Mr. Johnson's Syllabus

Here's the kind of thing that Ringshout hopes to inspire--it's all about us talking to each other!


Andy Johnson, an MFA student and instructor at the University of Alabama came up to me after our AWP panel. We talked a bit about ways to get the word out about our literature and about what Ringshout might accomplish. And then he took our conversation home and made it work! Here's what he posted on our Facebook page:

"After our conversation, I developed a syllabus for this course and submitted it. (no word yet) Here are my texts:(readings)

The Portable Promised Land, Toure

The Known World, Edward P. Jones

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz

The Fall of Rome, Martha Southgate

Native Guard, Natasha Trethewey

Hoops, Major Jackson

Fahanomeon, Fahamou Pecou

Anxious Objects: Willie Cole’s Favorite Brands, Patterson Sims

Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama

Truth: Red, White, and Black, Robert Morales and Kyle Baker

What is the What, Dave Eggers, with Valentino Achak Cheng

(Viewings)

Tsotsi

Chapelle’s Show

The Queens of Comedy

Def Poetry Jam

When the Levees Broke

The Boondocks

(listenings)

The New Danger, Mos Def

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill


He still hasn't heard whether or not the course is approved but let's hope so--send encouragement to him via FB or leaving comments here or on his blog. And please use this to inspire you--what works by African-American writers would you want to teach/see taught?