ENGL 440A (H01) - On Race in Culture and Society

Of our special concern will be the claim that race is a culturally or socially, not biologically, constructed category. The reading list will include literary texts (Toni Morrison's "Recitatif"), works of African American comedians (Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, etc.), philosophical texts (Immanuel Kant, W.E.B. DuBois, K.A. Appiah, etc.) as well as some legal documents (recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning affirmative action). We will also do two case studies, one on the name of Redskins and one the Whiteness Project. The general goal of the course is to improve the student's ability to speak and think critically about race and race relations in the U.S.