Instructor: Savannah TR 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM
This course explores the work of Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker and their contributions to Black women’s literary traditions. Shortly after Hurston’s death, Walker rediscovers Hurston and set on a path to honor her life and work. In addition to exploring how Walker’s Black feminist recovery work has revived Hurston’s literary legacy, the course will examine the ways Hurston has influenced Walker’s novels and short stories. The course provides students with an overview of the major concerns, themes, and aesthetic developments of these two writers. Analyzing their depictions of racism, sexism, and classism, we explore how these women use writing to illuminate various strategies towards resistance and empowerment. Assignments include literary analysis, and a digital project guided by a workshop with The Free Black Women’s Library.