Black Queer Black

Black/Queer/Black: A Survey of Pop Culture's
Fiercest Tributary

This course is a close study of the multi-layered
Black queer center of '80s and '90s House music
culture via literature, film, music, music
videos, and critical essays by the likes of bell
hooks, Sarah Schulman, Essex Hemphill, Pamela
Sneed, and more. We will dive into the
conversations (shared influences; similar and
oppositional politics) of House music of the '80s
and '90s, and hip-hop(mainstream and alternative)
from that same time,
excavate the political subtexts in the artifacts
music, music videos, films) of House culture, and
examine contemporary elements of modern pop
culture (particularly music and music videos) and
locate the influence of '80s and '90s House
culture. By examining the relationship between
'80s and '90s Black/queer poetry, literature and
academic scholarship, and the everyday
socio-political realities that shaped House
culture,
students will strengthen and develop trust in
their own critical voice.