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The Craft of Writing – Film Focus – Black Art/Film Aesthetics
R1B 001 | CCN: 24049
Location: Dwinelle 134
Date and Time: TU, TH 9:30am - 10:59am
4 Units
Since and prior to Stuart Hall’s critical 1993 essay “what is this Black in Black popular culture,” the question of Black aesthetics has been central to Blacks critical thought. Broad in its own sense, the concept of a Black art aesthetic alludes meaning while simultaneously holding meaning in exorbitance. In this course, students will engage in the complex historical and theoretical debates around the category of “Black art” and the formations of a Black art aesthetic. We’ll consider questions including: “what makes an art Black?” “What are the representational or anti-representational functions of Black art and film?” “What are the historical discourses that produced what we know as a Black art aesthetic? And what are the geographical affordances and limitations of the category of Black art? While working with these questions, students will also continue to practice and build on writing skills developed in R1A. In accordance with the university standard for R1B, during the semester, student engagement with both text and films will aid in producing intensive writing assignments with a focus on argumentative writing.