Category: african american literature

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+ african american literature, american dream, american history, american literature, benjamin franklin, early american literature, Literature, louisiana literature, mississippi literature, southern literature, syllabus, thomas jefferson

African American Literature and the American Dream Syllabus

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Whenever I teach an American literature survey course, the topic of the American Dream inevitably comes up. Typically, I ask students to define this mythological term and they reply with the standard answer, “The American Dream means happiness and success.” I elaborate upon this response by pointing them back, first to the Declaration of Independence, then to other texts. The Declaration states that “life, … Read More African American Literature and the American Dream Syllabus

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+ active learning, african american literature, american literature, david hume, david walker, early american literature, ibram x. kendi, Literature, louisiana literature, native american literature, Pedagogy, phillis wheatley, southern literature, thomas jefferson

Active Learning in the Literature Classroom

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Over the past few semesters, I began my early American literature course with Thomas Jefferson. Starting with Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, Notes from the State of Virginia, and letter to Benjamin Banneker was important considering the recent events in Charlottesville, VA. Typically, I start the first class with David Walker then back track to Jefferson, but after reading Ibram X. Kendi’s “What would Jefferson … Read More Active Learning in the Literature Classroom

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+ a gathering of old men, a lesson before dying, african american literature, american literature, ernest j gaines, just like a tree, Literature, louisiana literature, of love and dust, southern literature, the autobiography of miss jane pittman, the tragedy of brady sims

Ernest J. Gaines’ “The Tragedy of Brady Sims”

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Speaking with Jerome Tarshis in 1974, Ernest Gaines spoke about his desire to write a story with “that barber shop type of thing” where people gather around a community center and relate stories about the past and the present. Looking at James Joyce’s “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” as an example, Gaines told Tarshis, “I think is one of the greatest short stories that … Read More Ernest J. Gaines’ “The Tragedy of Brady Sims”

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+ african american literature, american literature, charles chesnutt, conjure tales, dave's neckliss, early american literature, plantation tradition, southern literature, the conjure woman

Charles Chesnutt’s “Dave’s Neckliss” and the Psychological Effects of Slavery

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I have written about the ways that texts illuminate the psychological effects of slavery and Jim Crow segregation on both the minds of white and blacks alike. Today, I want to take a moment and look at one of Charles W. Chesnutt’s conjure tales that foregrounds the psychological effects of slavery and Jim Crow from the outset. “Dave’s Neckliss” originally appeared in the Atlantic … Read More Charles Chesnutt’s “Dave’s Neckliss” and the Psychological Effects of Slavery

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+ african american literature, american literature, charlottesville, chronicle of higher education, college, david walker, early american literature, How Universities Embolden White Nationalists, Literature, louisiana literature, marcia Chatelain, mississippi literature, native american literature, noconfederatesyllabus, Pedagogy, southern literature, thomas jefferson

How Can We Listen and Learn from Our Students After Charlottesville?

by Unknown's avatar

Last Friday, Marcia Chatelain’s “How Universities Embolden White Nationalists” in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Chatelain begins by talking about the white nationalists who descended upon Charlottesville and how some people see them and just say, “They’re just ignorant!” However, that is not the case. They are college educated, and as Chatelain notes, Richard Spencer went to UVa, Duke, and The University of Chicago. University … Read More How Can We Listen and Learn from Our Students After Charlottesville?

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