This course provides learners with an introduction to the history and wise teachings embedded in the sacred folksongs called spirituals, created and first sung by African peoples enslaved in in America. Following the outline of the 2023 revised edition of Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals, the course highlights some of the principal functions and teachings of the spirituals, which were created in a specific time and place (chattel slavery in North America, 18th and 19th centuries), but yet have transcended the circumstances of their origins to speak to universal issues of human dignity, freedom and justice. Teaching in the course employs lecture, discussion, recorded song samples, and communal singing (no worries, there is no musical talent required!). An optional field trip (attendance at a concert of The University of Denver Spirituals Project Choir) is highly recommended.
Required Book: Jones, Arthur. Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals (revised edition) Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2023
