ENGL4884: 21st Century Black Writers (64203)

Pavlic, Edward

TR 12:45 PM

MLC 153


21st Century Black Writing: (I'm still listening for the precise title of this year's class) 

This course features new and recent Black voices and visions that depict a wide variety of contemporary Black experience. I intend to focus specifically on the ways that music supports and informs the characterization of Black experiences in 21st century works. We'll concentrate on the narratives found in four game-changing TV series: Atlanta: Season One (2016); Insecure: Season One (2016); I May Destroy You (2020); and Queen Sono (2020). While considering the characterizations in these series, we'll read recent literary works of different (and at times blurring) genres including: Kiese Laymon's Heavy (2018); Nafissa Thompson-Spires's Heads of the Colored People (2018); Yrsa Daley-Ward's The Terrible (2018); and Alexis Pauline Gumbs's Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mamals (2020). I'm hoping to create space to focus on at least one contemporary musical narrative in its own right as well: likely Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022) but maybe we'll think of another or a new release will appear. Students will be responsible for in-class viewing and close listening as well as listening and close reading assignments outside class. All students will keep a journal logging both in-class and outside-of-class work from which written assignments will be refined.