| Thursday, May 25 |
Introduction to Course Homework: PERCEPTION: “The Elephant in the Village of the Blind” PLOT: Carol Shields, “Mrs. Turner Cutting the Grass”; Derrick Bell’s “The Space Traders” NARRATION & POINT OF VIEW: Zadie Smith’s “Crazy They Call Me Crazy”: The audio story starts at 41:00. Reader response is due by 12pm Tuesday, May 30. Writing Assignment/Reader Response 1: Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. Write 2-3 pages as to how characters from assigned works see, hear, or gain an awareness of race or racialization through their senses or experiences? And what are the implications/impacts of those insights or experiences? |
| Tuesday, May 30 |
Introduce 5 points of plot, narration, and point of view; review homework in relation to plot, narration, and point of view. Homework: Point of View KINCAID’s“Girl”; CHARACTER: The following selections are from Black From the Future — M. Shelly Connor’s “Carolina Anole,” p. 143 in; Stephanie Andrea Allen’s “Luna 6000,” p. 91; and Jewelle Gomez’s “Caramelle 1864,” p. 9. Writing Assignment 2: Write 2-3 pages about what character from Black From to the Future you most identify with, why you identify with this character, and how this character relates to your personal narrative? ESSAY 1 Write a 3-page essay about how (mis)perception affected a character’s point of view. Your argument should have a clear thesis, and it must be supported with textual evidence and analysis. Provide an outline that clearly articulates your claim about how a character’s (mis)perceptions change or develop over the course of a narrative—for example, “At the beginning of the story, character X is (or seems to be) a Y”; “When A happens, characters X begins to see Z” or “When A happens, we, as readers, begin to see Z about character X”; “By the end of the story, character X has become (or seems to us to be) a D.” YOU MUST CITE AT LEAST ONE TEXT/SOURCE FROM CLASS. |
| Thursday, June 1 |
Introduce character, symbol, figurative language, and theme; review homework in relation to point of view and character. Homework: SETTING: Eden Royce’s “Miss Beulah Braiding and Life Changing Salon”, p. 67; Leila Green’s “Some Far off, and Frivolous Galaxy,” p. 171 SYMBOL AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Nicole Givens Kurtz’s “Yellow Smoke,” p. 213 Writing assignment 3: Write 2-3 pages about how setting, symbol, figurative language, or theme acts as a vehicle or catalyst for your understanding(s) of the character’s experience, personal development, or joy? The Barbershop Chronicles is hyperlinked here. |
| Tuesday, June 6 |
Review Black Speculative Fiction homework Homework: Almah La Von Rice’s “the Seam Ripper,” p. 4; THEME: Stefani Cox’s “Therapies for World’s End” p. 135; La Toys Hankins’ “Duty and Desire” p. 187 Writing assignment 4: Write 2-3 pages explaining how Black humanity is redefined in Black From the Future in ways that decenter oppression and trauma. Essay 2 Write a 3-page essay displaying either the way 2 characters display Black joy, humanity, or self-affirmed identity, or how 2 characters disrupt stereotypical flat portrayals of Black characters – i.e. the drug dealer or gang-banger … no summary allowed. Use evidence–facts and inferences– to support your claim: Something the character says or thinks; something the character does, something another character or the narrator say about the character, something the character wears, owns and so on. YOU MUST CIT AT LEAST TWO WORKS FROM CLASS. The Barbershop Chronicles is hyperlinked here. |
| Thursday, June 8 |
Review Black Speculative fiction; Introduce how to analyze a poem. Homework: Reading, Responding, and Writing: Poetry READING: Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz’s Love From the Vortex (LFTV): the Salvador Collection, pp. 49 – 61; and Adam Falkner’s The Willies (TW):the Intake Collection, pp. 8, 23, 47, 53. RESPONDING: “Shoot Your Shot”; Ashley Davis and Oompa’s “Simon Says”; Aiya; Ephraim Nehemiah’s “Afrofuturistic Fairy God Being“; Denice Frohman’s “A Queer Girl’s Ode to the Piragüero“; and Maya’s “Straight people.” Writing assignment 5: Write a 15-75 line poem about something that is meaningful to you. The Barbershop Chronicles is hyperlinked here. |
| Tuesday, June 13 |
Thursday, June 10: Review poems from Tuesday night’s homework; have class break into groups and collectively practice analyzing a poem. Homework: RELATIONSHIPS: LFTV — “The Truth in Black and Blue,” p. 187; “More than Friends,” p. 3; and “We Were Children,” p. 33. TW — “His Name Was Eduardo,” p. 37; “My Grandma Calls Me Barack,” p. 18; “A Tale of Two Cities,” p. 14; and “Ronnie’s Father Was the First Real Drunk I Knew,” p. 38. SITUATION AND SETTING: WHAT HAPPENS? WHERE? WHEN?: LFTV – “Black unicorns,” p. 102; “Spread Love,” p. 110; “Alas the Tide of Words,” p. 28; and “Follow the Sun,” p. 124. TW – “Willie Boy,” p. 3 “The Whitest Thing,” p. 28; “If you Don’t Know,” p. 45; and “Definition of Privilege” p. 48. Writing assignment 6: Write a 2-page poem explication of any poem you’ve read or watched in class. Also, bring in your favorite music verse/lyric that discuss or references America. For example: Nas, “My Country”: “My country shitted on me (My country) She wants to get rid of me (Naw, never) ‘Cause the things I seen (We know too much) ‘Cause the things I seen (We seen too much)” Or, Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue”: “Now this nation that I love has fallen under attack A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in from somewhere in the back Soon as we could see clearly Through our big black eye Man, we lit up your world Like the fourth of July” FYI, I get my lyrics from genius lyrics. The Barbershop Chronicles is hyperlinked here. |
| Thursday, June 15 |
| Review Poetry Homework; Have groups create a found poem. Homework: Times: LFTV – “This Moment,” p. 4; “Seasonal,” p. 150; “About time,” p. 153; Night & Day,” p. 154. TW – “The Year of the Wu-Tang Drops,” p. 12; “The Year the Blueprint Drops,” p. 24; “Men’s Ten Meter, London Olympics,” “By the Time the Chronic Drops Again,” p. 52 Places: LFTV — “The Bronx, Circa 1983,” p. 145; “Summertime,” p. 8; “The Weekend,” p. 63; “breakfast | Time,” p. 108. TW – “L-Train Rumor,” p. 27’ “Sleeping Besides my Mother,” p. 44; “Thanksgiving,” p. 15 Read The Barbershop Chronicles, or alternative play, and a supplementary piece that contextualizes the work. Attempt to read the entire play before Thursday’s class. Start reading the play during poetry since poetry readings are shorter. Writing assignment 7: Reflect on your poetry journey in this course. Write a 2-3 page paper that juxtaposes either your expectations coming into the class with your experiences now leaving the poetry section of the course, or what you think a typical poetry introduction in an ENG 102 class would entail. Regardless of your decision, make sure to address poetry centered on race, relationships, and gender identity and the ways they affected your critical lens. The Barbershop Chronicles is hyperlinked here. |
| Tuesday, June 20 |
| Review the Barbershop Chronicles and Individual or Group Projects Writing assignment 8: The Black Barbershop serves as a site for male hair care, but what else does the site serve or function as? In other words, what needs are met, or what type of community is built at the barbershop? Write a 2-3 page response. Essay 3: Write a 2-3 page explication of your group’s “found poem” or the original work you produced in this course. Writing assignment 8: The Black Barbershop serves as a site for male hair care, but what else does the site serve or function as? In other words, what needs are met, or what type of community is built at the barbershop? Write a 2-3 page essay. |
| Thursday, June 22 |
| Group WORKDAY. Groups will gather collectively to Finish Completing their group assignments. |
| Tuesday, June 27 |
| Group work and final presentations Essay 4: Write a 3-page paper as to the ways that masculinity limits, expands, or stagnates the possibility for relationship/community building in the Barbershop Chronicles. You must cite the play. |
| Monday, July 3 |
| All Coursework and Final Exams are due by 11:59 pm. |
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