Описание:The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line,—the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea," W. E. B. DuBois famously professed in his Souls of the Black Folk. Though often questioned as a valid biological concept, "race" as a social construct lies at the heart of many prominent issues in the USA, be it residential segregation, police brutality, or institutional racism. American intellectuals are keenly aware of this situation, and invested much effort into addressing it. At this course, students can investigate some of their efforts, ranging from works of fiction, such as Richard Wright's Native Son, to activist literature, such as the Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X, to racial theories, such as Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy. We shall consider both progressive and conservative approaches to the question to attain a broad understanding of arguments on both sides. Public attitudes towards racial affairs changed drastically throughout the century, and literature remains one of the best ways of documenting this transformation.
Though the course is conducted in English, your final papers must be submitted in Russian.