Course Description
James Baldwin wrote about race, he wrote about sexuality, he wrote about love, he wrote about politics, he about personal identity, and he wrote about America more broadly. Suffice it to say, James Baldwin had a lot to say. This class seeks to interrogate the work of James Baldwin and understand him as both an artist and as an intellectual social critic committed to social justice. This class will focus on James Baldwin’s artistic and intellectual output, and legacy by examining the novels, plays, short stories, and essays James Baldwin produced over his long career. James Baldwin writings will be placed in a historical, political, and social context so as to illuminate Baldwin’s texts more thoroughly. We will also focus on the critics of James Baldwin.
Required Texts
Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on The Mountain (1953)
Baldwin, James. Giovanni’s Room (1956)
Baldwin, James. Another Country (1960)
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time (1963)
Baldwin, James. Blues for Mister Charlie: A Play (1964)
Baldwin, James. Going to Meet the Man: Stories (1965)
Baldwin, James. No Name in the Street (1972)