ENGL 233 - Introduction to the African American Novel

(3 credits)
Prerequisite: ENGL 102
African-Americans have distinguished themselves artistically in many modes of expression, but perhaps none as profoundly as the novel. Tracing the development of this tradition that began before slavery’s end, students will read the works of writers such as Hannah Crafts, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. The course will present these novels not only in their historical and cultural contexts but also in the evolving narrative tradition of African-American writers. Students will understand better how the human questions posed by familiar American authors are also explored by African-American novelists. (CHUM; CMCL; CWRT)