African American Studies

      Using standard essay format (introduction and thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion), write a 4-5-page essay on one of the following topics.
      Do not include lengthy summaries of the course text.
      Develop your own analysis and include relevant key terms.
      Include direct quotations and paraphrases from the authors text.
      Include direct quotations and paraphrases from at least two secondary sources to develop your argument. You must use at least three sources in total.
      These sources must be books or articles from the following subscription databases:  Academic Search Complete, History Reference Center, JSTOR, Literature Resource Center, or Project MUSE.
      You may also use journal articles or books from the Course Materials section of Blackboard.
      When logging into the librarys databases from off-campus, you must use your CUNY login credentials.
      Follow MLA documentation style for in-text citations and the Works Cited page.
 
I.          According to Amiri Barakas article The Revolutionary Tradition in Afro-American Literature, W.E.B. DuBois is the transitional figure, the connector between nineteenth-century Reconstruction and the new literary giants of the twentieth century and the Harlem Renaissancehis Souls of Black Folk is the intellectual and spiritual forerunner of the writings of the Renaissance (316-317).
      Analyze DuBoiss theory of double-consciousness in The Souls of Black Folk.
      How does double-consciousness reveal the paradox (or the contradiction) of being African and American in a society defined by anti-black racism?
      How may DuBoiss theory of double-consciousness be used to analyze one of the literary works we covered this semester? Cite specific lines from this literary work to explain why double-consciousness is relevant.
      Cite specific lines from The Souls of Black Folk to support your argument.
 
II.         In Harlem Renaissance, Nathan Huggins states that: It is a rare and intriguing moment when a people decide that they are the instruments of history-making and race-buildingIn the opening decades of the twentieth centuryblack intellectuals in Harlem had just such a self-concept (3). 
      Analyze one Harlem Renaissance writers literary work (Marcus Garvey, Arturo Schomburg, Claude McKay, or Langston Hughes)
      How did this writer contribute to history-making and race-building? 
      What makes this particular writers historical and literary contributions so unique?
      Cite specific lines of text from Garveys, Schomburgs, McKays, or Hughess work to support your argument.
 
III.       According to Barakas article, The Revolutionary Tradition in Afro-American Literature, the Black Arts Movements political linewas that literature must be a weapon of revolutionary struggle, that it must serve the revolution (321).
      Analyze Sonia Sanchezs poem Part One: Introduction (Queens of the Universe).
      How does the speaker of the poem use Black Nationalist principles to describe the womans role in strengthening and uplifting the Black community?
      Is Sanchezs poem a feminist text, or does the speaker urge Black women to subordinate their individual needs to the needs of the Black community?
      Cite specific lines of Sanchezs poem (using MLA documentation style for poetry) to support your argument.
 
Guidelines:
      All essays must be typed in 12pt. font and double-spaced.
      Title your essay in a manner that reflects its focus.
      Include the use of relevant key terms.
      Do not use abbreviations or text language.
      Use proper MLA documentation for in-text citations and the Works Cited page.
      Proofread your essays carefully before submitting them.