Black Masculinity in American Film after World War II

elective courses

Participants will be expected to possess a degree of familiarity with the history of Hollywood film – the dominant production modes before and after 1960, classic American films with “racial” overtones (D.W. Griffith’s "The Birth of a Nation" [1915], V. Fleming’s "Gone With the Wind" [1939], M. Curtiz’s "Casablanca" [1942]), and major genres (the western, the action film, the melodrama).

A survey of the history of male cinematic Blackness in the US, from World War II until the 2010s, with particular focus on the changes in the sociopolitical landscape of “race.”

This course explores the long history of (mis)representation of Black masculinity in American film, starting with the transitional moment of World War II (bookended by ultimate fantasies of the Old South, "Gone With the Wind" and "Song of the South"), and concluding with recent revivals and revisions of received aesthetics of "race" (e.g. "12 Years a Slave," "Moonlight," "Black Panther"). Parallel to a close reading of selected films from this 70-year period, it traces the social and political context of male “racial” imagery, both in terms of public (White) perceptions of the meaning of Black maleness and Black theoretical and practical contributions.

Course plan:

1. Blackface Comedy and Melodrama as Dominant Modes of “Racial” Representation Before 1945 (1 class)

2. World War II and the Rise of the “Problem Film” (2 classes)

3. The Civil Rights Movement and the Politics of Cinematic Masculinity (3 classes)

4. Blaxploitation and the Reimagining of Black Masculinity (2 classes)

5. Reagan-Era Backlash and the Rise of the Buddy Formula (2 classes)

6. New Jack Cinema and the Mainstreaming of a Black Aesthetic (2 classes)

7. Mainstream Blackness and Independent Black Film after 2000 (2 classes)

Bibliography (main sources):

Donald Bogle, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks, Continuum 2000;

Thomas Cripps, Making Movies Black, OUP 1993;

Manthia Diawara, ed., Black American Cinema, Routledge 1993;

Ed Guerrero, Framing Blackness, Temple UP 1993;

bell hooks, Black Looks, South End Press 1992;

Mark A. Reid, Redefining Black Film, California UP 1993;

and others.

The filmography for the course includes:

Home of the Brave (1949), dir. Mark Robson;

A Raisin in the Sun (1961), dir. Daniel Petrie;

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), dir. Stanley Kramer;

The Mack (1973), dir. Michael Campus;

48 Hrs. (1982), dir. Walter Hill;

Boyz n the Hood (1991), dir. John Singleton;

Training Day (2001), dir. Antoine Fuqua;

12 Years a Slave (2013), dir. Steve McQueen;

and others.

Upon completing this course the participant

KNOWLEDGE

- has advanced knowledge of the structures of racialization in the US

- knows the origins and evolution of “racial” tropes in American film

- recognizes the significance of “racial” distinctions in American film

SKILLS

- is able to interpret images of Black masculinity in American culture

- can analyze “racial” images from a critical perspective

- can analyze “racial” and gender implications of cinematic images of masculinity

SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

- is aware of the social significance of “race”

- understands the social and political significance of Black male imagery

- is able to formulate an opinion on matters of “racial” representation

The final grade is based on:

- 30%: attendance & active participation in classes,

- 70% additional work.

During the semester, participants will receive two graded assignments:

1) in-class presentation on a specific additional reading,

2) final assignment (essay or annotated bibliography).

Starting the third week, participants (in pairs) will prepare 15-minute presentations for the rest of the group discussing readings specified by the instructor.The readings will be made available to the group; the presenters will receive instructions concerning the major points of the presentations.

Those who do present will be able to choose what form their final assignment will take: whether they will write an essay or prepare a research report. Those who do not present will be expected to submit an essay.

THE FINAL ESSAY should be 6-8 pages long (TNR 12, double-spaced) in CMS formatting with proper annotations.

THE RESEARCH REPORT is a two-part assignment consisting of: a) a summary and analysis of one course reading, and b) an annotated bibliography of three independently-identified sources relevant to a topic specified by the instructor.