"A survey course of literature by women from Africa, the Caribbean, and North America, it seeks to introduce the writers, their works and the experiences that inform their writings. Beginning with a consideration of traditional African oral forms, through the initial experiences in the New World, to more modern representations of literature, the course foregrounds African and Diasporan experiences of women. Some of these may be sociological, political, and/or economic factors. It will examine the diverse ways deployed by women to discuss issues that are relevant to them as well as the techniques and recurring motifs used in their works. Among the authors read are Buchi Emecheta from Nigeria, Edwidge Denticat from Haiti, and Alice Walker from the United States and in addition, excerpts from the work of Patricia Hill Collins, Obioma Nnaemeka, Jamaica Kincaid, Maryse Conde, bell hooks, Toni Cade Bambara, and more. Some of the issues explored are feminism, womanism, sexism, patriarchy, racism and classism as well as maternity and independence, mammies, matriarchs, and other controlling images of black women."
--Syllabus for AFA 318: Women Writers of the African World, Fall 2015
Students will be able to:
--Syllabus for AFA 318 Women Writers of the African World, Fall 2015