Women of Color                                        BLS 3024: Fall 2023

Instructor: Dr. Keisha Allan

Email: [email protected]

Course Time: TU/TH 5:50-7:05 PM

Office Hours: Thursdays 4:30 pm & by Appt

BLS 3024 Women of Color

Course Description:

This course invites discussion of some of the major concerns explored in the literature of women of color. We will discuss the focal place given to history in the writing of these authors; feminism and its concerns; how women writers of color approach topics such as enslavement and forced migration; and colonialism’s effect on ideas and attitudes toward women of color. This course examines how the voices and sensibility of women writers of color contribute to our understanding of the experiences of women at home and in the diaspora. Our primary focus will be works of contemporary literature, the majority of which will be postcolonial. Some of the questions we may pose include: What are the particular challenges of being a woman of color in a patriarchal culture? What additional challenges are posed by being “native” in a land that’s been colonized by others? What happens to culture in the aftermath of colonization and/or war?  Likewise, what happens to culture as various peoples spread across the globe, often into more “modern” societies?  Do these cultural losses or changes have a particular effect upon women and/or the formation of identity? What stories can literature tell that a straight history cannot?  How do literature’s formal properties contribute to an enhanced understanding of female experience around the globe?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this course, students will have:

• read several works of literature by women of color, can expect to have knowledge of some of the main themes and discuss the particular role of women writers of color in the exploration of these themes.
• discussed some of the theoretical perspectives used to critique Caribbean writing, in particular feminism in the Caribbean, the postcolonial and the transnational.
• produced papers analyzing the work of one or more women writers of color and should be able to contribute to the critical work on literature by women of color.
• explicated the processes that create or fail to create just, productive, egalitarian, and collaborative societies.
• analyzed forms and traditions of thought or expression in relation to cultural, historical, political, and social contexts.
• used comparative and intersectional frameworks to examine the experiences and cultures of different social groups across societies in today’s world.

Required Texts:

Ba, Mariama. So Long a Letter

Chauvet, Marie-Vieux. Love, Anger, Madness

Kincaid, Jamaica. Lucy

Sapphire. Push

Statement of Care:

Your success in the class is important to me. If there are circumstances that may affect your performance in this class, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can work together to develop strategies for adapting assignments to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course. If you are facing mental health challenges, I encourage you to utilize the resources available to you as a student at Baruch. The college’sStudent Services provides support and resources, includingcounseling services, services for veteran and for families, services for people with disabilities, and services for financial and housing emergencies.

Course Policies and Procedures:

Diversity and Inclusion

Baruch College considers the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff to be critical to its educational mission and expects every member of the community to contribute to an inclusive and respectful culture in the classroom, work environment, and at campus events. It is my intent that students from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and learning needs be well served by this course and that the diversity students bring to class be viewed as a resource and strength. Dimensions of diversity include intersections of sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, intellectual and physical ability, primary language, faith and non-faith perspectives, income, political affiliation, marital or family status, education, and any other legally protected class. I endeavor to present materials and activities that foster a positive learning environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Please let me know of ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or other students or student groups.

Participation and Attendance

You are expected to be prepared for class and to participate in class discussions, to be able to respond to questions posed to you, to have drafts when they are due, and to complete in-class writing activities. Your active participation will contribute to your final grade. We will discuss the definition of active participation in the first few class meetings. This course promotes a civil classroom environment that allows students to respectfully agree or disagree with their respective, well-formulated analyses. We will build a classroom environment built on mutual respect, which includes behaviors such as listening to others before responding, critiquing our peers’ ideas rather than our peers themselves, and framing disagreement as an opportunity to develop and nuance our own views.

Your attendance and active participation are essential to your success in this course. After three absences, your standing in class could be affected. If you are missing a lot of work, I will contact you to discuss what is needed to make up the work. Whether or not you are allowed to make up that work will depend on two factors:

1. whether your absence is excused or unexcused.
2. whether the work you handed in or the activity you missed during class constitutes a “major course event.” Rough draft workshops and final due dates of formal assignments constitute major course events. Any work connected to a major course event is due on the date stipulated unless an alternative arrangement has been worked out ahead of time. Missing class on the day of a major grading event (as noted on the schedule) will lower the grade of that assignment by one letter grade, even if the assignment is submitted electronically on time.

Late Papers

Papers are due on the date and time designated on the course syllabus. That deadline holds true whether you can make it to class or not and whether your absence is excused or not. Late papers will be marked down one letter grade per day late, including weekends. If you must submit a late paper, you should contact me the day the paper is due, so that I know when to expect your paper and how you will submit it.

Draft Workshops

Draft workshops enable you to develop two major writing skills that are integral to this course: 1) learning to be a critic of your own writing and the writing of others, and 2) learning how to revise your work given comments and questions from your peers. Your writing will improve by having others read and respond to it.

We will have a draft workshop before each paper is due. During these sessions, you will exchange your paper with a peer (or peers) and offer revision suggestions. Your participation in the workshop will be part of your grade.

Paper Format

The standard format is as follows:

• double-spaced throughout (with no extra spaces between paragraphs)
• readable font (12 point, no italics except for titles or emphasis)
• one-inch margins on all sides, left justified
• your name, my name, the section number for the course, and date in upper left corner
• title of the paper center justified
• numbered pages with last name before page number in upper right header

When you cite information, you should follow the MLA style guidelines appropriate for the topic or situation.

Papers and Grading Policy

Discussing Your Grade / 24-48 Policy*: After receiving your grade and feedback for your paper, you may not discuss your grade with me for 24 hours (this includes e-mails).  Calmly review your remarks, establish thoughtful, intelligent questions, and then you may contact me and arrange a meeting to discuss the feedback. We may meet 48 hours after the time you received my comments. **Grades are non-negotiable: In college, unlike high school, there are no “A’s for effort.” It is better to reserve your energy for asking how you can improve your work rather than petitioning the grade you’ve earned. If, however, you need an explanation of the grade, please ask respectfully and during our scheduled meeting (i.e. not unexpectedly before or after class, etc.).

Papers: All students are required to keep copies of their written work–in both paper and electronic form–throughout the semester and for at least one semester following the completion of the course. In the event of a grade dispute, students will be asked to produce the original graded copy of the paper(s) or assignment(s) in question.

Emails and Office Hours

E-mails: Be sure to begin your email by addressing me professionally. I will do my best to answer your e-mails in a timely fashion (allow 24-48 hours for response), but keep in mind that I too have work to complete. 

Office Hours

Think of my office as an extension of the classroom and use my office hours to discuss any aspect of your writing and reading, as well as any questions you may have about class procedures or requirements. Come to office hours with questions about class discussions, writing techniques or strategies, writing projects you’re working on, ideas you wish to develop, and so on. During my open office hours, you may stop in my office whenever you like. I am also happy to schedule another time to meet if my office hours conflict with your schedule.

  Cell Phone and Laptop Policy

Please turn off your cell phone during class and put it away. Texting during class will not be tolerated. You are welcome to use your laptop or tablet for class-related writing and activities. Checking Facebook, other websites or email during class will not be tolerated.

 Academic Integrity

      Plagiarism, whether it is submitting someone else’s work as your own, submitting your own work completed for another class without my permission, will not be tolerated. You are expected to understand Baruch College’s policies regarding academic integrity.

Baruch College guides and resources:

• Academic Honesty
• Online Plagiarism Tutorial for Students
• Student Disability Services
• Newman Library
• Writing Center
• Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute

Grades:

The goal of this course is to stimulate your thinking through readings, film, and the interchange of ideas. Students are expected to complete the following:

• Discussion and Participation (15%): Keep up with the readings and assignments; be prepared to discuss them in class the day they are due. To ensure that you are prepared, you will post on the Discussion Board as assigned on the syllabus. Be sure to review the format and requirements as you read and before responding.
• Group Discussion Presentation (20%): You and your assigned group members will be responsible for leading the class discussion on a designated day for 45mins. This will include research, close reading, incorporating course vocabulary and concepts, and developing discussion questions for your peers. More information on this to come.
• Papers 1 and 2 (20% each / 40% total): Short essays (approx. 4-5 full pages each) on a writing prompt to be turned in by the assigned deadlines (deadlines will be announced on Canvas and in-class). Proper MLA formatting and documentation is required on all written formal work.
• Final (25%): Short Essay

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• 100%: Your final grade will be calculated on the basis of the grades you earn in the assignments mentioned above.

Looking for a minor or major? Make BLS your choice

 The Department of Black & Latino Studies prepares students for a broad range of careers in the public and private sector; for entrance to professional schools such as law, social work, urban planning and medicine, and for graduate study and research in the social sciences and humanities. The Department has a long history of nurturing students’ intellectual discipline, creativity, and social and political awareness. The Department’s interdisciplinary structure offers students an opportunity to satisfy the increasing expectations of admissions committees and prospective employers for a broad liberal arts perspective that complements the specialized knowledge of a field. 

For more information contact:  

Department of Black and Latino Studies: 646-312-4440 

Shelly Eversley, Interim Chair: [email protected]