The Bible and the Gun

1. The Bible and the Gun

Directions:  Each student is required to start a discussion thread and post a 250-300 word short response essay about the following prompt

After viewing the documentary The Bible and the Gun, please answer the following questions by midnight,

• What would you say is the major theme of the film?
• What do you think the filmmaker is trying to say about Christianity relative to Africa? Do you agree? Why? Why not

1. Found Voices

Each student is required to start a discussion thread and post a 200-250 word short response essay about the following prompt.

Prompt: Today’s virtual lesson focuses on a classic segment of the news magazine Nightline, “Found Voices,” which is a collection of rare footage of actual formerly enslaved Africans who lived to become American citizens. I hope you will find their stories instructive. Be sure to take notes, as you will likely see this material again on the midterm exam.

After viewing the short program, “Found Voices,” each of you should do the following, no later than midnight, Wednesday, September 2:

Please write your first reaction to hearing these first-hand recollections of survivors of American enslavement. Which of their stories do you find most compelling? Why?

3  Dr Molefi Kete Asante afrocentric idea 

Directions: Since this course is taught from the Afrocentric perspective, today’s virtual lesson is an introduction to Dr. Molefi Kete Asante’s theory of Afrocentricity. Each student is required to start a discussion thread and post a 250-300 word short response essay about the following prompt.

please view the two short video clips and answer the following questions

• Please explain your understanding of Asante’s Theory of Afrocentricity.
• Do you agree with his way of thinking? Why? Why not?
• How, if at all, is Afrocentricity relevant to the study of African American Literature? Whatever your belief, please explain in detail.

4. Paul Laureance Dunbar

Directions: Today’s Discussion Board covers the Post-Reconstruction writer Paul Laurence Dunbar. Please visit his page on the Poetry Foundation.com. It can also be found under Contents, Module II. Please pay particular attention to his biographical information and take time to read all of his poems included, particularly two of his best known, “We Wear the Mask” and “Sympathy.”

Prompt: After reading about the life and writings of Paul Laurence Dunbar, please answer the following questions by midnight tomorrow, September 16.

• Dunbar was born during the historical period called Reconstruction? What is Reconstruction and when did it take place? What was the purpose of Reconstruction?
• What, if any, would you say are the common themes of Dunbar’s poetry? Please give examples.
• Why do you think the iconic actress Cecily Tyson chose to showcase Dunbar’s work at Aretha Frankling’s Homegoing Service?
• What message do you think he was trying to convey in “We Wear the Mask”?
• What great African American autobiography title was inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy”? Who was the author?