THEMATIC STUDY: AFROFUTURISM PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE

Course Description

The purpose of W&L CS 153 AF: Afrofuturism - Past, Present, Future is to introduce students to the Afrofuturism, a speculative fiction genre that uses features from fantasy, science fiction, horror, and folk tales to craft narratives that center the experiences of Africans and members of the African diaspora. Afrofuturism occurs in novels, short stories, films, poetry, music, and art. We will consider Afrofuturism and its impact on the usual tropes and expectations of speculative fiction genres, as well as how race, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and other identity markers are treated in Afrofuturist texts.

Required Text

N.K. Jemisin, How Long 'Til Black Future Month Orbit, 2018
Sami Schalk, Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction Duke University Press
Ytasha L. Womack, Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture Lawrence Hill Books