This module is not currently running in 2026 to 2027.
Beginning in Harlem in the 1920s and ending in Vancouver at the turn of the 21st century, the module will follow a chronological and geographical route from South to North and East to West, exploring a diverse range of literary forms that trace the evolution of Black identity in North America. Drawing on material from the US, Canada, and the Caribbean, you will spend time analysing black experience, aesthetics, and the ethics/politics of literary production. Considering both the material conditions and intellectual challenges faced by different communities, you will examine a rich cultural matrix, from soulful rural folk culture to hard-edged urban cynicism, from the collage and jazz aesthetics of the Harlem Renaissance, to the vernacular of contemporary hip-hop.
Workshops 16 hours
Seminar 16 hours
1500 words Learning journal. Assessment Details: Journal reflecting on developing understanding of the module's topics worth 40%.
2000 words Podcast. Assessment Details: Discursive podcast on a topic chosen by the student worth 60%.
Reassessment Method: Single instrument100% written assessment (3,000 words)
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) analyze examples of Black literature, culture and theory from North America
2) use historicist and formalist analysis to interpret texts on race and representation
3) reflect critically on the evolution of Black literary texts from the United States
4) evaluate a range of theoretical and aesthetic concepts in Black writing
5) make sustained, reasoned arguments to support their judgements on examples of Black theory and cultural production
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