Topics in Writing & Rhetoric: Contemporary Black Rhetorics: Black Twitter and Black Digital Cultures

Does not fulfill NSC requirement. This course will examine Black engagements with digital culture as sites for community building, social action and individual and collective identity formation. By studying phenomena like #BlackTwitter, memes, Vine, selfie culture, blogging, "social watching," and more, we will explore how Black technology use addresses questions like identity performance and expression, hyper visibility and invisibility of Black lives, Black feminisms, misogynoir and Black women/femme leadership in social movements, the roles and influence of Black Queer cultures online, and social activism and movements in online spaces. From #YouOKSis, #BlackLivesMatter and #AfroLatinidad to the Clapback, roasts and "reads," we will work from the serious to the silly, from individuals to collectives, from activism to everyday life, and from distinct Black cultures to diasporic connections and exchange. Participants in the course will create a social media autobiography, a "read/ing" of a Black cultural practice or phenomenon online, host an online discussion, and prepare a pitch for a longer research project they might pursue as a thesis or an ongoing study. Bring your GIFs, memes, and emoji, and a willingness to be in community both online and off for this new course! Prerequisite: first level of the writing requirement or equivalent transfer credit. For topics, see https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/pwr/courses/advanced-pwr-courses.