James Baldwin: Life, Letters, & Legacy

In his 1972 essay, No Name in the Street, James Baldwin recounts that he could never in good conscience just write because he had never been just a writer. Indeed, Baldwin saw himself as a "public witness to the situation of black people," compelled to speak truth to power in whatever form he deemed necessary. Baldwin, as a black, gay, man, American, author, activist, and so much more, has served as an essential figure in theorizing the intersection of these presumably rigidity concepts. In this respect, this course will center on Baldwin, the thinker, as much as Baldwin, the author. We will examine his classic novels and essays and his work across many less-examined domains - theatre, sermon, dialogue, film, and short story. Moreover, while committing ourselves to close reading methods, we will situate Baldwin's works within a socio-historical context and consider how he shaped and was shaped by events beginning with the Civil Rights Era through our precarious contemporary moment in which he remains, often tragically, a timely voice. This course is only open to MLA, DLA, and AMCS MA students.
Course Attributes:

James Baldwin: Life, Letters, & Legacy

AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES 5903

Section 01