Professor: Courtney Thorsson

4.00 credits

• CRN 35901: Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00-3:20pm @ ESL 193

In this class, we will read short fiction by African American women writers from about 1960 to the present. Authors whose stories we may read include Paule Marshall, Toni Cade Bambara, Danielle Evans, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, and Deesha Philyaw. We will think deeply and write precisely about fiction in general and the short story form in particular. We will study each story with attention to its specific formal strategies, thematic concerns, and political, historical, and literary contexts. This means we will read for, discuss, and write about textual details such as voice, structure, character, syntax, and imagery; ways that our authors navigate ideas about race, gender, sexuality, ability, and class; and the relationship of each text to the African American literary tradition. The purpose of this class is to help you engage with literature, improving your writing, reading, and critical thinking skills in the process.