A WebQuest on the Harlem Renaissance

 

Background Information:

 

In an essay entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain," Langston Hughes expressed the view that "no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself.”  He indicated that the younger Negro artists of the day intended not to emulate white artists but to express “our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they aren't, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too... If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either…” (A. P. Jackson, James Langston Hughes,  http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html).

 

Task:

 

To what extent and in what manner did the African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance express their identity as African Americans?

 

Working with a team of students, put together a Power Point presentation and exhibit of different artists of the Harlem Renaissance and their works in which you address this question.  Each person of the team will be responsible for researching one of the artists in depth to contribute to the Power Point presentation. You will have an opportunity to present this to the class.

 

Also, working individually, write a  web-based research paper in which you develop a thesis about the themes expressed by the artist you researched. Discuss the extent to which the art expressed the artist’s identity or experience as an African-American. Use examples from the artist’s work to support your thesis, and illustrate your points with pictures or links to video or sound clips as appropriate.

 

Process:

 

Here are some suggested steps to follow in completing this project.

1.                  Every member of the team review the general sites about African- American history and the Harlem Renaissance; then get together to share your initial findings and to identify the artists that individual team members will research.

 

Timeline of African American History

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timelin3.html

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aointro.html

 

Harlem Renaissance

www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/9intro.html

http://www.iniva.org/harlem/hren.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/february98/harlem_2-20.html

 

2.                  Set a date when your team will meet to construct the Power Point presentation.

3.                  Conduct individual research on your artist.  Use the sources listed to get you started, then conduct your own search on the web by following related links from these sources and by using appropriate search engines.  You are also welcome to use traditional library resources, although this is not required.

 

Poetry and Prose of the Harlem Renaissance

http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/poetryindex.html

List of poets of Harlem Renaissance

 

A sample of poets for example

Arna Bontemps

http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/bontemps.html

text of A.B.’s poems

http://www.folkways.si.edu/45044.htm

A.B. reads poems of Paul Dunbar and Langston Hughes

http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?prmID=1443

A.B. reads Creation by James Weldon Johnson

http://www.factoryschool.org/content/sounds/poetry/frontenac.html

A.B. reads nocturne ar Bethesda

 

Countee Cullen

http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/cullen.html

reference guide for C.C.

http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/cullen.html

text of poems

http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=56&CFID=15535882&CFTOKEN=83062668

biography

http://www.poets.org/booth/booth.cfm?prmAlpha=C

C.C reading Heritage

 

Langston Hughes

http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/hughes.html#dreamdeferred

texts of poems

http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html

biography

http://www.150.si.edu/chap10/10man.htm

a painting of Langston Hughes

http://members.aol.com/olatou/hughes.htm

text of Dream Deferred with picture of poet

 

Painters

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/harlem-renaissance.html

Music: Jazz and Blues

http://www.jeannepasero.com/harlem.html

http://www.redhotjazz.com/

http://www.tcps.k12.md.us/ehs/lib/harren.html

 

4.                  Meet back with your team to share your work and to construct the PowerPoint presentation.

5.                  Write your individual research papers on your artist. 

 

Evaluation

 

Power Point

The Power Point presentation will be given a group grade based on the following criteria.

      The presenters:

1.                  explicitly state the main theme of the presentation.

2.                  demonstrate close collaboration.

3.                  provide balanced coverage of each of the artists.

4.                  present interesting content that piques the interest of the class.

5.                  effectively use visual or auditory illustrations of  their content.

6.                  effectively use text to convey ideas.

 

Research Paper

You will be graded individually on your papers based on the following criteria.

The author:

1.                  has a clear introduction and thesis.

2.                  develops and supports the thesis using good examples from an appropriate sample of the artist’s work.

3.                  includes appropriate visual or auditory illustrations.

4.                  has a conclusion that refers back to the thesis.

5.                  shows thought and depth of understanding about the artist’s work.

6.                  uses references appropriately in the body and at the end of the text.

7.                  has an engaging style.

8.                  is mechanically correct and follows correct format for a research paper.

 

Closure

 

What do you conclude about the Harlem Renaissance and the artists we have studied?  What is the legacy of this renaissance?  What cultural expressions are there today that stem from this period?  Are there similar movements or developments today in the African American or other communities that reflect or parallel the creativity and artistic productivity of the Harlem Renaissance?