August Wilson and His American Cycle-The First Five: 1904-1957




« back to classes page
August Wilson was the first African American playwright to have a Broadway theater bear his name, a fitting tribute to a dramatist who brought African American culture and lived experience to the stage. In this course, we will read, watch, and examine the first five plays in Wilson’s American Cycle, a ten-play series representing each decade of the African American culture’s 20th century. We will explore Wilson’s life and the influences behind his work while focusing on Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Seven Guitars, tracing his powerful interpretation, celebration, and perseveration of African American culture.

Ladrica Menson-Furr
Ladrica Menson-Furr, PhD, is assistant dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor of African American literature. Menson-Furr is the author of August Wilson’s Fences and August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and has published on Zora Neale Hurston and Pearl Cleage. She has led academic programs in African American studies and served as a Provost’s Fellow and a Tennessee Board of Regents’ Maxine Smith Fellow.

Wednesdays, October 7 through November 11
  • 10/7/2026
  • 10/14/2026
  • 10/21/2026
  • 10/28/2026
  • 11/4/2026
  • 11/11/2026
4pm–5:30pm
https://vimeo.com/1172984135?fl=ml&fe=ec

Class Details

6 Session(s)
Weekly - Wed

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition:  $73.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
10/7/2026 - 11/11/2026 Weekly - Wed 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM N/A, Virtual - Any Location  Map Matt Eckstein  ; Ashley Walter 

Other Class Offerings

“Studies Show...” (Or Do They?): Under the Hood of a Scientific Study

ID: 3906

10/01/26 - 11/05/26
Weekly - Thu

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Multiple

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »

A Cosmic Grand Tour: The Realms of the Universe

ID: 3907

09/29/26 - 11/03/26
Weekly - Tue

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Multiple

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »

Apple at 50: How it Revolutionized Computing and Transformed Daily Life

ID: 3909

09/29/26 - 11/03/26
Weekly - Tue

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Multiple

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »

Art Detectives: Forgery, Provenance, and the Science of Authentication

ID: 3911

09/28/26 - 11/02/26
Weekly - Mon

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Multiple

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »

Recommended Classes