Studies in African American Philosophy (324-0-20)

Topic

Black Philosophies of Art

Instructors

Corey Barnes

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 224: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This course examines philosophical reflections on art within the Black American intellectual tradition, with particular attention to debates over the political function, cultural grounding, and aesthetic value of Black artistic production. By bringing philosophy into sustained dialogue with literature, music, visual art, and performance, the course foregrounds a central tension—namely, whether Black art ought to serve explicitly political ends such as racial uplift, resistance, or revolution, or whether it should be understood as an autonomous domain of creative expression. We trace this problem from early formulations in W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Locke through mid-century interventions by Richard Wright and into the Black Arts Movement, where thinkers like Hoyt Fuller and Addison Gayle Jr. argue for a distinctly Black aesthetic rooted in political struggle and cultural self-determination. These debates are placed in conversation with later contributions from Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Saidiya Hartman, and others who complicate the relationship between art, identity, and power. While investigating this central tension, we raise fundamental questions about beauty, propaganda, authenticity, representation, and freedom under conditions of racial domination. And so additional questions include: what is Black art; how do oppression and resistance shape aesthetic form; what is the relationship between art and racial identity; and how do Black artists and thinkers challenge dominant aesthetic standards?

Learning Objectives

Identify and define issues and problems of concern, analyzing them critically and systematically by asking relevant questions, examining different sides of an issue and evaluating arguments and, where appropriate, using the language and techniques of formal logic to articulate and assess argumentation.
Construct clear, rigorous arguments for well-delineated theses.
Critically reflect on and accurately describe experiences of privilege and oppression through the lenses of themes related to African Americans.
Describe struggles of African Americans against forces such as racism, sexism, and classism to attain equitable outcomes.
Critically and accurately examine the intersections of categories such as race, class, and gender in an American context of unequal power relationships and social justice.

Class Materials (Required)

Class materials must be purchased.

Paul C. Taylor, Black is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics, 1st, Wiley Blackwell, 2016, 978-1405150637.

Class Attributes

U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Philosophy students.