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I am attending college again for the first time in so many years. Only now, there are so many technological changes. Thank goodness for online class registration and no more punching in class codes over the phone.
I was looking through the list of open classes for English 101 and the remaining class available to fit my schedule had a footnote that said "Taught from a black perspective".
Can anyone tell me what this means? I can understand how it would make sense when the course relates to say humanities, American history, etc. Given this was the only class available, I don't have any other choice, but I am just wondering what to expect.
I am attending college again for the first time in so many years. Only now, there are so many technological changes. Thank goodness for online class registration and no more punching in class codes over the phone.
I was looking through the list of open classes for English 101 and the remaining class available to fit my schedule had a footnote that said "Taught from a black perspective".
Can anyone tell me what this means? I can understand how it would make sense when the course relates to say humanities, American history, etc. Given this was the only class available, I don't have any other choice, but I am just wondering what to expect.
I would strongly reconsider taking that course, especially if you aren't black.
That's what I'm trying to figure out. If it is intended for a specific group or if its teaching the writings of black writers, poets, etc.
Probably intended for a specific group. If it were the latter, the course would be titled something like "African American Literature."
Don't get me wrong, scrutinizing literature via different readings/schools of thought can be quite interesting, but a survey course should not be centered on one sole method of literary criticism. Also consider that professors who teach these courses from only one perspective are often foaming-at-the-mouth demagogues who don't take kindly to people who don't share their views down to a T. For example, a professor teaching a course focused on Marxist readings of Shakespeare (yes, there is such a thing) won't take kindly to people of his own ideological cloth who disagree with him. But a student with open capitalist values will be regarded as "the enemy" from the start, and even if such a student did successfully nail down the psychological approach and parroted back whatever BS the professor fed to him, he would still be held at the mercy of his teacher's biases. Of course, there are some professors within these niche literary fields who are true academians and encourage diverse points of view/want their students to decide for themselves how they feel as opposed to regurgitating the teacher's screed out of fear. But unfortunately, these areas of study simply tend to attract egomaniacal wackos with delusions of grandeur. If you're non-black and take this course, you could be in for a rude awakening.
Of course, ask around about the professor if you can. Perhaps he/she falls among the select few who can have such a strong viewpoint without being tyrannical about it. But even then, I don't think a survey course should be dictated by any one school of literary thought, period.
Might just include some great black authors? Could also count as your minority studies course?
So far as i know, ain't no one ever been damaged by taking a class with a "black perspective," considering 90% of all education in from a white perspective.
Might just include some great black authors? Could also count as your minority studies course?
So far as i know, ain't no one ever been damaged by taking a class with a "black perspective," considering 90% of all education in from a white perspective.
They can be damaged if the professor is a loon, which those types of professors (niche schools of literary thought, not just the Afro-centric) are in general.
it could be interesting, but its also likely taught by a liberal whackjob. maybe you're into that kind of thing . i had a few classes with really crazy liberal professors (interestingly mostly in "pointless" subjects) and the perspective was interesting to hear but i came out okay lol.
it could be interesting, but its also likely taught by a liberal whackjob. maybe you're into that kind of thing . i had a few classes with really crazy liberal professors (interestingly mostly in "pointless" subjects) and the perspective was interesting to hear but i came out okay lol.
The main difference here is that a professor cannot definitively decipher your politics based on looks. Race is usually rather easy to tell.
I don't think a survey course should be dictated by any one school of literary thought, period.
I agree with some of your post -- i.e., there definitely are professors who will just want students to agree with them and parrot back on papers/exams what they told students in class -- but just because there's the notation "taught from a black perspective" doesn't necessarily mean the OP will get one of those professors (and "those professors" can be found in all disciplines and are from all political persuasions).
Even a professor who teaches, say, Shakespeare from a Marxist perspective, won't necessarily be trying to convert all students to Marxism (as if he/she could! ). For example, when I teach Marx in my theory classes, I don't expect students to love Marx, but I DO expect them to engage with his ideas.
And as an aside, a survey course is ALWAYS taught from "some perspective." If that perspective is the "mainstream," it's often not SEEN as having a perspective, but of course it still DOES. No position is "perspectiveless."
To the OP: why not just call the English department and ask what they meant? I think it could be an interesting class. College should open you up to new ideas -- YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH THEM, and the best professors won't expect you to! They just ask that you ENGAGE with them.
So far as i know, ain't no one ever been damaged by taking a class with a "black perspective," considering 90% of all education in from a white perspective.
And that 90% is often not "seen" as having any perspective at all.
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. i had a few classes with really crazy liberal professors (interestingly mostly in "pointless" subjects) and the perspective was interesting to hear but i came out okay lol.
). For example, when I teach Marx in my theory classes, I don't expect students to love Marx, but I DO expect them to engage with his ideas.
