ENG 5933 Fall 2019 Lathan

This seminar is designed with two objectives in mind: 1) to develop a working knowledge of Black Women’s intellectual history, with particular attention to Black feminist radical thought 2) to develop critical reading, research and writing skills necessary for dislodging canons of Black intellectual history that marginalize gender, sexuality, and other vectors of difference. We will accomplish this by focusing on the numerous and fundamental contributions of Black women to social, political and critical thought relevant to key social movements. Throughout the course, we will ask the following questions: Who is included in the terms “Black,” “woman,” and “thinker?” What does a genealogy of Black feminist radicalism look like? What methods did/do Black women use to form critical thought? Why, even at this late date, are Black women’s intellectual contributions still marginalized in mainstream curricula and in broader academia?

This seminar is developed around three themes. First, we will read foundational texts that will give us useful tools for engaging Black women thinkers throughout the course. Next, we will spend a number of weeks exploring a genealogy of Black feminist radicals who will constitute much of our content for the course. Finally, we will conclude by reflecting on some of the methods Black women thinkers use for constructing knowledge, and will reflect on the knowledge we’ve constructed in the course.