black poetry in America from Wheatley to the present; emphasis on the twentieth century. (This course satisfies the elective course requirements for the African American Studies major or minor.) This summer, English 4322/5322 Black American Poetry, is a study of Black aesthetics. We will analyze the role of Black culture on Black poetry, most specifically music, vernacular language, history, folklore, and more. We will also spend some time thinking about hip hop and spoken word poetry as existing in the Black aesthetic tradition. Poets we will cover are: Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, Ross Gay, Nikky Finney, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, and Haki Madhubuti.

  • Let's get started!

    Students studying together.

    By the end of this module, you will:

     - Introduce yourself to your peers via the discussion forum
     - Complete the SmarterMeasure assessment.

    Instructions:

    Please follow the links and complete the following activities:

    • Introductions Forum

      For this first discussion, I would like you to compose a brief introduction of yourself. Your introduction should be no shorter than 250 words in length and should give us a general idea of your interests and goals. You may want to explain your decision to come to CSU, your major, your career goals, and where you see yourself in the next five years. Please make sure you proofread and edit your writing carefully before you submit it! 

      Also, make sure you included your preferred pronouns and preferred name. 


  • WEEK ONE: Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance

    In this lesson we will examine Langston Hughes' role in the Harlem Renaissance and discuss his dream deferred poems. We need to think about these questions: 1. What is the American Dream?

    2. Is there more than one American Dream? 3. Why does Hughes use the word "deferred"?

    Lesson Objective:

    • Identify the themes and major concepts of the Harlem Renaissance.
    • Identify and explain the ideas of Langston Hughes' poetry.


  • WEEK TWO: Langston Hughes' and The Folk Tradition

    • Week Three: Langston Hughes and The American Dream

    • WEEK FOUR: Gwendolyn Brooks and the Folk Tradition

      • Jazz Notes URL

        Notes for the jazz lecture may be found here https://docs.google.com/document/d/0B_lwELbDqB9CZER0M0lWdmlPSFE/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110824479557412624006&resourcekey=0-d5tRsfKlZKPY0e9pmr4ozQ&rtpof=true&sd=true


    • WEEK FIVE: Gwendolyn Brooks' Fiction

      • Gwendolyn Brooks and the American Dream

        • Haki Madhubuti and Nikky Giovanni: The Revolutionaries