HCOM 324: African American Narratives
Course Description: Examines the development of African American and African diaspora literature. Explores the quintessential role African American and African diaspora literature and culture have played in the development of American mainstream literature, culture, and identity. Looks at vernacular tradition, the call and response practice, and the lyrics of the blues-infused, African American literary expression. Offers built-in assessment in HCOM MLO 6 or the concentrations in African Studies, Literary and Film Studies, Comparative American Studies or History, Oral History and New Media.
African American Narratives: This course helped me fulfill MLO 4- Secondary Culture Other than Hispanic Culture. During the span of the semester I was introduced to a variety of novels, essays, letters, an epistolary novel, science-fiction, and a confession by African-American writers. Although many of these novels were different they all dealt with race relations and I was able to see how some of the themes in the many books I read, are still prevalent today. We did many activities in class that made me think critically like I hadn’t done in some of my classes. A lot of the coursework was based on class discussions. Dr. Vaughan always asks us questions regarding the readings and he allows everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion. Sometimes the discussions can be uncomfortable, especially if you are not African-American. For my learning experience, I’ve attached an essay I did about “Why the word is important.” In the essay I explain the power of the word, of language and how African-American narratives add to the conversation. This course is very different from any other course I’ve taken as it is a culture I am not as familiar with, it is a culture I didn’t grow up around because I grew up in a Latino/a community and many of the people I went to school with were Hispanic. This class has definitely made me more aware of the African-American community, and it has mostly added to my knowledge of the Black Lives Matter Movement. This whole class has been an AHA moment because it’s taught me to be more accepting of why people tell their stories, and why we should welcome it as a society. Something I will take with me is the effect slavery had on African Americans. It is much bigger than I expected and every book we’ve read has demonstrated that through their characters.
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