Race and Ethnicity in Twentieth-Century American Thought

In his 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois famously wrote that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." This course is a survey of the work of intellectuals, artists, and activists in the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries who took this problem seriously and sought to understand its origins, its functions, and how it ought to be addressed. It exposes students to certain foundational ideas, problems, and debates in the study of race and ethnicity in twentieth century America. Readings may include works by C.L.R. James, William Faulkner, Zora Neale Hurston, Hannah Arendt, Leslie Marmon Silko, Gloria Anzaldua, James Baldwin, Cedric Robinson, bell hooks, and Toni Morrison. Most importantly, the course aims to provide students the opportunity to develop their own critical and historical acumen to study those aspects of race and ethnicity that they find most urgent or fascinating.