ENG 2654 - Race and Identity in American Literature

1 Course Unit(s)
A study of American literature in relation to the phenomenon of “passing,” exploring the complex connections among race, gender, class, and power. The primary readings will be supported by an examination of legal essays, ethnographic studies, and films that develop a context for understanding how Americans culturally and legally defined as “black” took on “white” identity and how “passing” now extends to class, ethnic, and sexual identities. Writers may include James Weldon Johnson, Nella Larsen, William Faulkner, Americo Paredes, and Danzy Senna.

General Education Requirement(s): Upper-level Liberal Arts
Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Pre/Corequisite(s): None