Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Getting Started

We're off to a good start after completing our first full day of sessions yesterday. We have a fresh crew with folks from several different colleges and universities: Fisk, Spelman, Jackson State University, North Carolina State University, University of Missouri, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and University of Texas at San Antonio.

Yesterday, we mainly discussed the overall format of the program and discussed writing samples and personal statements.

We also spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Middle Passage, using Charles Johnson's short story "The Transmission" and the introduction of Marcus Rediker's remarkable book The Slave Ship. Given our common interests in black studies, some of us figured that discussions of slavery (and resistance to enslavement) would be a good place to start.

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