African American Literature and the Environment

Catalog description

How might we relate to the natural environment beyond domination and privatization? How are our understandings of race, gender, and class informed by what we think of the natural environment and vice versa? This course explores how African American writers engage these questions by analyzing the environmental themes, tropes, and politics of African American literature. Texts in this course will consider Afro-descended spiritual practices and the natural environment, African American communities’ responses and analyses of “natural disasters,” and African American communities’ engagement with environmental justice. Satisfies Africana Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies Enrvironmental Studies major requirement.-Humanities track Satisfies Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric requirement.