Writing Black Women's History

Catalog description

Writing Black Women’s History delves into black women’s biography not from a literary perspective but as historical research and writing. With a focus on the biographies of black women in the United States during the 20th century, this Masters research-intensive seminar invites students to explore the historiography, research methodologies, and writing of black women’s historical biography. During the first half of the semester, we will delve into historical biographies of individuals including, but not limited to Lorraine Hansberry, Ella Baker, and Louise Patterson. At the same time, students will begin their own primary source-based research project culminating in the first draft of a 20-page research paper. Students will spend the second half of the semester workshopping and revising to produce a final paper that will meet the requirements of the MA Field Paper track. Questions we will consider include: Whose story gets told? Why? Why not? Into what context does a specific biography fit? How do biographies make historical arguments? When is biography more, or less effective than other forms of historical writing? What are the most effective primary sources? How do we use less-easily legible sources? What, if anything, is the role speculation and/or imagination?