ENGL 243 - Promise and Peril: Race and Multicultural America

FC ARHU CD WINT

4 credits
This course investigates the intellectual history of race in American literature and culture. It asks students to consider the stakes in constructing racial difference; that is, the political, ideological, economic, and cultural contexts within which discourses of race circulate. It will look at a variety of textual forms, including short and long fiction, poetry and verse, memoir, natural history, and legal documents. The course requires us to take a long view on race–how its lifespan precedes and exceeds any one of us–a discussion that is crucial, if indirect, for addressing the issues we face today.