Expository Writing (105-0-21)
Topic
Bad and Boujee: Black Women's Representation in Li
Instructors
Kayla Jasmine Boyden
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L04: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
When the rappers of Migos say their girl is "bad and boujee," what exactly do they mean? For those uninitiated in the world of African American vernacular (AAV) , being bad is not always good thing. Yet, as many Black women know, being called "bad" is a compliment that speaks to not only appearance but a general aura that transcends language. The term boujee, a shortened version of bourgeois, is an insult for women who are seen as too high maintenance or demanding of the finer things in life. Yet, boujee can also be a desirable trait highlighting a woman's aspirational status. In this class, we will look at the multiple meanings of these terms in both their positive and negative connotations to critically engage the intersections between class, race, and gender in Black women's writing. Reading across a range of sources, including poetry, prose fiction, music and film, produced from 1900 to today, we will look at women who are imagined outside of the norms of Black American sociality: "fast" girls in New York City who were arrested for being too "wayward," queer femmes who attempted to build relationships with each other rather than their husbands, and girls abandoned by their mothers that have to learn how to be bad all by themselves. Ultimately, we will assess the promise and peril that characterize Black women as bad and boujee. Texts for this class may include:, Toni Morrison's short story "Recitatif" (1983), Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider (1984), Bridgett Davis' Naked Acts (1997), and Claudia Rankine's Citizen (2014), Jazmin Sullivan's Heaux Tales (2021).
Class Materials (Required)
Citizen by Claudia Rankine (978-1-555-97690-3)