Program Overview

Program Overview

The Department of English offers a variety of academic programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as writing programs and research initiatives.

Undergraduate Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature
• Cinema and Media Studies (B.A.)
• English-Education Double Major
• English Minors
• Advising
• Honors Program
• Commencement

Graduate Programs

• Creative Writing (M.F.A.)
• English (M.A.)
• English (M.A.) Teaching Pathway
• English (Ph.D.)
• Comparative Literature (Ph.D.)
• Graduate Certificates
• Funding
• Graduate Job Placements

Course Details

ENGL368D - Special Topics in African American, African, and African Diaspora Literatures; Blues and African American Folksong

This course explores various genres of African American traditional culture using a multimedia format. The course covers:

• Narrative forms including myth, legend, and folktale
• Musical forms such as blues, ballads, gospel, spirituals, work songs, rhythm & blues, and soul
• Belief systems including conjure, hoodoo, supernatural witches and ghosts
• Customary practices ranging from signifying to jook house celebrations
• Augmented by film and sound recordings, considering these forms and black performance style in context and as part of an ongoing pattern of traditional preferences or aesthetics.
• Iconic figures such as Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters, and collectors and cultural brokers including Zora Neale Hurston and Alan Lomax.

Section and Schedule

• Section(s): 0201 - Barry Pearson
• Schedule of Classes: Check times and seat availability

Department Information

• Department of English
• 2119 Tawes Hall
• College Park, MD 20742

Research and Innovation

• Disability Resource and Technology Hub
• Center for Literary and Comparative Studies
  • Awards in the Public Humanities: Research & Engagement
  • Conferences
  • Colloquia
• Booklab
• Publications
  • Interpolations
    • Interpolations Fall 2024
    • Interpolations Fall 2023
    • Interpolations Fall 2022
    • Interpolations Fall 2021
    • Interpolations Fall 2020
    • Interpolations Fall 2019
    • Interpolations Fall 2018
    • Interpolations Fall 2017
    • Interpolations Fall 2016
    • Interpolations Spring 2015
    • Interpolations Fall 2013/Spring 2014
    • Interpolations Spring 2012
    • Interpolations Spring 2011
    • Interpolations Spring 2010
    • Interpolations Spring 2009
    • Interpolations Fall 2009
  • Paper Shell Review
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2025
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2024
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2023
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2022
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2021
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2020
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2019
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2018
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2017
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2016
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2015
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2014
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2013
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2012
    • Paper Shell Review Spring 2011
  • Restoration Journal

Writing Programs

• Academic Writing
• Professional Writing
• Writing Center

Beyond the Classroom

• Internships
• Study Abroad
• Careers

English in the World

• English in the World initiatives and programs.