Explore the complex interplay between invisibility, visibility, and the fantastic in African American literature. By examining 20th century neo-slave narratives through the lenses of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Fred Moten, Sylvia Wynter, and Tzvetan Todorov and with literary artists such as Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison, this course investigates the double-bind of visibility in African American culture, the subversive power of the fantastic, critical theories on blackness, nothingness, and the "overrepresentation of man" to understand how African American authors navigate the tensions between the seen and unseen, real and unreal, in their explorations of black identity and experience.
4
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeThe material was very easy and very interesting. I'm not the biggest history person and yet I found myself so intrigued by the info. There was two midterms and a final both are SAQ and matching (definition to word/person). There was weekly reading but I did just fine by skimming it. He is a bit of a character and sometimes says out of pocket things
Professor Ware makes it easy to get an A if you are willing to put in a little effort. He is very outspoken, so if you are sensitive to opinions, both radical and nuanced, maybe not the right choice. For me, his lectures were fascinating and entertaining. He blends historical lecture with a daily political rally. Worth taking just for that.
Only 1 reading per week for homework, and it usually wasn't too long. Graded on one midterm, one in-class essay, and a final that wasn't cumulative. Lectures could be a bit disorganized but were generally engaging and not content that is taught all the time. He publishes study guides for exams and the essay prompt for the in-class write beforehand.
Unorganized, no lecture slides, inaccessible outside classroom. Told us we didn't need to cite for essays but TA's docked points for not citing. Graded on 3 exams and still haven't gotten grades despite deadline passing (a common trend with other reviews). First time I've seen a professor be consistently disrespectful of their students' time.
This rating is for his HIST 149H: Africana Hip Hop class. Professor Ware is an excellent speaker and lecturer, and the material is interesting. However, Ware and his TA were nearly completely inaccessible outside of class, so it meant that if you wanted help for the 2 in-class essays, you're on your own if you can't go to his office hours.
I do not recommend ever taking a class with Ware. Lectures are all over the place, he rarely uses lecture slides, and when he does, they don't correlate with the material he is teaching. My biggest problem was the lack of communication between him, the students, and the TAs. The way the class was organized made it extremely difficult to learn.
Russell Samolsky
4.3
Stephanie Batiste
2.7
Yunte Huang
3.1