ENGL439A - Spotlight on Major Writers; Toni Morrison: Race, Gender, & American Culture

Her writing over nearly five decades arguably changed the course of US literary studies. More important, a crucial part of her body of work is the examination of the construction of racial and gender identity in the articulation of U.S. citizenship. Accordingly, her novels and other writings pay particular attention to the concepts of Blackness, womanhood, desire, and community formation. In the process of considering these ideas, she also challenges our understandings of formal experimentation, historiography, and feminist theory. We will attend to these topics and more to learn how Morrison’s work tracks the shifting boundaries of American politics, culture, and identity. Students will have the opportunity to develop research and creative projects based on their interests. Close attention will also be paid to student writing and oral communication skills.