AMS 311: Prison Art, Literature, and Protest 

Fall 2020 
Department of American Studies 
Holly Genovese 
she/her/hers 
hollygenovese@utexas.edu 
 
 
Office: Burdine  
Office Hours: By appointment, h ​ ttps://calendly.com/holly-genovese/office-hours 
 
 
Course Description 
 
In this course we will focus on the art, music, and literature of incarcerated people, formerly 
incarcerated people, and prisoner rights activists in late 20th and early 21st century America. We will 
explore questions about the nature of resistance, the relationship between art and protest, and the ways 
in which the work of incarcerated people challenge our conceptions of prison, carcerality, and “the 
deserving prisoner.” What does it mean to be a prison artist? Is prison art and writing by nature 
political protest? What can we learn from incarcerated people? 
 
Our texts will primarily focus on the experiences of incarcerated people of color, incarcerated trans 
people, and incarcerated women. We will not discuss “guilt” or crime, but will focus on the cultural 
production and intellectual work of incarcerated people. We will also explore the material conditions 
of cultural production, the relationship between social movement history and prison arts (Civil 
Rights, Black Power, etc), and the Prison Arts Movement. If possible, we will visit the Inside Books 
Project during the semester.  
 
Course Objectives:  
Close Reading  
Annotation and Note Taking Skills 
Critical and Close Reading  
 
 
 
 
Disability statement (adapted, with permission, from Dr. Kafer) 
 
All students are welcome in this course, including students with learning, emotional, physical, 
cognitive, and/or hidden disabilities, illnesses, and injuries, regardless of diagnosis.  
 
Access is a collective and collaborative project, and we all learn and process information differently; it 
is my goal to make this course as accessible as possible for everyone. If there is anything I or your 
classmates can do to facilitate your learning in this class, please let me know, and I welcome any 
suggestions for how to make the course more inclusive of different learning styles. It is never too late to 
have this conversation with me; not only do bodies, minds, and circumstances change over time, but it 
also can take time to find the language needed to describe your needs. I am happy to help with this 
process, too.  
 
If you have documentation from the​ ​Services for Students with Disabilities Office​ for specific 
accommodations, please let me know i​ n advance​ of your needs. With or without documentation, we 
can discuss how to improve your access to course material and explore different possibilities for 
learning. If you have questions about documentation and accommodations at UT, please contact 
Services for Students with Disabilities in the Student Services Building, 4.206; 512-471-6259 (voice) or 
512-232-2937 (video phone). 
 
Another way of creating access is using everyone’s chosen names and pronouns. If you have questions 
about pronouns and inclusivity, the Gender and Sexuality Center offers helpful information, 
including UT-specific instructions on how to add or change names and gender markers (e.g., on class 
rosters, IDs, etc.). 
 
We will be discussing many different kinds of topics in this class. If there is anything that concerns you 
in terms of discussion (e.g., topics, format, process), please let me know in advance. You may also 
consider some strategies for self-care: reading with a friend; taking breaks; reading during the day 
rather than before bed; talking through the topic with trusted friends or family before class; promising 
yourself treats (whatever that means for you) upon completion of difficult assignments; moving 
around (walking, dancing, stretching) while or after reading; reading out loud or “talking back” to the 
text; and so on. There are many self-care resources available online. Try b ​ it.ly/selfcarehelp​ for an 
interactive self-care resource. UT’s Counseling and Mental Health Center also has a list of self-care 
practices on their website. 
 
Late Work: 
Late work is accepted within two weeks of the deadline (with the exception of the final paper), as long 
as you let me know. Please take advantage of this policy when needed, but know that if you use the full 
two weeks with every assignment your end of the semester will be unpleasant.  
 
Office Hours: 
Please come visit me during office hours! You don’t need to make an appointment, but doing so 
ensures you won’t have to wait in a line outside my door! Please come in if you have questions, 
concerns, or just want to chat! I know it can be intimidating, but I will be delighted to talk to you 
about course related and non-related topics (within the bounds of appropriate discussion, of course!). 
Nervous about your paper? Bummed about a grade? Want to discuss a piece of art you loved? Want to 
declare an American Studies major? I LOVE ALL OF THIS.  
 
Content Warnings: 
Because this course deals with prisons and incarceration, as well as racism, sexism, and violence, we will 
come across difficult material. I have included content warnings for much of the material and if there 
is anything you feel need to skip because of your health/safety/comfort, please do. If you are 
concerned about missing material, I am happy to find an alternate reading or material for that 
particular day. And if I miss something or fail at this, please call me out if you feel able and willing.  
 
 
ASSIGNMENTS:  
 
Weekly Reading Notes: 30%  
Discussion Lead (in pairs): 20 % 
Paper 1: 20 % 
Paper 2: 30% 
 
Papers:  
Students will write one 5-7 page paper and one 8-10 page paper throughout the semester. 
Outside work or research is not needed, but instead students  
 
 
Discussion Lead: 20% 
In pairs, students will select on class period to lead discussion on the readings. Students should 
prepare a short presentation (10 minutes) on the background of the author and the context of the 
source. What historical periods? What genres? Who is this directed too? Students should also create 
about 5 questions to pose to the class. These questions can provoke discussions about form and genre, 
about politics, about specific passages in the text, or anything else you want to hone in on it. Please 
come see me in office hours beforehand so we can discuss your questions and approach.  
 
Discussion does not need to last the entire period, but will hopefully evoke discussion. If anyone has 
trouble with public speaking or speaking in class, please speak to me and we can discuss an alternative 
format.  
 
 
Weekly Notes (30% of your grade) 
 
Each week, students will be expected to turn in a set of notes on the readings. These notes can take 
many forms: an extended google doc, notes in a separate notebook, Evernote folders, etc. If your notes 
cannot be turned in via hard copy, please use a scanning app (dropbox, evernote etc make these) to 
scan and send in your notes. I know that note taking is a skill we all need to develop (and constantly 
hone) so we will have an annotation workshop during the first week of class. In that workshop, we will 
discuss digital vs paper annotation methods, formats for notes (cornell notes are one example), etc.  
 
A few reason for this assignments: 
1. Note taking is a skill that is often assumed. Few people will take the time to explicitly teach you 
methods for note taking, though you will need them as you continue throughout your college 
career. I want to help you with this and make sure you get something practical you can take 
away from this class.  
2. As our papers in this class focus on the readings for class, the notes you take throughout the 
semester will help you write those papers (without re-reading everything!) 
3. This isn’t meant to punish you for not reading but instead to encourage and reward you for 
keeping up with the work of the course.  
 
That said, I understand that things happen! You get two freebies (no questions asked) a semester 
(though please do find a partner to trade notes with when this happens) so that when you have a 
mid-term or paper in another class you aren’t stressed over notetaking. If you need to miss more than 
two, just talk to me first!  
 
What to Include in Your Notes: 
We will go over this in more depth during our annotation workshop, but just so you have an idea 
1. The thesis! Not only the thesis of the entire work, but any “mini-arguments” you find 
in sections or even paragraphs 
2. Important people and places. Part of taking notes in understanding when you need to 
remember these kinds of details. One off mentions are rarely needed.  
3. What kind of text is it? Is it part of an academic book? Fiction? A newspaper article? A 
song? This will help you with the context 
4. Why might I have assigned it? Even if you hated the text (it happens), how does it 
relate to our larger project in this course? 
5. What kind of sources do they use? 
 
This class will reward close reading and engagement with texts rather than a focus on larger 
assignments in an attempt to put less pressure on papers and exams. That said, I won’t be judging the 
content of your notes (as long as you have made a clear effort) but instead focusing on commenting 
and engaging with your learning. These comments are meant to be a conversation between us on the 
reading rather than a grading mechanism.  
 
 
 
Readings/Material: 
Readings will primarily be made available through canvas, ebook, or through a link. I will put copies of 
all of these books on reserve in the library. That said, I will have all course books ordered through the 
Co-Op if you do want to purchase the books. I do ask that you purchase the two novels, ​If Beale Street 
Could Talk​ by James Baldwin and ​Sing, Unburied, Sing​, Jesmyn Ward since we will be reading the two 
novels in full. These can be found relatively cheaply online as well as in some of the other indie 
bookstores in Austin. That said, if purchasing these books places an undue burden on you, please 
come speak to me!  
 
Bookstores to Check Out: 
BookWoman (Austin’s feminist bookstore, over 40 years old, great selection of literature as well as 
feminist/queer academic monographs).  
Book People (big downtown indie, very good with novels).  
 
 
Novels 
If Beale Street Could Talk​, James Baldwin  
Sing, Unburied, Sing​, Jesmyn Ward  
 
Poetry 
The Essential Etheridge Knight​, Etheridge Knight 
The Rose That Grew From Concrete​, Tupac Skakur  
 
Nonfiction Prison Writing: 
George Jackson, ​Soledad Brother: The Prison Writings of George Jackson 
Mumia Abu Jamal, ​Live From Death Row  
 
Academic Monographs and Articles 
Dan Berger, ​Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era​ (University of North 
Carolina Press, 2014). 
 
Lee Bernstein, A​ merica Is the Prison: Arts and Politics in Prison in the 1970s​ (​ University of North 
Carolina Press, 2010). 
 
Robert Chase, “​ We Are Not Slaves: Rethinking the Rise of Carceral States through the Lens of the 
Prisoners’ Rights Movement,”​ ​The Journal of American History​ 102.1 (2015), 73–86. 
 
Dylan Rodríguez, ​Forced Passages: Imprisoned Radical Intellectuals and the U.S. Prison Regime 
(University of Minnesota Press, 2006). 

Mumia Abu Jamal and Marc Lamont Hill, ​The Classroom and the Cell

Films:
Free Meek​ (available on Amazon Prime)
13th​ (Netflix)

 
Course Schedule  
 
W August 26th: Syllabus Day 
What’s in a syllabus? Syllabus annotation and overview.  
 
F August 28th: Pedagogy and Annotation 
Paulo Friere, Ch 2, ​Pedagogy of the Oppressed​ (banking concept of education) 
Annotation workshop (in class) 
 
Theorizing the Prison 
 
M August 31st: Prison Abolition 
Angela Davis, A ​ re Prisons Obsolete?  
selections​ from Michel Foucault, D ​ iscipline and Punish  
Michel-Ralph Trouillot, S​ ilencing the Past​, Ch. 1: Pages 1 -31  
 
W September 2nd:  
chapter from Michelle Alexander, T ​ he New Jim Crow 
abolition sheet from C ​ ritical Resistance 
Watch 1​ 3th​ Documentary  
 
F September 4th:  
Chapter 1 in Dylan Rodríguez, ​Forced Passages: Imprisoned Radical Intellectuals and the U.S. 
Prison Regime​ (University of Minnesota Press, 2006). 
 
M: September 7th. Labor Day 
Celebrate the radical acts of laborers today!  
 
W: September 9th: Slavery, Convict Lease, and Incarceration 
selections from Oshinsky, ​Worse Than Slavery 
selection on the Slavery/Incarceration comparison TBD 
 
 
F: September 11th Music in Southern Prisons 
listen to some of these recordings 
http://research.culturalequity.org/get-audio-ix.do?ix=recording&id=10268&idType=sessionId&sort
By=abc 
ANTHRO AND WHITENESS TBD  
https://soundstudiesblog.com/2015/04/09/the-problem-of-alan-lomax-or-the-necessity-of-tal
king-politics-during-the-lomax-year/ 
 
M: September 14th 
only video recording of Leadbelly 
http://www.openculture.com/2013/01/only_known_footage_of_lead_belly.html 
reading on performance and lomax, TBD 
Johnny Cash Performance  
 
W: September 16th  
Seth C. Bruggeman; “Reforming the Carceral Past: Eastern State Penitentiary and the  
Challenge of the Twenty-First-Century Prison Museum.” R ​ adical History Review​ 1 May 
2012; 2012 (113): 171–186. 
 
Heather Ann Thompson “​ Blinded by the Barbaric South”​ (​The Myth of Southern  
Exceptionalism​, 75-95) 
 
Prisoner Rights are Civil Rights 
 
F: September 18th 
Martin Luther King Junior, ​Letter from a Birmingham Jail 
Selections from Dan Berger, C ​ aptive Nation​. 
 
M: September 21st 
Selections from George Jackson, ​Soledad Brother 
 Eldridge Cleaver: "On Becoming," ​Soul on Ice​ (1968) 
Selection from the A
​ utobiography of Malcolm X 
 
W: September 23rd: Black Women Radicals and Incarceration 
Selections from Assata Shakur, ​Assata​ (on childbirth etc) 
Selections from Angela Davis an autobiography 
Angela Davis: "Rape, Racism, and the Myth of the Black Rapist," ​Women, Race, and Class 
(1983). 
 
F: September 25th: Black Women in Prison  
Selection from Megan Sweeney, ​Reading is My Window 
Selections from ​Wall Tappings​ anthology  
Chapter from K ​ illing the Black Body 
 
 
M: September 27th The Black Arts Movement 
Introduction to Lee Bernstein’s, ​America is the Prison 
Bernstein, “Prison Writers and the Black Arts Movement,” (297-316) in N ​ ew Thoughts on the  
Black Arts Movement  
 
W: September 29th: Black Arts Poetry 
select poems, T​ he Essential Etheridge Knight 
“Prison Blues: Literary Activism and a Poetry of Resistance”​ from Carol Boyce Davies, L
​ eft of 
Karl Marx (​ 99-130) 
 
F: October 1st:  
Selections Leonard Peitier, ​Prison Writings: My Life in Sundance  
 
Monday October 4th:  
TBD reading on incarceration in indigenous communities  
 
W October 6th 
If Beale Street Could Talk​, James Baldwin Baldwin 
 
F: October 8th 
If Beale Street Could Talk​, James Baldwin 
 
M: October 11th 
If Beale Street Could Talk​, James Baldwin 
 Plastas, Melinda, and Eve Allegra Raimon. "Brutality and Brotherhood: James Baldwin and
Prison Sexuality." ​African American Review​ 46, no. 4 (2013): 687-99.  
 
W: October 13th 
“New Poll Shows Mass Incarceration is a Latinx Issue”  
 
Read Jimmy Sanitago Baca, selected poems from ​Immigrants in Our Own Land 
 
F: October 15th 
Robert Chase, “​ Cell Taught, Self Taught: The Chicano Movement Behind Bars-Urban 
Chicanos, Rural Prisons, and the Prisoners Rights Movement”​ Journal of Urban History, 2015 
 
Michelle Joan Wilkerson, “To Make a Poet Black: Canonizing Puerto Rican Poets in the Black 
Arts Movement” in N ​ ew Thoughts on the Black Arts Movement​ (317-332) 
 
 
M: October 18th 
Oboler, S. “Viviendo En El Olvido”: Behind Bars, Latinos and Prison.”​Latino Studies​ 6, 1–10 
(2008).  
 
W: October 20th 
Selections from Reginald Dwayne Betts, ​Bastards of the Reagan Era  
Chapter from Michelle Alexander, T ​ he New Jim Crow 
 
F: October 22nd 
Listen and watch video for N.W.A “Fuck the Police” 
Listen and watch video of Ice T “Cop Killer”  
Chapter from Tricia Rose,​ Black Noise 
 
M: October 25th 
Read Tupac Shakur, ​The Rose that Grew from Concrete 
 
W: October 27th  
Nicole R. Fleetwood; “Posing in Prison: Family Photographs, Emotional Labor, and Carceral 
Intimacy.” ​Public Culture​ 1 September 2015; 27 (3 (77)): 487–511. 
Interview with Fleetwood 
 
 
F: October 29th  
 Explore the Inside Books Project Omeka ​https://insidebooksarchive.omeka.net/​. Make sure 
you can talk about two pieces that excite/confuse/unsettle you.  
 
M: November 1st 
Selections from Mumia Abu-Jamal and Marc Lamont Hill, ​The Classroom and the Cell  
 
W: November 3nd 
Selections from Albert Woodfox’s, ​Solitary 
 
F: November 5rd  
 
M: November 8th 
Read​ Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing 
 
W: November 10th  
Read ​Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied Sing 
 
F: November 12th  
Read ​Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing  
 
M: November 15th 
Read ​Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing 
 
W: November 17th  
Read ​Jesmyn Ward, Sing Unburied Sing 
 
F: November 19th 
Read ​Jesmyn Ward Sing Unburied Sing 
 
M: November 23nd  
Watch Part 1 of ​Free Meek​ Documentary  
 
W. November 25th 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING  
 
F: November 27th THANKSGIVING BREAK 
 
 
 
M: November 30th  
 
Kimberly O'Donnell, “​ The Radical Importance of Writing Letters to Trans People in Prison,”  
Dazed, February 12, 2019. 
 
Read ​Imprisoned Pride 
 
W: December 2nd  
Read ​A Queer Prisoners Anthology 
 
F: December 4th 
 
M: December 7th 
LAST DAY OF CLASS YOU HAVE MADE IT