While popular representations of black heroes-from Nike's incorporation of Michael Jordan to Samuel Jackson's Shaft-clearly abound, how and who confers this label onto certain individuals has yet to be determined. How do we know when to recognize the black hero as such? Who is not a black hero? Can a woman be such a hero? This course seeks to explore the category of the black hero through a study of literary texts that explicitly confront the terms of heroship through their portrayal of black characters. By considering the position and representation of black heroes in works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, Martin Delany, Zora Neale Hurston, Chester Himes, Ralph Ellison and Toni Morrison, we will attempt to define the terms of the black hero and examine how this figure has been reproduced and packaged to serve specific sociopolitical, rather than purely literary, functions. Requirements: two 8- to 10- page papers and one oral presentation with a written summary to be handed in for grading. Prerequisite: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limited to 25. (Post-1900)

Hour: CHAKKALAKAL