Their Eyes Were Watching God Syllabus

“There is no book more important to me than this one.”—Alice Walker

One of the most important works of 20th-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston’s beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose.

The P.S. section contains two essays by Valerie Boyd, Hurston’s biographer. A short biography of Zora Neale Hurston entitled “She Was the Party,” and “A Protofeminist Postcard from Haiti” gives students candid insights into the writing of this acclaimed novel.

Example Syllabi
African American Literature: University of Michigan - Flint
American Literature: Spring Arbor University
American Novel: Sam Houston State University
Black Women Writers: Smith College
Harlem Renaissance: University of Oklahoma
History of the Image: Washington College
Introduction to Ethics: Indiana University Southeast
Learning from New Orleans: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Literature of Self Discovery: Rivier University
Teaching Literature: University of Massachusetts - Boston
The Everglades: Florida International University
Women’s Literature: University of Kentucky
Reading “Black Love”: University of Southern California