ABC (0101) 235 - Jazz and Blues in African American Literature

Credits: 3.00

Students will examine the emergence of the blues tradition in African American literature. Students will analyze how the Blues Novel constructs gender, disrupts racial hierarchies, and questions spiritual boundaries. Through the analysis of blues form, characters, and ideology, students explore themes such as: violence; historical trauma; cultural memory; and racism.

Free Note: Cross-listed with ENG 235

Course Learning Goals: By the end of the course, students should be able to:

Describe the development of the vernacular tradition from spirituals to blues
Identify major authors and works in the Blues Novel genre
Articulate the broader social, political, and economic contexts of the Blues Novel genre
Understand how and why Black writers use music in different genres; including poetry, the novel, the essay, drama, and the short story
Develop close-reading skills for literary texts and music lyrics