The People's U: Black TV Comics

post-class info

2008-08-20T21:52:00.002-05:00

This website will be available at least until the end of September, 2008, and will probably be up until the end of the year. You can also email me with any questions or comments. Thanks for great discussions!

Space Traders info

2008-08-20T21:43:00.008-05:00

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information about Cosmic Slop, the series that featured Space Traders. The film was based on the short story "The Space Traders," from Derrick Bell's Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism. Below you can watch the first 10 minutes of the 30-minute film.

Space Traders (partial video)

2008-08-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Black political leadership

2008-08-20T21:38:00.001-05:00

The New York Times has posted a long article on Black political leadership: "Is Obama the End of Black Politics?" The article can also be downloaded.

video search sites

2008-08-20T21:29:00.008-05:00

The following sites are good for searching for TV shows by Black comics:

YouTube

Truveo

Metacafe

Hulu

Chappelle's Show: More Reparations 2003

2008-08-20T21:28:00.001-05:00

Chappelle's Show: Reparations 2003

2008-08-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

The Boondocks: Return of the King

2008-08-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Richard Pryor Show: Egypt, 1909

2008-08-20T21:22:00.001-05:00

August 20 class

2008-08-19T20:38:00.002-05:00

In the August 20 class (tomorrow!) we'll have time to view videos that participants bring in. Choose short (5 minutes or so) skits or sections.

August 13 videos

2008-08-13T22:34:00.002-05:00

In posts below are some of the videos shown in class (I could not find online versions of all). Note that The Flip Wilson Show skit was one that I would have shown at the of class if time had permitted.

See also the post about an optional reading.

Richard Pryor Show: 40th President

2008-08-13T22:22:00.002-05:00

Richard Pryor Show: Star Wars

2008-08-13T22:22:00.001-05:00

Flip Wilson Show: Geraldine interviewed by David Frost

2008-08-13T22:17:00.001-05:00

Chappelle's Show: Black Bush

2008-08-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

optional reading

2008-08-13T22:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight I read aloud the first paragraph from Bambi Haggins' Laughing Mad. I've posted all of chapter 1 as an optional reading. NOTE: this is a large file, so it may take some time to download.

Chappelle on Obama

2008-08-06T22:49:00.005-05:00

At the end of the August 6 class a question was posed about Barack Obama's racial identity. If Dave Chappelle were still doing Chappelle's Show, how would he characterize Obama's identity? More specifically, what type of skit would he produce?

P.S. See other August 6 posts below for the "Racial Draft" skit, and a portion of "White People Dancing." I could not find the complete WPD sketch online; if anyone else can let me know!

Chappelle's Show: White People Dancing (partial clip)

2008-08-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

Chappelle's Show: Racial Draft

2008-08-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2008-08-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

optional readings

2008-08-06T21:29:00.005-05:00

For more information about the "sociological imagination," check out an excerpt from C. Wright Mills' book The Sociological Imagination.

You may also be interested in a Star-Tribune article about movie stereotypes. These same stereotypes also appear in TV, don't they?

syllabus

2008-08-03T16:55:00.001-05:00

The course syllabus can be downloaded by clicking here.

welcome!

2008-08-03T16:16:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the course site for "Your Television Will Be Colorized: Black TV Comics' Riffs on Race," a class in the August 2008 session of The People's University at the Minneapolis Central Library. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts on this site.