American Studies Annual Symposium - 10th June 2014

On the 10th June in UEA Arts 3.03 postgraduates and staff will be presenting their research at the 5th Annual American Studies Symposium. There is a definite interdisciplinary feel to this year's symposium, with panels addressing themes including the body, race and representation, nature, poetry and aesthetics. Full programme after the jump.

AMS Students Review the Harlem Renaissance

Recently second year American Studies students have been writing blog pieces on key pieces of Harlem Renaissance art and literature. As part of their week 8 assessment for the Harlem Renaissance module, students were required to write a review of a document (novel, poem, article, editorial, essay, song, painting etc) written/produced by a prominent Harlem Renaissance artist, intellectual or activist. After receiving their marks and feedback, they were then asked to revise the piece for online publication on the 'Reviewing of the Harlem Renaissance' blog. The sample posts on this site are designed to prompt readers to think about the relevance of this material in terms of shaping black politics and culture in the 1920s, whilst also encouraging them to reflect on how this work helped shape ideas relating to the construction of the 'New Negro'.  Current entries discuss texts such as Zora Neale Hurston's 'How it Feels to Be Colored Me', Langston Hughes's poem 'Cross', and Countee Cullen's 'Uncle Jim'.

The plan is to develop the blog over the years in order to create a small online database relating to the key texts/primary documents associated with the Harlem Renaissance.