FDN112: The Harlem Renaissance

TR ---- Syllabus and Daily Schedule Spring 2013

Instructor:Dr. Kristin CzarneckiOffice Hours:M 2-4, T 1-2, R 4-5 and by appointment

Office:Pawling 110Email:

Phone:(502)863-8132Mailbox: #339

Course Description

This course will focus on the fiction, poetry, drama, essays, and journalism of the Harlem Renaissance, the extraordinary period of African American literary and artistic achievement in the 1920s and 1930s (although there are varying accounts ofthe time frame)—occurring across the country but flowering most prominently in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. We will read works by the era’s brightest literary stars, including Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nella Larsen, and Jean Toomer, and address important historical, cultural, social, and political concerns of the time, particularly those of race and gender.

Course Objectives and Outcomes: The student who successfully completes this course will

  • demonstrate a core knowledge of Harlem Renaissance texts in exams, papers, and class discussion
  • understand the historical and cultural contexts of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance
  • use the written word to communicate clearly, effectively, accurately, logically, and gracefully, as made evident in papers and essay exams
  • show in paper conferences and in completed written work the ability to speak and write effectively on literary issues
  • apply analytical reasoning to Harlem Renaissance texts, as demonstrated through class discussions, papers, and exams
  • apply research and documentation skills to papers on aspects of the Harlem Renaissance

This course also continues the skill-building begun in FDN111. By the end of the semester, the student who has successfully completed FDN 112 shall demonstrate the ability:

  • to read(that is, to examine carefully and evaluatively) written and other kinds of texts for

content and meaning, and, to some degree, to attend to questions of structure and form as they

impact and/or shape meaning.

  • to compose logical, original, and critical (that is, objective, evaluative, and analytical) responses to texts, problems, and questions.
  • to argue coherently and persuasively, displaying knowledge of the elements and inner workings of argument--that is, using logical organization, adequate support, independent thought, and sound reasoning, as modeled in many of the arguments in course readings.
  • to engage, deeply and meaningfully, with course material—including texts, problems, and questions—and with others in critical discussions of that material, both in the sense of participating in college‐level class discussions, and in the sense of entering into written and other kinds of larger cultural discourses at a pre‐disciplinary level.
  • to self-assess by reflecting thoughtfully on both their understanding of course content and their development of target skills; in other words, self-assessment here refers to the skill of “knowing when we know something.”

Cultural Awareness at Home: I will add information about this depending on the FCC’s decision about the course overall.

Required Texts

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.

Larsen, Nella. Passing. 1929. New York: Norton (Norton Critical Edition).

Patton, Venetria, and Maureen Honey, eds. Double-Take: A Revisionist Harlem Renaissance Anthology.

New Brunswick: Rutgers, 2001.

Toomer, Jean. Cane. 1923. New York: Norton, 1987 (Norton Critical Edition).

Course Requirements

Participation: This course entails a great deal of steady reading throughout the semester. In order to do well in the course, you must keep up with the reading, arrive to class on time, and be fully prepared each day to listen, think, evaluate, question, and respond. The quality of your class participation is always the most significant factor when you are between two grades. I will be happy to work with you and help you—with assignments, with difficult readings, with the concepts crucial to the course, and with the skills taught and presupposed in this class. Note: “Participation” entails more than showing up for class; it involves constant, active, vocal engagement with course materials. Another Note: You may bring drinks to class, but no food, please.

Reading Responses: Once a week (except when noted), you will post a response to the day’s reading on Moodle. Responses should be at least several paragraphs long; that is, you must elaborate on ideas—with examples or quotations from the reading, for instance—and develop your thoughts in a detailed manner. For your responses/ questions, you could:

  • consider/ask about what you see as the reading’s significant images and themes, OR
  • consider/ask about a plausible interpretation of an ambiguous section/image/theme, pointing out specific lines or sections that support your ideas, OR
  • relate the text to contemporary issues or events, or to another work we have read, AND
  • write at least two questions for class discussion.

Responses and questions should encourage rigorous intellectual conversation and/or debate yet remain cordial and respectful. You will need to read and think about each other’s responses/questions before class meets so that you come to class as fully prepared as possible. Feel free to respond and get the conversation going on Moodle, too. Note: Every day, whether you post a response or not, you are responsible for reading the assignment closely and preparing to discuss it in class.

Panel/Group Presentation: With a group of classmates, you will give a panel presentation (about an hour) that enlarges upon our primary course materials, offering further information and insights into the writers and works we cover in class.
Panel Preparation: As a group, select your author/reading/topic. Then, each panel member is to

  • Locate a critical or theoretical article on your topic
  • Contact each other about your article to make sure there is not too much overlap
  • Write a two- to three-page summary and response paper; that is, briefly summarize the article and then explain how it leads to a greater understanding of the topic
  • Prepare two discussion questions for the class

Panel Presentation: Each panel member will

  • Read his or her write-up aloud to the class
  • Provide discussion questions and lead discussion
  • Discuss as a group how the different critical perspectives work together

You will hand in your write-ups, and the group as a whole will receive a grade based on the write-ups and presentation. I will provide more detailed guidelines later in the semester.

Essays: You will write two essays. You will work on the essay in stages and present your work to the class. Relevant due dates are on the syllabus, and you will receive an assignment sheet well in advance with specific instructions and guidelines.

NOTE: All writing assignments are due in class on the assigned day; I will not accept emailed work or late work unless there is a demonstrable emergency.

Mid-Term and Final Exam: There will be an in-class mid-term exam and a final exam; dates are noted on the syllabus.

Quizzes:Be prepared for frequent quizzes. Some will be factual, designed to help you see the level of detail and retention necessary to work with these texts. Others will be short essays to model the sort of questions you might ask yourself as you read on your own. Quizzes invite you into the ongoing activity of speculating, making connections, and thinking through significant issues. Quiz questions can also serve as springboards for essay topics. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.

Attendance: You are allowed three absences in case of illness or emergencies. If you miss a class, contact me or a classmate immediately to see what you missed. For every absence over the three allowed, your participation grade will suffer, and excessive absences, regardless of reason, may necessitate your withdrawal from the class.

Moodle: Our class will have a Moodle site where I will post the syllabus and other documents, set up discussion forums, suggest web resources to go along with course materials, administer quizzes, send emails to the entire class, and provide space and sometimes prompts for conversational threads. Please check Moodle regularly (several times a week) for any new postings or prompts.

Academic Honesty: Academic Honesty is governed by the Georgetown College Honor Code. According to the Georgetown College Student Handbook, Honor Code infractions include cheating, stealing, and lying in relation to academic matters. I will address any infractions using the procedures outlined in the Handbook. If you violate the Honor Code, you will fail the assignment in question and could fail the class as well.

Grade Breakdown:

Essay 115%
Panel Presentation10%
Essay 220%
Mid-Term Exam15%
Final Exam20%
Reading Responses10%
Quizzes 5%
Participation 5%

A 93-100 points; A/B 88-92; B 83-87; B/C 78-82; C 72-77; D 63-71; F 62 and below.

GPA scale: A = 4; A/B = 3.5; B = 3; B/C = 2.5; C = 2; D = 1; F is 0.

Spring 2013Daily Schedule – DATES TO BE ADJUSTED

All readings except for the novels are in Double-Take: A Revisionist

Harlem Renaissance Anthology. Please read all author introductions.

The schedule is subject to change.

Week One

T 1/18Course introduction; review syllabus and schedule.

Th 1/20Non-fiction Prose/Manifestos: Alain Locke, “The New Negro” (3-6); William Stanley

Braithwaite, “The Negro in American Literature” (10-16); Brenda Ray Moryck, “A Point

of View: An Opportunity Dinner Reaction” (28-35).

Week Two

T 1/25George S. Schuyler, “The Negro-Art Hokum” (36-9); Langston Hughes, “The Negro Artist

and the Racial Mountain” (40-4); W.E.B. Du Bois, “Criteria of Negro Art” (47-51); and

Jessie Redmon Fauset, “Impressions of the Second Pan-African Congress” (75-82).

Th 1/27Essays by Elise Johnson McDougald, Marita O. Bonner, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and

Marion Vera Cuthbert (103-20).

Week Three

T 2/1All poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson (152-8), Angelina Weld Grimke (170-4), and

Claude McKay (271-77).

Th 2/3All poems by Langston Hughes (458-69) and Countee Cullen (554-62).

Week Four

T 2/8Toomer, Cane, “Karintha-Prayer” (3-70).

Th 2/10Finish Cane; also read one article from the “Contemporary Criticism” and one from the

“More Recent Criticism” section of the book, and prepare to discuss them. Print and

bring Essay One assignment.

Week Five

T 2/15Read Grimke, “Goldie” (174-88); Zora Neale Hurston (322-4), “Sweat” (329-38); Rudolph

Fisher (386-7), “City of Refuge” (388-99); and Wallace Thurman (520-1), “Emma Lou”

(526-37).

Th 2/17Panel Presentation

Week Six

T 2/22Larsen, Passing: Editor’s Introduction (ix-xxvii) and Part One: Encounter (5-35).

Th 2/24Finish Passing. Read critical article.

Week Seven

T 3/1Bring two copies of essay draft. Peer review.

Th 3/3Langston Hughes, Mulatto: A Tragedy of the Deep South (476-505).

Week Eight

M 3/7Essay One Due to my Office by 3:00 p.m.

T 3/8Review for mid-term exam.

Th 3/10Mid-term Exam.

Week NineSpring Break

Week Ten

T 3/22Watch Zora Neale Hurston Jump at the Sun DVD.

Th 3/24Hurston, begin Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapters 1-6).

Week Eleven

T 3/29Continue Their Eyes Were Watching God (Chapters 7-15).Final date to drop a

course without a grade, change a course to P/F, or audit a course

Th 3/31Finish Their Eyes Were Watching God

F 4/1Research paper topic selection write-up due by 3:00 p.m.

Week Twelve

T 4/5Panel Presentation

Th 4/7See Moodle for jazz music assignment.

Week Thirteen

T 4/12Continue jazz music assignment.

W 4/13Final date to drop a course WP/WF

Th 4/14Reading assignment.

F 4/15Research paper annotated bibliography due by 3:00 p.m.

Week Fourteen

T 4/19Paper Conferences—No Class.

Th 4/21Paper Conferences—No Class.

Week Fifteen

T 4/26Bring essay draft for peer review.

Th 4/28Research Paper Presentations.

Week Sixteen

T 5/3Research paper due. Review for Final Exam.

Final Exam:---