thesis on african american literature

African American Literature

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Afro American Studies

Senior honors theses, recent dissertations, spotlight on..., how to find dissertations.

• Afro Am 117: Survey of African American Literature I
• Afro Am 118: Survey of African American Literature II
• Afro Am 170/171: The Multicultural Experience in American Life and Culture
• AFRO AM 222 Black Church In America
• Afro Am 236: History of the Civil Rights Movement
• Afro Am 254 Introduction to African Studies
• Afro Am 290c/753: The Blues
• Afro Am 293B: THE AFRICAN DIASPORA AND THE WAR ON DRUGS (Afro American Studies 293B
• Afro Am 297A: Black Springfield Matters
• Afro Am 326: Black Women in U.S. History
• Afro Am 331: The Life and Writings of W.E.B. Du Bois
• Afro Am 491C: Cuba: A Social History
• AFROAM 494DI: The W.E.B. Du Bois Senior Seminar
• Afro Am 365: Composition: Style and Organization (Junior Year Writing)
• Afro Am 605/History 797S: African Americans and the Movement to Abolish Slavery
• Afro Am 652/234: Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
• Afro Am 691C: Historiographical Methods in Afro-American Studies
• Afro Am 692G: African American Women's Narrative
• Afro Am 692U: Dynamics of Race and the Law
• Afro Am 701 & 702: Major Works in Afro American Studies
• English 891BB: African American Women Playwrights
• History 591FG: First Generation-Urbanism and Breaking Baseball's Color Barrier
• History 593K: African Americans in Antebellum New England
• History 594Z: Black Women’s Political Activism
• Black Women Suffragists
• Educ 218: Hip Hop Nation Language and Literacy Practices
• Journalism 395M: The African American Freedom Struggle and the Mass Media
• Librarian for Afro American Studies
• Database Searching / Research Log
• Reference sources
• How else are we going to do research when the library is closed?

are available in Special Collections and Archives, 25th floor. Arranged by year, by department or alphabetically by name. These cannot be checked out.

Recent dissertations in Afro American Studies at UMass Amherst

Dr. Stephanie Evans received her PhD from the UMass Amherst Department of Afro American Studies in 2003.

Her dissertation, Living legacies : Black women, educational philosophies, and community service, 1865-1965 , is available for checkout and online .

Doctoral Theses in Afro American Studies

Umass dissertations.

To identify individual doctoral dissertations , use the Library Catalog author, title, subject or keyword search. To browse all Afro American Studies dissertations, use the general subject heading: Theses -- Afro American Studies -- Doctoral The Library keeps physical copies of UMass doctoral theses , and provides online access to recently completed dissertations:

• UMass Amherst Afro-American Studies Dissertations Collection in ScholarWorks . Online PDF .
• On the 20th floor. All call numbers start with LD3234.M267, followed by the year of the thesis. These can be checked out.
• In the Five College Depository. Library use only.
• Older dissertations also available in Microforms. Library use only.

Dissertations from other Universities

Use the database Dissertations and Theses , which now provides full text of recent doctoral and some masters theses, mostly completed in colleges and universities of the United States and Canada. (In instances when full text is not available, try requesting through Inter-Library Loan .)

Two books by graduates of the Afro American Studies department were selected as Choice Outstanding Academic Titles for 2008. Both books began as dissertations in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies , University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Home > HFA > AFROAM > AFROAM_DISS

Afro-American Studies Dissertations Collection

Current students, please follow this link to submit your dissertation.

Dissertations from 2024 2024

Lay It On The Line: The Life and Music of Gladys Bentley , Bianki Torres and Bianki J. Torres, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2023 2023

The (Un)Willing Machine: Black Women, Sex Work, and Technology, 1880-2015 , Yelana Sims, Afro-American Studies

A “VERY JIM CROW” EXPERIENCE: BLACK WOMEN’S WORLD-MAKING IN THE WAKE OF RACIALIZED SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE U.S. SOUTH, 1894-1947 , Cecile Florence Yezou, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2022 2022

"Though Some Days the Blues Was Our Parade, Still We Marched Through All the Tears We Made": A Historical Examination of Soul Aesthetics & the Functionality of (Re)Evaluation , Olivia Ekeh, Afro-American Studies

“THEY CAN ONLY BE INFLUENCED BY THEIR FEARS”: REDEFINING WHITE MOB VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACKS, 1898 – 1917, RIOTS OR POGROMS? , DeRoy C. Gordon, Afro-American Studies

WHERE WE AT?!: BLACK WOMEN CULTURAL WORKERS AND ARTS ACTIVISM IN THE ERA OF BLACK POWER , Kiara M. Hill, Afro-American Studies

Conjuring New Worlds: Black Women’s Speculative Fiction and the Restructuring of Blackness , Chloe Hunt, Afro-American Studies

re(Sisters) in Captivity: Black Women, Bioexcess, and Technologies of Subversion , Candacé S. King, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2021 2021

AFRO-ABORIGINAL ENCOUNTERS: BLACK ARTS AND THE GLOBAL POLITICS OF BLACK POWER , Alex M. Carter, Afro-American Studies

“Our Earnest Remonstrance”: Citizenship, Voting, and Providence, Rhode Island’s Black Community, 1770-1843 , Christopher J. Martin, Afro-American Studies

"Whatever concerns them, as a race, concerns me": The Life and Activism of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper , Johanna Maria Ortner, Afro-American Studies

Black Organizations as a Way to Increase Black Students’ College Attendance Rates by Improving Their Academic Performance at Primary and Secondary Schools , Leydi Mercedes Vidal Perlaza, Afro-American Studies

Wild Women do Have the Blues: The Imagery of Vaudeville Blueswomen and Their Influences on August Wilson and Sherley Anne Williams , Fangfang Zhu, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2020 2020

The African American Gothic Double , Kourtney Senquiz, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2019 2019

‘BLACK INTIFADA’: BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT, PALESTINIAN POETRY OF RESISTANCE AND THE ROOTS OF BLACK AND PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY , Nadia Alahmed, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2018 2018

THE PRIVILEGE OF BLACKNESS: BLACK EMPOWERMENT AND THE FIGHT FOR LIBERATION IN ATTALA COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI 1865-1915 , Evan Ashford, Afro-American Studies

"The Whole Nation Will Move": Grassroots Organizing in Harlem and the Advent of the Long, Hot Summers , Peter Blackmer, Afro-American Studies

(Re)defining Radicalism: The Rise of Black Feminism and the Politics of Respectability, 1831-1895 , Nneka D. Dennie, Afro-American Studies

Do Not Separate Her From Her Garden: Anne Spencer's Ecopoetics , Carlyn E. Ferrari, Afro-American Studies

WRITING NEW BOUNDARIES FOR THE LAW: BLACK WOMEN’S FICTION AND THE ABJECT IN PSYCHOANALYSIS , Angelique Warner, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Papered Freedom: Self-Purchase and Compensated Manumission in the Antebellum United States , Julia Bernier, Afro-American Studies

‘Woman thou art loosed’: Black Female Sexuality Unhinged in the Fiction of Frances Harper and Pauline Hopkins , Crystal Donkor, Afro-American Studies

Texts and Subtexts in Performing Blackness: Vernacular Masking in Key and Peele as a Lens for Viewing Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Musical Comedy , Spencer Kuchle, Afro-American Studies

THE AFROETHNIC IMPULSE AND RENEWAL: AFRICAN AMERICAN TRANSCULTURATIONS IN AFRO-LATINO BILDUNG NARRATIVES, 1961 to 2013 , Trent Masiki, Afro-American Studies

A Site of Nation: Black Utopian Novels in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries , Xianzhi Meng, Afro-American Studies

We Are Roses From Our Mothers' Gardens: Black Feminist Visuality in African American Women's Art , Kelli Morgan, Afro-American Studies

Stories Written On Concrete: Understanding and (Re)Imagining Street Lit and Culture, 1990-2007 , Jacinta Saffold, Afro-American Studies

MOVING AGAINST CLOTHESPINS:THE POLI(POE)TICS OF EMBODIMENT IN THE POETRY OF MIRIAM ALVES AND AUDRE LORDE , Flávia Santos de Araújo, Afro-American Studies

Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood: Northern African American Children's Cultural and Political Resistance, 1780-1861 , Crystal L. Webster, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2016 2016

"Daring propaganda for the beauty of the Human Mind:" Critical Consciousness-Raising in the Poetry and Drama of the Black Power Era, 1965-1976 , Markeysha D. Davis, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Imaging Her Selves: Black Women Artists, Resistance, Image and Representation, 1938-1956 , Heather Zahra Caldwell, Afro-American Studies

"The Imagination and Construction of the Black Criminal in American Literature, 1741-1910" , Emahunn Campbell, Afro-American Studies

Creating the Ideal Mexican: 20th and 21st Century Racial and National Identity Discourses in Oaxaca , Savannah N. Carroll, Afro-American Studies

The (Dis)Ability of Color; or, That Middle World: Toward A New Understanding of 19th and 20th Century Passing Narratives , Julia S. Charles, Afro-American Studies

The Physical Uplift of the Race: The Emergence of the African American Physical Culture Movement, 1900-1930 , J. Anthony Guillory, Afro-American Studies

Race Patriots: Black Poets, Transnational Identity, and Diasporic Versification in the United States Before the New Negro , Jason T. Hendrickson, Afro-American Studies

Sweat the Technique: Visible-izing Praxis Through Mimicry in Phillis Wheatley's "On Being Brought from Africa to America" , Karla V. Zelaya, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2014 2014

AFRICAN AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: BLACK INTELLECTUAL PERSPECTIVES 1850-1965 , Vanessa Fabien, Afro-American Studies

"Survival Kits on Wax": The Politics, Poetics, and Productions of Gil Scott-Heron, 1970-1978 , Donald Geesling, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2013 2013

Uncovering the Covered Word and Image: Framing a Black Woman's Diasporan Stage-Space , Allia Abdullah Matta, Afro-American Studies

Composing the African Atlantic: Sun Ra, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and the Poetics of African Diasporic Composition , James Gregory Carroll, Afro-American Studies

Approaches to Black Power: African American Grassroots Political Struggle in Cleveland, Ohio, 1960-1966 , David M. Swiderski, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2012 2012

In Search Of The Fraternal: Salvific Manhood And Male Intimacy In The Novels Of James Baldwin , Ernest L. Gibson III, Afro-American Studies

Pen Stroking the Soul of a People: Spiritual Foundations of Black Diasporan Literature , McKinley Eric Melton, Afro-American Studies

Ethel Payne: The First Lady of the Black Press: Black Journalism and its Advocacy Role from 1954 - 1991 , Jamal E Watson, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2011 2011

Intellect, Liberty, Life: Women’S Activism And The Politics Of Black Education In Antebellum America , Kabria Baumgartner, Afro-American Studies

"Journey Toward A Black Aesthetic": Hoyt Fuller, The Black Arts Movement & The Black Intellectual Community , Jonathan Bryan Fenderson, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2010 2010

Africanizing the Territory: The History, Memory and Contemporary Imagination of Black Frontier Settlements in the Oklahoma Territory , Catherine Lynn Adams, Afro-American Studies

Where I Want To Be: African American Women‘s Novels And The Journey Toward Selfhood During The Civil Rights And Black Power Movements , Jacqueline M Jones, Afro-American Studies

"It is a new kind of militancy": March on Washington Movement, 1941-1946 , David Lucander, Afro-American Studies

The Fight For Freedom Must Be Fought On All Fronts: Liberator Magazine And Black Radicalism, 1960-1971 , Christopher Matthew Tinson, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2009 2009

A woman of action: Elma Lewis, the arts, and the politics of culture in Boston, 1950-1986/ , Daniel N. McClure, Afro-American Studies

The Artistry and Activism of Shirley Graham Du Bois: A Twentieth Century African American Torchbearer , Alesia Elaine McFadden, Afro-American Studies

Liberation at the End of a Pen: Writing Pan-African Politics of Cultural Struggle , Anthony James Ratcliff, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2008 2008

"The social responsibility of the administrator": Mordecai Wyatt Johnson and the dilemma of Black leadership, 1890-1976/ , Thomas John Edge, Afro-American Studies

City of amalgamation: race, marriage, class and color in Boston, 1890-1930/ , Zebulon V. Miletsky, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2007 2007

American man: the ambitious searches of Richard Wright and Ernest Hemingway/ , Michael Kwame Forbes, Afro-American Studies

The politics of creation : the short story in South Africa and the US/ , Lloren Addison Foster, Afro-American Studies

Against wind and tide : African Americans' response to the colonization movement and emigration, 1770-1865/ , Ousmane Kirumu Greene, Afro-American Studies

Wealthy free women of color in Charleston, South Carolina during slavery , Rita Reynolds, Afro-American Studies

Intersections in theatrics and politics: the case of Paul Robeson and Othello/ , Lindsey R. Swindall, Afro-American Studies

Vindicating karma: jazz and the Black Arts movement/ , W. S. Tkweme, Afro-American Studies

Between the black diaspora of enslavement and the Nigerian diaspora since the demise of colonialism : an assessment of the consequences of two historic migrations to the United States/ , Paul E. Udofia, Afro-American Studies

The politics and poetics of African American women's identity performances: (re) reading black hair in fictional/non-fictional writings and cultural productions/ , Eunice Angelica Whitmal, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2006 2006

Mapping intersections: Black women's identities and the politics of home in transnational Black American women's fiction/ , Sandra Caona Duvivier, Afro-American Studies

Courage under fire : African American firefighters and the struggle for racial equality/ , David A. Goldberg, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2005 2005

"To lawless rapine bred" : a study of early Northeastern execution literature featuring people of African descent/ , Tanya M. Mears, Afro-American Studies

Disrupting dissemblance : transgressive black women as politics of counter-representation in African American women's fiction/ , Trimiko C. Melancon, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2004 2004

"We know our rights and have the courage to defend them:" : the spirit of agitation in the age of accommodation, 1883-1909/ , Shawn Leigh Alexander, Afro-American Studies

Refusing to be silent : tracing the role of the black woman protector on the American stage/ , Brandon LA Hutchinson, Afro-American Studies

Remembering Jim Crow : the literary memoir as historical source material/ , Jennifer Jensen Wallach, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2003 2003

Living legacies : Black women, educational philosophies, and community service, 1865-1965/ , Stephanie Y. Evans, Afro-American Studies

Dissertations from 2002 2002

Black representation in American short films, 1928-1954 , Christopher P. Lehman, Afro-American Studies

Race for sanctions : the movement against aparteid, 1946-1994/ , Francis Njubi Nesbitt, Afro-American Studies

"What's love got to do with it?["] : the dynamics of desire, race and murder in the slave South/ , Carolyn. Powell, Afro-American Studies

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A FRICAN A MERICAN R EVIEW

Current issue, news & links, african american review, a publication of johns hopkins university press.

A frican A merican R eview is a scholarly aggregation of insightful essays on African American literature, theatre, film, the visual arts, and culture; interviews; poetry; fiction; and book reviews. Published quarterly, AAR has featured renowned writers and cultural critics including Trudier Harris, Arnold Rampersad, Hortense Spillers, Amiri Baraka, Cyrus Cassells, Rita Dove, Charles Johnson, Cheryl Wall, and Toni Morrison. The official publication of LLC African American of the Modern Language Association, AAR fosters a vigorous conversation among writers and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

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Slave narratives

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African American literature

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• Academia - The Identity Crisis and the African American Literature
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African American literature , body of literature written by Americans of African descent. Beginning in the pre- Revolutionary War period, African American writers have engaged in a creative, if often contentious , dialogue with American letters. The result is a literature rich in expressive subtlety and social insight, offering illuminating assessments of American identities and history. Although since 1970 African American writers, led by Toni Morrison , have earned widespread critical acclaim, this literature has been recognized internationally as well as nationally since its inception in the late 18th century.

(Read W.E.B. Du Bois’s Britannica essay on African American literature.)

Antebellum literature

African Americans launched their literature in North America during the second half of the 18th century, joining the war of words between England and its rebellious colonies with a special sense of mission. The earliest African American writers sought to demonstrate that the proposition “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence required that Black Americans be extended the same human rights as those claimed by white Americans. Couching a social justice argument in the Christian gospel of the universal brotherhood of humanity, African-born Phillis Wheatley , enslaved in Boston , dedicated her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773), the first published African American book, to proving that “ Negros , Black as Cain ,” were not inherently inferior to whites in matters of the spirit and thus could “join th’ angelic train” as spiritual equals to whites. Composing poems in a wide range of classical genres , Wheatley was determined to show by her mastery of form and meter, as well as by her pious and learned subjects, that a Black poet was as capable of artistic expression as a white poet. Poems on Various Subjects provided a powerful argument against the proslavery contention that the failure of African peoples to write serious literature was proof of their intellectual inadequacies and their fitness for enslavement. The poetry and sermons of Jupiter Hammon (1711–1806?), an enslaved man who was born in New York but later lived in Connecticut , buttressed the demand of early African American writers for literary recognition, though the major theme of his writing is the urgency of Christian conversion.

In 1789 Olaudah Equiano , Wheatley’s most famous Black literary contemporary, published his two-volume autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano; or, Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself . A British citizen who had experienced enslavement in the Americas, Equiano has been traditionally regarded, along with Wheatley, as the founder of African literature in English by virtue of his having pioneered the slave narrative , a firsthand literary testimony against slavery which, by the early 19th century, earned for African American literature a burgeoning readership in Britain as well as in the United States . One of the most remarkable features of Equiano’s story is his use of African origins to establish his credibility as a critic of European imperialism in Africa . Recent research, however, has raised questions about whether Equiano was born an Igbo (Ibo ) in Africa, as he claims in his autobiography. His baptismal record in Westminster, England, lists him on February 9, 1759, as “Gustavus Vassa a Black born in Carolina 12 years old.” Scholars have also debated whether Equiano’s account of Igbo life in his autobiography is based on reading rather than memory. In the absence of scholarly consensus on these controversial matters, The Interesting Narrative remains a pivotal text in portraying Africa as neither morally benighted nor culturally backward but rather as a model of social harmony defiled by Euro-American greed.

In the early 19th century the standard-bearers of African American literature spoke with heightening urgency of the need for whites to address the terrible sin of slavery . Through essays, poetry, and fiction as well as more conventional journalism, African American newspapers, inaugurated by Freedom’s Journal in 1827, extolled the achievements of Black people worldwide while lobbying persistently for an end to slavery. As the prophet of literary Black nationalism in the United States, David Walker wrote his incendiary Appeal, in Four Articles; Together with a Preamble, to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829) to warn white America of impending racial violence if slavery were not abolished. Echoing Walker, who was a fellow Bostonian, Maria W. Stewart , the first African American woman political writer, issued her Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart in 1835, in which she encouraged Black women in the North to take a more outspoken role in civil rights agitation and Black community building. A year after the publication of Stewart’s Productions , Jarena Lee, a domestic servant impelled by a call to preach, published The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee , the first spiritual autobiography by an African American woman.

In the wake of the bloody Nat Turner rebellion in Southampton county, Virginia, in 1831, an increasingly fervent antislavery movement in the United States sponsored firsthand autobiographical accounts of slavery by fugitives from the South in order to make abolitionists of a largely indifferent white Northern readership. From 1830 to the end of the slavery era, the fugitive slave narrative dominated the literary landscape of antebellum Black America. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (1845) gained the most attention, establishing Frederick Douglass as the leading African American man of letters of his time. By predicating his struggle for freedom on his solitary pursuit of literacy, education, and independence, Douglass portrayed himself as a self-made man, which appealed strongly to middle-class white Americans. In his second, revised autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855), Douglass depicted himself as a product of a slave community in Maryland ’s Eastern Shore and explained how his struggles for independence and liberty did not end when he reached the so-called “free states” of the North. Harriet Jacobs ’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), the first autobiography by a formerly enslaved African American woman, candidly describes her experience of the sexual exploitation that made slavery especially oppressive for Black women. Chronicling what she called “the war” of her life, which ultimately won both her own freedom and that of her two children, Jacobs proved the inadequacy of the image of victim that had been applied pervasively to enslaved women and girls. Her work and the antislavery and feminist oratory of the New York formerly enslaved woman who renamed herself Sojourner Truth enriched early African American literature with unprecedented models of eloquence and heroism.

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Black Refusal, Black Magic: Reading African American Literature Now

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Candice M Jenkins, Black Refusal, Black Magic: Reading African American Literature Now, American Literary History , Volume 29, Issue 4, Winter 2017, Pages 779–789, https://doi.org/10.1093/alh/ajx033

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This essay comments on the collected essays in the ALH special issue on twenty-first-century African American literature. Taken together, these contributors’ essays make clear that there is no single idea, issue, or story that defines our current literary era—only a shared accumulation of upheavals, dissonances, and resonances that come together under the rubric (itself contested) of the contemporary. Guided by the suggestive content of the essays in the collection, I offer in this response my sense of the present black literary landscape. My thoughts coalesce around four central ideas that these essays raise either explicitly or implicitly: audience, form, region, and labor. I consider how contemporary African American literature is received, and how and why it should be understood as a “devastated form”; I address, as well, why the omission of the South in these essays is so troubling, and how we might think about the roles that capitalism, class, and commodity culture play in black literary production. My essay concludes, ultimately, that black refusal and what might be called black magic are crucial heuristics for understanding both what is, and what is possible, in the field.

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Selected Catalog Searches by Subject

You can also browse nearby subjects in the catalog.

• American literature -- African American authors -- History and criticism
• American literature -- African American authors
• Literature -- Black authors -- History and criticism
• Harlem Renaissance
• African American women -- Fiction

Selected Reference Sources

• The concise Oxford companion to African American literature
• Encyclopedia of African-American literature
• Encyclopedia of African-American writing: five centuries of contribution : trials & triumphs of writers, poets, publications and organizations
• Encyclopedia of hip hop literature
• A Langston Hughes encyclopedia
• The Toni Morrison encyclopedia
• Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
• Encyclopedia of African American women writers

Selected Databases--Articles and Primary Sources

• Also see: Selected Databases--Research
• Mosaic literary magazine
• African American review
• Black American literature forum
• Langston Hughes review
• Journal of African American studies
• Journal of black studies
• Afro-Hispanic review: publication of the Afro-Hispanic Institute

Selected Internet Resources

• The Charles Chestnutt Digital Archive (Berea College)
• African American Women Writers of the 19th Century (NYPL)
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYPL)
• W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute (Harvard)
• Institute for Research in African American Studies (Columbia)

OSUL Special Collections

• Diversity and Identity Studies in Rare Books and Manuscripts and The William Charvat Collection of American Literature
• << Previous: Diversity of English Studies
• Next: Women in Literature >>

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Literature in English: Resources

African american literature.

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• Literary Journals: Fiction, Essays, and Poetry
• Medieval Literature
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Individual Journals

Does a journal seem to be missing? Check the Top Journals in Literature section on the guide homepage .

• African American Review
• Black Renaissance / Renaissance Noire
• The Black Scholar (TBS)
• James Baldwin Review
• Langston Hughes Review
• MELUS: The Society for the Study of the Multi-ethnic Literature of the United States
• Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art
• Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society

Periodical Indexes and Bibliographic Databases

• Independent voices : an open access collection of an Alternative Press A four-year project to digitize over 1 million pages from the magazines, journals, and newspapers of the alternative press archives of participating libraries. Starting with collections by feminists and the GI press, the collection will grow to include small literary magazines, underground newspapers, LGBT periodicals, the minority press (Latino, Black and Native American) and the extreme right-wing press.
• International Index to Black Periodicals Full Text IIBP Full Text includes current and retrospective bibliographic citations and abstracts from over 150 scholarly and popular journals, newspapers and newsletters from the United States, Africa and the Caribbean--and full-text coverage of over 20 core Black Studies periodicals (1998 forward).
• Proquest Historical Newspapers Multi-database search interface that allows for simultaneous searching of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Defender, Pittsbugh Courier and Wall Street Journal
• Race Relations Abstracts Bibliographic records covering essential areas related to race relations, including ethnic studies, discrimination, immigration studies, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline.

Other Databases

Does a database seem to be missing? Check the Core Databases section on the guide homepage .

• 20th Century African American Poetry A database of modern and contemporary African-American poetry from the early twentieth century to the present. Features 10,000 poems by around 70 of the most important African-American poets of the last century.
• Accessible Archives Accessible Archives offers several historic collections, from African American newspapers to Civil War periodicals.
• African American Poetry, 1750-1900 Nearly 3,000 full-text poems written by African-American poets in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
• Black Drama: 1850 to present, second edition Contains approximately 1,462 plays by 233 playwrights, together with detailed, fielded information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. The database also includes selected playbills, production photographs and other ephemera related to the plays. Some 600 of the plays are published here for the first time, including a number by major authors.
• Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League From Archives Unbound. This collection comprises the National Negro Business League files in Part III of the Booker T. Washington Papers in the possession of the Library of Congress.
• Black power movement. Papers of the revolutionary action movement, 1962-1996 This collection of Papers of the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) consists of the personal files of RAM founder and National Field Chairman Muhammad Ahmad and of RAM members John H. Bracey Jr. and Ernie Allen Jr. RAM was organized in 1962 by Muhammad Ahmad (known as Max Stanford until 1970).
• Black Studies in Video Award-winning documentaries, newsreels, interviews and archival footage surveying black culture in the United States.
• Black Thought and Culture Non-fiction writings by major American black leaders-teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures-covering 250 years of history. In addition to the most familiar works, Black Thought and Culture presents a great deal of previously inaccessible material, including letters, speeches, prefatory essays, political leaflets, interviews, periodicals, and trial transcripts.
• Black Women Writers Searchable fulltext for writings by women from Africa and the African diaspora worldwide. Includes more than 460 fiction, nonfiction, and poetry texts in more than 100,000 pages in English, French, French Creole, Portuguese, and Luganda. Slightly more than half of titles are American, with Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, and Senegal well-represented among the two dozen countries covered.
• Clotel: Electronic Scholarly Edition The first African American novel, Clotel was published when its author was still legally a slave. This digital edition presents, for the first time together, the full extant texts of the novel’s four versions, published between 1853 and 1867. Imaged and coded, the fully searchable texts may be read individually or in parallel and are accompanied by generous biographical, critical, and historical commentary as well as line-by-line annotations and textual collation.
• Ethnic NewsWatch Full text, comprehensive archival database providing access to more than 400,000 articles in nearly 200 ethnic, minority and native press newspapers, magazines, and journals. Full text archive of Phila Tribune, Jewish Exponent , and nearly 200 other ethnic, minority and native press newspapers, magazines, and journals -- both English and Spanish.
• Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 Between the early 1920s and early 1980s, the Justice Department and its Federal Bureau of Investigation engaged in widespread investigation of those deemed politically suspect. Prominent among the targets of this sometimes coordinated, sometimes independent surveillance were aliens, members of various protest groups, Socialists, Communists, pacifists, militant labor unionists, ethnic or racial nationalists, and outspoken opponents of the policies of the incumbent presidents. Date range: 1920-1984, from the FBI Library.
• Liberation Movement in Africa and African America Composed of FBI surveillance files on the activities of the African Liberation Support Committee and All African People’s Revolutionary Party; this collection provides two unique views on African American support for liberation struggles in Africa, the issue of Pan-Africanism, and the role of African independence movements as political leverage for domestic Black struggles.
• Making of Modern Law: American Civil Liberties Union Papers, 1912-1990 Consists of two major collections comprising myriad subseries. The Roger Baldwin Years, 1912-1950, contains subseries with clippings and files on academic freedom; censorship; legislation; federal departments and federal legislation; state activities; conscientious objectors; injunctions; and labor and labor organization correspondence. Years of Expansion, 1950-1990, encompasses foundation project files on the Amnesty Project, 1964-1980; the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee, 1964-1976; and subject files on freedom of belief, expression, and association; due process of law; equality before the law; international civil liberties; and legal case files, 1933-1990.
• Making of Modern Law: American Civil Liberties Union Papers, Part II: Southern Regional Office Comprised of never-before-digitized materials, this unique collection documents the ACLU’s legal battle to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in thirteen Southern states…Consisting of case files, correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and more, this collection offers a primary source perspective on civil rights issues from voting rights to the dismantling of the Jim Crow system.
• NAACP Papers -Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff Files -The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces, Scottsboro, Anti-Lynching, Criminal Justice, Peonage, Labor, and Segregation and Discrimination Complaints and Responses. -Legal Department Files -Special Subjects -Branch Files
• Oxford African American Studies Center Features more than 10,000 articles by top scholars in the field, over 1,750 images, more than 300 primary sources with specially written commentaries, nearly 150 maps, 150 charts and tables, and over 6,000 biographies. The core content includes: Africana: the encyclopedia of the African and African American experience, second ed.; Encyclopedia of African American history, 1619-1895; Encyclopedia of African American history, 1896 to the present; Black women in America, second ed.; African American national biography.
• Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement  The collection consists of materials from the years 1913 through 1998 that document African American author and activist Amiri Baraka and were gathered by Dr. Komozi Woodard in the course of his research. The extensive documentation includes poetry, organizational records, print publications, articles, plays, speeches, personal correspondence, oral histories, as well as some personal records. The materials cover Baraka's involvement in the politics in Newark, N.J. and in Black Power movement organizations such as the Congress of African People, the National Black Conference movement, the Black Women's United Front. Later materials document Baraka's increasing involvement in Marxism.
• ProQuest History Vault: Black Freedom I Digital Archive The Organizational Records and Personal Papers bring a new perspective to the Black Freedom Struggle via the records of major civil rights organizations and personal papers of leaders and observers of the 20th century Black freedom struggle.The three major civil rights organizations are the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.
• Race Relations in America Based at Fisk University from 1943-1970, the Race Relations Department and its annual Institute were set up by the American Missionary Association to investigate problems in race relations and develop methods for educating communities and preventing conflict. This resource showcases the speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the Department’s staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.

Encyclopedias and Reference Works

• Cambridge Companions related to African American Literature
• Oxford Bibliographies: African American Studies

Related LibGuides

The following links are automatically pulled from a feed of guides in the Africana Studies series.

• Africana Studies by Mercy Ayilo Last Updated Nov 13, 2023 313 views this year
• Black Power TV by Nick Okrent Last Updated Jan 23, 2023 68 views this year
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Penn Libraries Collections Discovery by Kathleen Burlingame Last Updated Jun 3, 2024 708 views this year
• Major Microform Sets in the Penn Libraries by Nick Okrent Last Updated Jun 28, 2023 121 views this year
• Records of Ante-bellum South Microfilm by Nick Okrent Last Updated Apr 16, 2018 145 views this year
• Slavery and the Law by Nick Okrent Last Updated Jan 23, 2023 34 views this year
• SOCI 006 - Race & Ethnic Relations by Lauris Olson Last Updated Oct 19, 2023 15 views this year
• << Previous: African Literature
• Next: Asian American Literature >>
• Last Updated: Apr 11, 2024 12:49 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.upenn.edu/literature-in-english

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African American Literature Research Paper Topics

This article provides a comprehensive guide to African American literature research paper topics , highlighting the depth and richness of this vibrant literary tradition. From historical narratives of slavery and the Harlem Renaissance to modern themes and the future of Black literature, the piece offers a structured approach for students seeking research directions. In addition to topic suggestions, it offers insights into selecting the perfect topic, crafting a compelling research paper, and the invaluable services provided by iResearchNet. Whether a novice or an expert, this article serves as a definitive resource for delving into the heart of African American literary discourse.

100 African American Literature Research Paper Topics

African American literature, with its rich tapestry of experiences, histories, cultural shifts, and iconic personalities, provides fertile ground for research. As students and scholars navigate this field, the potential for discovering nuanced arguments and insights is boundless. Here is a comprehensive list divided into ten categories, each boasting ten intriguing African American literature research paper topics that could shape your next research paper:

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1. Historical Contexts:

• The Evolution of African American Literature from the 18th to the 21st Century.
• Literature of the Slavery Era: Voices of the Enslaved.
• The Harlem Renaissance: A Golden Age of Black Artistry.
• African American Literature during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Black Arts Movement: Literature as a Form of Protest.
• Depictions of Jim Crow Laws in African American Fiction.
• The Great Migration and its Influence on Black Writers.
• The Impact of the Reconstruction Era on African American Narratives.
• Literature of the Black Power Movement.
• WWII and the Portrayal of African American Soldiers in Literature.

2. Iconic Writers and their Works:

• The Universal Themes in Langston Hughes’ Poetry.
• Zora Neale Hurston’s Ethnographic Approach in “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.
• The Dual Consciousness in W.E.B. Du Bois’ Literary Works.
• Maya Angelou: Literature as a Tool for Healing and Empowerment.
• The Metaphorical Landscape of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”.
• Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”: An Exploration of Identity and Culture.
• James Baldwin’s Commentary on Race and Sexuality.
• Richard Wright’s Realistic Portrayal of Black Life.
• The Influence of African Culture in the Works of Chinua Achebe.
• August Wilson’s Ten-Play Series: A Chronicle of the Black Experience in America.

3. Genres and Styles:

• African American Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction.
• Jazz and Blues Influences in African American Poetry.
• The Rise of African American Autobiographical Literature.
• Black Drama and Theater: From the Page to the Stage.
• African American Romance Novels: Love in a Complex Social Setting.
• The Importance of Folktales and Myths in African American Short Stories.
• The Evolution of the African American Novel.
• Black Detective Fiction: Exploring Crime in the Inner City.
• The Role of Spirituality in African American Literary Fiction.
• African American Children’s Literature: Shaping Young Minds.

4. Themes and Motifs:

• The Quest for Identity in African American Literature.
• Love, Pain, and Resilience: Common Themes in Black Literature.
• The Role of Religion and Spirituality in African American Narratives.
• The Motif of the Tragic Mulatto in African American Literature.
• The Role of Nature in African American Poetry.
• The Intersection of Race and Gender in Black Women’s Literature.
• The Concept of ‘Home’ and ‘Exile’ in African American Literature.
• Literature’s Depiction of Black Masculinity and Femininity.
• Economic Inequality in African American Fiction.
• The African American Family Dynamic in Literature.

5. Modern and Contemporary Works:

• Hip Hop Culture and its Influence on Modern Black Literature.
• Contemporary African American Literature in the Digital Age.
• The Role of Literature in the Black Lives Matter Movement.
• LGBTQ+ Representation in Modern African American Literature.
• The Influence of African American Literature on Modern Pop Culture.
• Black Literature in the Post-Obama Era.
• African American Literature’s Response to Police Brutality.
• The Influence of Social Media on African American Poetry.
• African American Literature in the Age of Globalization.
• The Future Trajectories of African American Literature.

6. Comparative Literature:

• African vs. African American Literature: Themes and Differences.
• African American Literature in relation to Latin American Literary Movements.
• The Shared Themes of Oppression in Black and Indigenous Literatures.
• Comparative Analysis of Black Literature from Different Continents.
• African American and Asian American Literature: Intersections of Race and Identity.
• Parallels between African American Literature and South African Apartheid Literature.
• The Influence of British Literature on African American Writers.
• Themes of Resistance: African American and Palestinian Literatures.
• African American Literature and the Caribbean Literary Tradition.
• Shared Struggles: African American and Irish Literature.

7. Adaptations and Influence:

• The Impact of African American Literature on Hollywood.
• Stage Adaptations of Iconic African American Literary Works.
• The Influence of Black Literature on Music, especially Hip Hop and R&B.
• How African American Literature Shaped Modern Fashion Trends.
• African American Literature’s Influence on Visual Arts.
• The Role of African American Literature in Academic Curricula.
• The Adaptation of African American Novels into Graphic Novels and Comics.
• Television Series Inspired by African American Literary Classics.
• The Global Impact of African American Literature.
• African American Literature in Multimedia: From Video Games to Virtual Reality.

8. Critical Theories and African American Literature:

• Postcolonial Readings of African American Texts.
• Feminist Approaches to Black Women’s Literature.
• Queer Theory and African American Literary Criticism.
• Marxist Interpretations of African American Literature.
• Applying Psychoanalytic Theory to Black Literary Works.
• Deconstructing Race: Structuralism and African American Texts.
• African American Literature through the Lens of Critical Race Theory.
• The Eco-critical Reading of African American Nature Poetry.
• Posthumanism and African American Science Fiction.
• African American Literature and the Postmodernist Approach.

9. Literature and Activism:

• Literature as a Tool for Social Change in the Civil Rights Era.
• The Black Arts Movement: Artistry and Activism Hand in Hand.
• Writers as Activists: The Dual Roles of Iconic African American Authors.
• The Role of Journals and Magazines in Promoting Black Literary Activism.
• African American Literature and Environmental Activism.
• Black Literature’s Response to the Prison Industrial Complex.
• African American Literature’s Role in Feminist Movements.
• Literature’s Response to Racial Health Disparities.
• African American Literature and Economic Justice Activism.
• The Influence of Black Literary Societies in Advocating for Equality.

10. Pedagogical Approaches:

• Teaching African American Literature in High School: Benefits and Challenges.
• Incorporating Black Literature into a Diverse College Curriculum.
• The Role of African American Literature in Promoting Critical Thinking.
• Strategies for Making African American Texts Relatable to Non-Black Students.
• The Importance of Context when Teaching Historical African American Texts.
• Interactive Methods for Teaching African American Poetry.
• Utilizing Multimedia Tools in Teaching Contemporary Black Literature.
• Addressing Controversial Topics in African American Literature in the Classroom.
• The Role of African American Literature in Promoting Empathy and Cultural Awareness.
• Evaluative Techniques for Assessing Understanding of African American Literary Themes.

This list, while comprehensive, is but a starting point. The expansive nature of African American literature ensures that scholars and students alike can find a topic that resonates deeply with their interests and academic pursuits. Whether you’re delving into historical narratives, analyzing literary techniques, or examining the socio-cultural impacts of certain works, African American literature offers a profound journey of discovery.

African American Literature

And the range of research paper topics it offers.

African American literature, rooted deeply in the history and experiences of a people who faced extreme adversity, has evolved into a potent voice of resilience, creativity, and resistance. This vast literary field mirrors the collective struggle for identity, civil rights, and cultural acknowledgment, echoing centuries of pain, hopes, dreams, and triumphs.

The genesis of African American literature lies in the evocative spirituals, work songs, and oral traditions passed through generations. These were more than just rhythmic tunes or recounted tales; they were resonant chronicles of anguish, desire for freedom, and an indomitable spirit. The oral traditions of storytelling, tracing back to African roots, relayed stories of ancestors, imparted wisdom, and offered hope in times of despair. With the transition from the African continent to the Americas due to the brutalities of the transatlantic slave trade, these stories underwent a metamorphosis, reflecting the new harrowing realities of life in chains.

As the nation approached and then moved past the Emancipation Proclamation, written narratives began to emerge. Autobiographies and firsthand accounts of life under the yoke of slavery became a literary weapon. Works such as Frederick Douglass’s “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” and Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” provided chilling glimpses into the inhumanity of slavery. These narratives, while highlighting the horrors, also emphasized the resilience and determination of those who resisted and survived.

The dawn of the 20th century saw the emergence of the Harlem Renaissance, a glorious epoch where African American culture, especially literature, blossomed in full splendor. This was not merely a literary movement; it was a cultural reawakening. Writers like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay began exploring themes of racial pride, urbanization, and the nuances of the Black experience in America. Their writings, be it poetry, novels, or essays, encapsulated a newfound cultural confidence and an unapologetic embrace of Black heritage.

The subsequent decades, especially the tumultuous 1960s and the Civil Rights era, bore witness to literature that was heavily activist in tone. Authors like James Baldwin, with his incisive commentary on race and sexuality, and Toni Morrison, with her profound explorations of Black identity and trauma, set the literary world alight. Maya Angelou’s autobiographical works celebrated Black womanhood’s multifaceted nature, while Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” laid bare the intricacies of racial invisibility and identity.

Contemporary African American literature continues to evolve, breaking new ground and venturing into previously uncharted territories. Octavia Butler’s foray into science fiction challenges racial and gender norms, while Colson Whitehead’s speculative narratives provide alternative historical perspectives with profound insights.

Given this vast and layered literary canvas, the spectrum of African American literature research paper topics is boundless. Scholars and students can journey through historical epochs, understanding the societal shifts and their implications on literary themes. They can dissect the works of iconic figures, charting their evolution and impact. Themes like migration, urbanization, love, trauma, and racial identity recur across eras, offering opportunities for comparative studies. Moreover, the adaptability of African American literature in various media forms, from the silver screen to haunting melodies, presents a multidisciplinary approach for research.

In essence, African American literature stands as a monumental testament to a people’s journey from chains to freedom, from invisibility to acknowledgment. It offers a plethora of avenues for academic exploration, ensuring that every research endeavor within its realm is a deep dive into cultural, historical, and literary richness.

How to Choose African American Literature Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right research topic is akin to embarking on a literary journey. When you’re venturing into the vast realm of African American literature, the sheer depth and diversity of potential subjects can be both inspiring and overwhelming. How do you zero in on a topic that not only captivates your interest but also offers scope for extensive research and fresh insights? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate this important decision-making process.

• Understand the Purpose: Before anything else, clarify the objective of your research paper. Is it to critically analyze a specific work or author? Perhaps you’re aiming to explore broader themes or trends across decades or genres. Having a clear understanding of your research goal will significantly narrow down your topic options.
• Dive into Preliminary Reading: Engage with primary texts, anthologies, and critical essays to familiarize yourself with the landscape of African American literature. This initial exploration will introduce you to recurring themes, influential authors, historical contexts, and evolving narratives.
• Identify Your Passion: What moves you? Is it the raw emotion in Maya Angelou’s poetry, the speculative realms created by Octavia Butler, or the historical intricacies in the works of Colson Whitehead? A topic that you’re genuinely passionate about will make the research process more engaging and rewarding.
• Consult Secondary Sources: Academic journals, critiques, and theses offer critical discussions on various African American literature research paper topics. These can inspire new perspectives or help refine your chosen subject.
• Check for Feasibility: A topic might be intriguing, but it’s essential to ensure there’s enough information available for in-depth research. Check libraries, online databases, and literary journals to see if your chosen topic has substantial resources and references.
• Seek Diversity: African American literature is enriched by a multiplicity of voices – from urban tales to rural narratives, from historical accounts to futuristic visions. Consider exploring lesser-known authors or texts to bring fresh perspectives to your research.
• Consider Interdisciplinary Approaches: African American literature often intersects with fields like history, sociology, music, and politics. An interdisciplinary approach can yield richer insights and set your paper apart.
• Engage in Discussions: Conversations with peers, professors, or literary enthusiasts can spark new ideas or refine existing ones. They might introduce angles you hadn’t considered or highlight potential pitfalls in your chosen topic.
• Stay Updated: The world of African American literature is dynamic. New critiques, interpretations, and discussions emerge regularly. Stay updated with the latest literary journals and forums to ensure your research is contemporary and relevant.
• Revisit and Refine: Once you’ve chosen a topic, revisit it after a period of contemplation. Refining and narrowing it down further can lead to a more focused and impactful research paper.

The rich tapestry of literature offers a myriad of African American literature research paper topics for exploration. While the abundance of choices can be daunting, a systematic approach to topic selection can ensure that your research is not only academically rigorous but also personally fulfilling. Always remember that the journey of delving deep into literature, understanding nuances, and unearthing new perspectives is as rewarding as the final paper itself. Let your passion for the subject guide you, and you’re sure to embark on a memorable academic adventure.

How to Write an African American Literature Research Paper

Embarking on a research paper about African American literature is not just an academic endeavor, but a deep dive into a world of struggle, triumph, resilience, and unparalleled creative expression. This vast realm of literature is imbued with historical significance and offers profound insights into the Black experience in America. As you begin your scholarly journey, here are ten pivotal tips to guide you in crafting a compelling and insightful research paper.

• Lay a Strong Foundation: Start with an illuminating introduction. A powerful opening, whether it’s a relevant quote from a notable African American author or a provocative question related to your topic, will engage your readers instantly. Following this, provide a brief backdrop of the historical or societal context relevant to your subject before zeroing in on your thesis statement.
• Prioritize Organization: An organized structure is pivotal. Depending on the breadth of your topic, categorize your paper either chronologically, thematically, or based on specific authors and works. Incorporate clear subheadings to enhance readability.
• Root Your Claims in Evidence: Every assertion or claim you make should be substantiated with concrete evidence, whether from primary texts, scholarly articles, or critical essays. Ensure all quotations and references are appropriately cited.
• Embrace Multiple Angles: Present a comprehensive view of your topic by integrating various literary criticisms or perspectives. This showcases not only the depth of your research but also your holistic understanding of the subject.
• Maintain Cohesiveness: Seamless transitions between sections and ideas are crucial. This ensures your paper reads fluidly, guiding your reader effortlessly from one point to the next.
• Engage in Deep Analysis: Surface readings won’t suffice. Dive deep into the layers of the text, examining elements like symbolism, historical context, or character development. Understand the sociopolitical influences on the works you’re studying, be it the Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Movement, or other significant epochs.
• Conclude with Purpose: Your conclusion should not merely be a recap. While revisiting your main arguments is essential, also aim to provide a broader perspective, hinting at the broader implications of your research or suggesting potential avenues for further exploration.
• Attention to Detail: Once your draft is complete, scrutinize it for clarity, logical flow, and coherence. Ensure that there are no grammatical or syntactical errors marring your work.
• Consistent Citation: Depending on the prescribed format – APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard – ensure that every source, be it primary or secondary, is consistently and correctly cited. This lends credibility to your paper.
• Seek Feedback: Before final submission, consider having your paper reviewed by peers, mentors, or educators. Fresh eyes can offer invaluable insights, catching oversights you might have missed.

In conclusion, delving into African American literature for research is both an honor and responsibility. The richness of this literary tradition offers a unique lens into the Black experience, a testament to centuries of resilience, creativity, and cultural evolution. As you put pen to paper, remember that you’re not just crafting an academic document but contributing to a dialogue that spans generations. With passion, diligence, and adherence to these guidelines, your research paper will undoubtedly stand as a commendable addition to this ongoing conversation.

iResearchNet Writing Services

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• Customized Solutions: Recognizing that every student’s needs are unique, iResearchNet offers tailored solutions. Whether it’s a specific focus area within African American literature or a comparative analysis with another literary tradition, our writers mold the paper as per your directives.
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Current students

News + events, get involved, search metrostate.edu, lit 361 african-american literature, prerequisites.

• WRIT 131: Writing I

Effective August 1, 1998 to present

Meets graduation requirements for

Goal 6: the humanities and fine arts, goal 7: human diversity.

• Racial Issues Graduation Requirement
• Upper Division Liberal Studies Goal

Learning outcomes

• Conduct literary analysis that is responsive to details and to complexities of text and themes in African-American literature (i.e., race as a social and learned construction, micro and macro examples of racism, effects of white supremacy on individual and ethnic group experiences, responses to personal and institutionalized racism) at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Articulate substantial and clearly presented responses to examples of agency, resistance, self-determination and resiliency in the works of African-American literature at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Contextualize themes, perspectives, and elements of African-American literature within the evolution of U.S. social issues, from enslavement to Jim Crow, Civil Rights struggles to the end of the Obama era, to contemporary American discourse on race, at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Demonstrate familiarity with genres and subgenres of African-American literature and understand the development and characteristics of these subgenres (i.e., the neoclassical poetry of the enslaved; fugitive slave autobiography; animal fable and other folktales; spirituals; romantic, sentimental and modern poetry; novels; short stories; oratory, gospel, and blues; cinema of the black middle classes and radical blaxploitationists; funkifiers; dramatists; memoirists; rappers and pop stars; break beat poets; and post-soul novelists) at a level appropriate for upper-division courses.
• Interpret works of African-American literature, applying an understanding of biographical and/or cultural grounding in racialized constructs depicted in the texts (i.e., enslavement, emancipation, passing, double-consciousness, colorism, segregation, enfranchisement, Civil Rights, discrimination, institutionalized racism, etc.) at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Know the historical and aesthetic development of African-American literary arts (i.e., slave narratives, Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts Movement, hip hop, contemporary) at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Become highly proficient integrating literary evidence in the student's own writing, including standard MLA formatting and citation practices, at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Read and respond to African-American literature with intelligence and sensitivity to the legacy of racism over time and the lingering effects of white supremacy on the shape, hopes, fears, themes, freedoms, constraints, and challenges to artistic, educational, and political institutions at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.
• Understand and apply literary terms, theoretical concepts, reading strategies, and analytical methods connected to the study of African-American literature (i.e., critical race theory, intersectionality, post-colonialism, place in the African diaspora, white supremacy, white privilege) at a level consistent with the analytical and expressive complexity and sophistication that are distinctly characteristic of upper-division courses at comprehensive universities.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

• Demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
• Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within a historical and social context.
• Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.
• Engage in the creative process or interpretive performance.
• Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.
• Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States' history and culture.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.
• Analyze their own attitudes, behaviors, concepts and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry.
• Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of the many groups that shape American society and culture, in particular those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion.
• Demonstrate communication skills necessary for living and working effectively in a society with great population diversity.

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Thesis Statement for African American Literature

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Cultural Identity — Desocialization of African American Culture

Desocialization of African American Culture

• Categories: African American Culture Cultural Identity

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

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Taken By The King Of Dallas: An African American Romance Kindle Edition

Remedy dedicated her life to being the perfect wife while supporting all of her husband Ken’s dreams. Thinking that her life was near perfect, she was left feeling blindsided, broken, and betrayed by his request for a divorce after being his backbone for over eight years. Overlooking the constant signs of infidelity, Remedy had to find out the truth the hard way.

Forced to pull herself together while going through the worst disappointment of her life, Remedy swore off dating and vowed to never let another man take her through what Ken had. It wasn’t until a year later when a chance encounter with a cocky, handsome, but rugged stranger made her want to throw all caution to the wind.

Rich is a wealthy alpha male and hustler by nature. Being crowned the King of Dallas at a young age contributed to his cocky ways. Born into the game, it had always been his mission and main focus to live up to his family’s name. Rich thought that he had everything he could want in life, that was until he met Remedy. Set on doing whatever it takes to make her his, Rich exposes a side of himself that he didn’t know existed.

Trying to balance the streets and his love life, Rich is constantly faced with obstacles, making it hard on his new relationship. When a secret Rich thought he’d buried pops up at his doorstep, there is no limit to what he’ll do to make sure he protects those he loves. With surprises around every corner, will love be enough, or will Rich’s lifestyle be too much for Remedy to accept after everything she’s already been through? Find out in this explosive, hood love story.

If you're a fan of African American romance, millionaire love stories, second chance romance, and divorced women finding love again, then "Taken By The King Of Dallas" by Bonnie Blanco is for you.

• Print length 172 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publication date June 2, 2024
• File size 1358 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D5X38XN4
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cole Hart Signature, LLC (June 2, 2024)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 2, 2024
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 1358 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 172 pages
• #21 in Black & African American Urban Fiction (Kindle Store)
• #21 in Black & African American Urban Fiction (Books)
• #23 in Black & African American Romance Fiction

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Bonnie blanco.

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