English 175, Hidden Town:
Slave Narratives, Global and Local
In Recent Years Wake Forest's “Slavery, Race and Memory Project” started work to “guide the research, preservation, and communication of an accurate depiction of the University’s relationship to slavery and its implications across Wake Forest’s history.” Questions about the relationships between Universities and the enslaved people whose unpaid labor they profited from are impacting campuses across and beyond the US South, from Georgetown students starting a reparations fund to the existence of a Universities Studying Slavery consortium. But in thinking about the multitude of ways that Wake Forest has profited from slave labor we will also look beyond our campuses and to the broader community, or the history of Winston-Salem. We will do this by considering not just a series of the most famous slave narratives ever written but by turning from those famous stories to local narratives and accounts of the lives of enslaved people in Salem, NC. And we will do this by working with Old Salem’s Hidden Town Project: a groundbreaking initiative that works to research and reveal the history of a community of enslaved and freed Africans and African Americans who lived in “Old Salem.” Ultimately students will contribute to hiddentown.org, working in groups to produce related research papers and creative projects that bring this material to life.
Course Schedule and Classroom:
English 175: 12:45-2, Room 1505, Wake Downtown
Course Texts
-
Frederick Douglass, Narrative (1845)
-
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Additional readings are posted on Canvas.
Assignments
-
Participation: 20%
-
Close Reading: 5%
-
Documentary: 50%
Assignment details are or will be linked to each title.
-
To learn about the history of slavery
-
To learn about the genre of the slave narrative
-
To improve close reading skills
-
To produce, support, and revise argumentative essays
-
To engage with both primary sources and literary criticism
-
To develop creative responses to a pressing matter of concern
-
To write and create for both public and academic audiences
-
To share and collaboratively develop ideas about literature, criticism, and your own writing
-
To respond to and incorporate feedback
-
To create polished work by revising something repeatedly
-
To develop digital literacy in a multimodal world
Learning Objectives
For more information see hiddentown.org.
Please Read Course Policies and Campus Resources here.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Note: Additional Readings and details are on Canvas and are subject to change.
I. Famous Narratives in Context
August 25: Introductions
“An Apology,” Nathan Hatch, President of Wake Forest University
August 27: Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Preface – Chapter 7)
September 1: Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Chapter 8-Appendix)
September 3: Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
September 8: Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Preface – XXV)
September 10: Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (XXVI – Appendix)
September 15: Tour of MESDA
Harriet Jacobs at MESDA: Press Release
September 22: Critical Response Topic Workshops
September 24: Discuss Argumentative Essays and Scholarly Sources
II. Hidden Town Research and Scripting
September 29: Introduction to your Hidden Town Projects & Objects
Conducting Research with Kathy Shields
Documentaries on Anna Maria Samuel, Christian David, & Elias Vogler on Hiddentown.org
October 1: Argumentative Essay Draft Workshops
October 6: Consult with Project Managers
Sensbach, A Separate Canaan: The Making of an Afro-Moravian World, Introduction
Ferguson’s God’s Fields, Chapters 1 & 10
October 8: Small Group Meetings to Discuss Proposals & Possible Interviews
October 13: Fall Break
October 15: Introduction to Filming, Lighting, and Interviews, and Shot Lists with Brianna Healey.
October 20: Small Group Meetings to Discuss Presentations.
October 22: Work-in-Progress Presentations
October 27: Pitch to Community Partners
III. Hidden Town Filming & Editing
October 29: Small Group Meetings; Send Filming Requests and Draft Interview Questions.
November 3: Draft Workshops: Scripts
November 5: Draft Workshop: Shot Lists
November 10: Film B-Roll or Conduct Interviews
November 12: Record Scripts with Brianna Healey
November 17: Film B-Roll or Conduct Interviews
November 19: Introduction to Audio Editing with Brianna Healey
November 24: Introduction to VIdeo Editing with Brianna Healey
November 26: Thanksgiving Break
December 1: Small Group Meetings: A/V Editing
December 3: Draft Workshops
