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There have been people of color in Britain for the better part of two millennia. North Africans were part of the Roman army stationed in northern England as long ago as the third century C.E., and Britain’s sundry imperial adventures, along with its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, has meant that there’s been a continuous and sustained black presence in the British Isles for the past 400 years. But it’s really in the fifty-odd years since World War II, once British colonial subjects began migrating to the UK in great numbers, that the category “black” has seriously troubled or complicated the category “British.” And it was even more recently that the two terms were strategically, self-consciously joined together—i.e., that the phenomenon known as “Black Britain” was named into being, largely by writers and artists, in order to forge a unique political and cultural identity. It turned out that this imagined nation wouldn’t survive intact all that long: the label “Black” could only precariously unite people of African, Afro-Caribbean, “Asian” (itself a problematic term) and mixed-race descent. Nevertheless the issues—and the consciousness—it raised have had a lasting effect on what it means to be culturally, ethnically, and nationally British at the start of the 21st century. Our focus in this class, then, won’t necessarily be on writers and artists in the UK who are unproblematically “Black,” but rather on the cultural and intellectual work they’ve done to bring an evolving and contested sense of Black Britishness into being. Work. There will be times when I’ll need to lecture at you or perform some show-and-tell. But for the most part, I expect you to be enthusiastic learners who are willing to explore this territory both independently and coöperatively. Here’s one way how: on six occasions of your choice (out of 16 opportunities), you’ll send a 400-word-minimum reading response to one of a series of Blackboard discussion forums linked from our class web page. I realize that an unhappy combination of techno-logical glitches, user unfamiliarity, Luddite resistance and general inconvenience can conspire to rob this tool of its full potential for knowledge-pooling and community-building. But I’m asking you to give it the old college try, and make it work. This is one of the best ways I know of to help yourself gather your thoughts about a text and begin articulating them. So, um…what exactly do I mean by a “reading response”? Look for a separate, long-winded handout. For now, let me stick to theory and logistics. Whenever you choose to write a response, you must post it no later than 7:00 p.m. on the date specified in the calendar (below), so that people have a fighting chance to digest it (or at least taste it) before the next day’s class. (Basic precaution: always save a copy on your hard drive and print out a hard copy for yourself, and bring it with you to refer to in class.) Unless there’s been a system-wide network failure or a documented problem with your computer lab or Internet provider, late responses will count against you in grading. Missing responses may result in a failing grade. Collectively, these responses—which, though informal, should still be thoughtful, not slapdash—will constitute a free-standing conversation, especially if there are follow-up posts later in the week. (I hope some of you will be motivated enough to do so of your own volition, but if you’re stirred by grades, you can guarantee yourself a boost of at least ? of a grade on any given response by writing a follow-up post of 100 words or more.) Sometimes we may bring what takes place here into the classroom, as well, and your on-line responses may become starting points for in-class discussion. To that end, everyone should try to at least glance at other folks’ postings before class. But a certain portion of you will take special care in your reading. To wit: On six other occasions of your choice—times when you yourself have not posted a reading response—I’d like you to formulate a discussion question inspired by your perusal of what’s appeared in the online forum, and post it to the forum no later than 2:00 p.m. on the day of class, i.e., the day after reading responses have appeared. Your query might be triggered by a specific remark; it might bring (parts of) two or more posts into direct dialogue (Cartman said X about topic Y and Kyle, by contrast, said Z; what I’m wondering is…?), or it might reflect a more general synthesis of your reaction to the whole crop of responses. But give it some heft: it should make explicit reference (at least in passing) to more than one posting, and it should be both pointed and open-ended enough to invite some genuine dialogue. (Arguments, objections, and demurrals are fine. Just don’t get personal, and do try to observe the rules of polite discussion.) There’s no guarantee that these questions will get used in class, though it’ll be nice to have ‘em on hand. In one sense, I’m more interested in having you put in the care and attention required to cook them up. Finally, you should always feel free to log onto the discussion board even if you’re not doing so for credit, just to carry on spontaneous, informal discussion—about our assigned texts, about gripes or questions you might have, about something someone did or didn’t say in class—during any of the 165 hours per week that our class doesn’t meet. So, to enumerate the basic requirements (and how they count towards your final grade) more formally:
Texts. There are three books that you should pick up at the HSU Bookstore or anywhere else you can find them (TinCan Mailman, ABEBooks.com, Half.com, etc.):
Much of the other material of interest to us is either out of print, unavailable in the U.S., or obtainable only in hardcover. So while I realize that this technology can be dicey—and sometimes inconvenient—I’m gradually putting all the other required reading on the Web. (See the class homepage, not the library’s “ONCORES” service.) You’ll be asked to enter a username and a password to gain access to it; refer to the hard copy of your syllabus, or contact me if you’ve mislaid it. If you need instruction in using e-mail or in “browsing” or printing from the Web, see me or one of your more experienced colleagues immediately. The remaining books below are Recommended Texts, one of which you’ll choose to work with for your final paper. I’ve asked the bookstore to order only 6-8 copies of each of these titles; you should browse all of them, and/or perhaps seek out reviews and descriptions in online databases or at sites like Amazon.com before deciding on one to write on. If the bookstore runs out of the title you want, you can ask them to order more, or better yet, go to a local independent bookseller such as Northtown Books on H Street, off the Plaza.
Grades: Here’s where the oppressive substructure of my seemingly benign classroom shows through. My letter grades adhere to official guidelines: “A” is reserved for exceptionally, stunningly, well-written, well-spoken and insightful stuff. “B” gets tacked onto the extra-ordinary—work which goes qualitatively beyond mere course requirements. “C” is standard and normal; it meets the minimum requirements in every way. “D” is worthy of credit but substandard, and we all know what “F” means. If you’re taking the class CR/NC, you need the equivalent of a “C” to pass. I don’t expect to give any incompletes. I’ll read and respond to anything you hand or send in and put grades on your required work. You’re welcome to come see me at any point in the term to discuss your progress, prospects, enthusiasms or anxieties. If you’re getting behind in the class, feeling as though you’re not “getting” something, or just having an unspecified problem either mild or severe, please, please, please: don’t sit around fretting and cowering—come and talk to me without delay. Calendar
(Warning: potentially volatile! Assigned reading, due dates, and reading schedule are subject to change. Please listen for announcements, watch for communiqués, and check the class website [which always trumps this calendar] regularly for any updates.) Unless otherwise noted, all reading assignments listed below are required. Be aware, however, that you will always find additional reading and/or web resources—in all cases highly recommended—on the web page for each week. I strongly encourage you to make time for as much of this supplemental material as you can. Reading responses should focus primarily on the required reading for that day, but feel welcome to incorporate relevant thinking about the other material, as well.
ALL FINAL COURSEWORK DUE NO LATER THAN 3:00 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8th. |
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