AFCA/ENGL 286 – Black Writers and the Allure of Paris
Four credits
Four weeks in France
Professors Lena Hill and Michael Hill
During the 1920s and 1950s, why did so many African American writers look to Paris for inspiration? How do they represent the City of Light in their poetry, short stories, novels, and autobiographies? Why does the transatlantic experience become a touchpoint for exploring questions of race, equality, and artistic experimentation? To begin answering these questions, this course asks students to spend four weeks in Paris immersed in the literary works of black writers of the Harlem Renaissance and the mid-twentieth-century period. We will take a weekend trip to southern France to explore how that region also spurred black writers to examine modern racial identity. We will focus on writers like Jessie Fauset, Gwendolyn Bennett, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes. By the end of spring term, we will have gained a rich understanding of the significance of Paris in the black literary imagination.
Program fee (Paid to W&L): $5,304
Includes programming, room, a few meals (~2 breakfasts and ~2 dinners) fees, most in-country transportation.
Additional costs: airfare, most meals, cell phone, spending money, passport, and visa fees (if applicable).
For further details, please contact Professor Michael Hill (mhill@wlu.edu) or Professor Lena Hill (lmhill@wlu.edu).
Please click the "Start New Application" button to start an application. Please click the "Resume Application" button to access an application you've already started. Please do not open multiple applications for the same program.
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Applications open October 5th, 2023