Courses in Afroamerican and African Studies (Division 311)

CAAS 100. Introduction to Afro-American Studies.

(Introductory Courses)

(4). (SS).

This course provides an interdisciplinary overview and introduction to the area of Afro-American Studies. Historical, political, sociocultural, and behavioral perspectives are brought to bear on the analysis of the Black American experience. Specifically, the course intends to (1) Introduce students to the corpus of knowledge characteristic of the Afro-American Studies disciplinary perspective; (2) Consider salient issues, debates and critiques in the area; (3) Survey the Black American experience with emphasis on current social, political, and economic developments; and (4) Encourage the development of greater insight into the Black American experience.

CAAS 103. First Year Social Science Seminar.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Only first-year students, including those with sophomore standing, may pre-register for First-Year Seminars. All others need permission of instructor. (3). (SS).

This seminar introduces first-year students to the intellectual community of social scientists working in the field of Afroamerican and African studies. The topic of the seminar varies term to term.

CAAS 104. First Year Humanities Seminar.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Only first-year students, including those with sophomore standing, may pre-register for First-Year Seminars. All others need permission of instructor. (3). (HU).

This seminar introduces first-year students to the intellectual community of humanities scholars working in the field of Afroamerican and African studies. The topic of the seminar varies term to term.

CAAS 105. Introduction to African Studies.

(Introductory Courses)

(4; 2 in the half-term). (SS).

An interdisciplinary introduction to the history and cultures of Africa. The course surveys Africa's prehistoric past, the rise and development of early African states, and African achievements from the medieval period to the present. Throughout, attention is given to changing perspectives and approaches in the field of African Studies.

CAAS 108/Hist. of Art 108. Introduction to African Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

(4). (HU).

Building on a concept developed by Rubin in his ART AS TECHNOLOGY, (ed. by Zana Pearlstone) the study seeks to demonstrate the relationship between art production, on the one hand, and environmental and cultural factors, on the other hand.

CAAS 200. Issues in Afro-Caribbean Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

CAAS 100 recommended. (3). (Excl).

An introductory course focusing on key issues in Afro-Caribbean studies. The specific topic is determined by the instructor.

CAAS 203. Issues in Afro-American Development.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (SS).

An inter-disciplinary course concerned with issues currently critical to the development of the Black community along various dimensions, including the economic, political, social and educational aspects.

CAAS 204. Cultural History of Afro-America.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl).

A survey course on the cultural traditions of the Black experience in America. The course treats Black literature, religion, philosophy, music, theatre, and art as well as the social psychology behind these expressions as they emerge out of the Black response to American conditions.

CAAS 206. Issues in African Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

(3). (Excl).

An introductory course focusing on key issues in African Studies. The specific topic is determined by the instructor.

CAAS 214/Hist. of Art 214. Introduction to African-American Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl).

Serves as a support course for students in American art and culture studies and as a foundation course for studies in African American and Africana studies. Lecture course, using traditional methodology of the discipline, and includes class discussion and slides to survey art by African Americans, covering the mid-19th century to the present.

CAAS 230/Hist. 274. Survey of Afro-American History I.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (SS).

A survey of the events, patterns, ideologies and cosmologies in Black history from the sixteenth century in West Africa to the end of the American Civil War.

CAAS 231/Hist. 275. Survey of Afro-American History, II.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (SS).

Continuation of CAAS 230. 1865 to present.

CAAS 241/WS 231. Women of Color and Feminism.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (Excl).

Provides an exposure to the main feminist issues confronting women of color by comparing women of color communities and their feminisms.

CAAS 274/English 274. Introduction to Afro-American Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

By surveying poetry, narratives – fictive and autobiographical – prose essays, and drama produced by Black writers over the course of their presence in America, we attempt to investigate the nature of these authors' imaginative responses to Afro-American peoples' situation in a society simultaneously both hostile to and keenly dependent upon their presence.

CAAS 303/Soc. 303. Race and Ethnic Relations.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

An introductory course in sociology or CAAS. (4; 3 in the half-term). (SS). (R&E).

This course examines the history and problems that racial minorities have faced in the U.S. by surveying the experiences of groups such as African Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Native Americans, and Asians. The social history of the groups is discussed as well as the social problems confronting it.

CAAS 321/Sociology 323. African American Social Thought.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (SS).

This course seeks to understand, interpret, and critique different schools of social thought on the social condition and social character of African Americans.

CAAS 322/NR&E 335. Introduction to Environmental Politics: Race, Class, and Gender.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(4; 3 in the half-term). (SS).

Analyzes the role of race, gender and class in defining environmental issues and environmental action.

CAAS 326. The Black American Family.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (SS).

This course examines the historical and contemporary structure and functioning of Black families in America. Emphasis is placed on understanding and the survival mechanisms which developed and persisted in adverse circumstances.

CAAS 327/Psych. 315. Psychological Aspects of the Black Experience.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

One course in psychology or Afroamerican and African Studies. (3). (SS).

An examination of the unique and consistent patterns in attitudes of Black Americans toward themselves and the external community. Emphasis is placed on age-sex-status differences and on temporal changes. Attention is directed toward causes and consequences for individuals and for the larger group.

CAAS 329. African American Leadership.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (Excl).

Focuses on the methods used to study African American leaders, the process which gives rise to leaders, the context in which they act, the nature of the followership, and the responses of the state.

CAAS 331/Psych. 316. The World of the Black Child.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

One course in psychology or Afroamerican and African Studies. (3). (Excl).

An analysis of the socio-cultural and institutional forces which influence the socialization and development of Black children; examines the child's perception of these forces and implications for the educational experience.

CAAS 333. Perspectives in Afro-American History.

(Historical Perspectives)

(4; 3 in the half-term). (Excl).

A seminar-like course emphasizing a theoretical approach to Black historical inquiry. An attempt is made to group the meaning and implications of various developments in Black history.

CAAS 334/Hist. 365/Amer. Cult. 336. Popular Culture in Contemporary Black America.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (HU).

Through an examination of popular culture, this course critically reassesses the relationship between Black politics and cultural forms emerging from within African-American communities, the commodification of those forms, and representation of Black images in mass media. Beginning with post war jazz, we explore the African-American roots of rock and roll, the development of blaxploitation films, and the shifting, ideological meaning of hair and dress styles.

CAAS 335/Rel. 310. Religion in the Afro-American Experience.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (HU).

This course studies religion as a major force in the life of the Black community. Religion has not only provided a sense of direction and a positive hope for Black people, it has also provided a philosophical basis for much of the social action of the community.

CAAS 336/Hist. 336/WS 336. Black Women in America.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (SS).

This course examines the condition of Black women in America from an historical and contemporary perspective. The main theme of the course is the peculiarity of the social, economic, and political situation of Black women, in comparison to African American males and white American males and females.

CAAS 338/English 320. Literature in Afro-American Culture.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (HU).

This course is designed to examine the various ways in which literature and culture have interacted in the Afro-American experience of the New World. Shifting emphases shed light on a variety of issues: slave autobiography, frontier and colonial cultures, women's issues, and contemporary or popular narratives.

CAAS 340/Amer. Cult. 340. A History of Blacks in American Film.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl). Laboratory fee ($15) required.

A history of the portrayal of Blacks in American films between 1915 and 1970, with special emphasis on the relationship of Black and American popular culture.

CAAS 341/Theatre 222. Introduction to Black Theatre.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

A beginning course in Black theatre, acquainting students with origins, developments, current trends and the significant contributions of African-Americans to the theatre of Western civilization and to the theatre of Black America.

CAAS 342/Theatre 233. Acting and the Black Experience.

(Literature and the Arts)

Permission of instructor (brief interview). (3). (HU).

An introductory acting course approached from a consideration of African-American dramatic themes and topics, using primarily texts from African-American playwrights.

CAAS 348/Dance 358 (Music). Dance in Culture: Origins of Jazz Dance.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl).

An exploration of jazz dance through movement, as it relates to African-American vernacular dance, the African diaspora, and American culture as a whole.

CAAS 355/History 355. Health and Illness in African Worlds.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (Excl).

Changes in disease, epidemiology, and health and healing practices in African continental and Atlantic worlds from the fifteenth century, as Africans encountered new forms of medicine, slavery, colonialism, epidemic, famine, and war. Designed for concentrators in History and Afroamerican and African Studies and/or students seeking careers in medicine, public health, and medical anthropology.

CAAS 357/Econ. 357. Economic History of African-Americans.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (SS).

This course covers the economic history of Africans in America from the 15th century to the present, with emphasis placed on the historical roots of contemporary African-American life.

CAAS 358. Topics in Black World Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

Selected topics in Black World Studies which focus on introduction to Africa, to the Caribbean, to North America, and to South America. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in the current Time Schedule.

CAAS 360. Afro-American Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (HU).

A description and analysis of the origins, nature, and legitimacy of Black American art. Discussion of relationship of Black art to other aspects of Black cultures. Attention is given to African origins, transition to America, the impact of slavery, and the Harlem Renaissance as background to understanding contemporary American art.

CAAS 361. Comparative Black Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 360. (3). (Excl).

Black American art compared to its parent African art and to other art forms in the African diaspora. Attention is given in particular to the art of Brazil and Haiti.

CAAS 370/Hist. of Art 350. Special Topics in African American Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 108 and 214. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Lecture course focus on a theme, topic, media, or subject. Artists, aesthetics, cultural contexts, style are reviewed and discussed.

CAAS 380/Hist. of Art 360. Special Topics in African Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 108 or 214. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

This course is designed to address in-depth, narrow-focused or comparative treatments of topics that are corollary to the regular African Art courses.

CAAS 384/Engl. 384/Amer. Cult. 406. Topics in Caribbean Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

The course considers a range of topics in the study of Caribbean literature. It raises questions concerning the canon of texts to be studied, the cultural construction of Caribbean literature, race, and ethnicity.

CAAS 385/Engl. 385. Topics in African Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (HU). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

This course considers a range of topics in the study of African literature. It raises questions concerning the canon of texts studied, the cultural construction of African literature, race and ethnicity.

CAAS 394. Junior Seminar.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Upperclass standing or permission of instructor. (4). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of eight credits.

An intensive seminar on specialized topics in Afroamerican, African, and/or Caribbean Studies.

CAAS 400/MHM 457. The Musics of African Americans.

(Literature and the Arts)

Musical background preferred. Undergraduates only. (3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

An explication of the development of the Afro-American musical traditions from African and Afro-American folk origins to Black American music in the twentieth century. Topics include blues, jazz, contemporary popular music, and art music.

CAAS 403. Education and Development in Africa.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (Excl).

Interdisciplinary course surveying the role of education and social change. Introduces the student to the key elements of the educational system and examines the impact of education on economic and political development. Tradition and reform in African education and cultural values in transition are explored.

CAAS 404/Hist. of Art 404. The Art of Africa.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl).

A broad introduction which deals with African art – masks, figures, etc. – in the context of African society.

CAAS 408. African Economies: Social and Political Settings.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(4; 3 in the half-term). (Excl).

A study of factors which contribute to current economic conditions in Africa: the problems and the potential for change, traditionalism and modernism in African economics, colonial economics, colonial economic policies. Uses case studies of representative countries.

CAAS 410. Supervised Reading and Research.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Permission of instructor. (1-6). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit with permission of the concentration advisor.

Arrangements may be made for adequately prepared students to undertake individual study under the direction of a departmental staff member. Students are provided with the proper section number by the staff member with whom the work has been arranged. Permission of the concentration advisor is required to repeat the course for credit.

CAAS 418/Poli. Sci. 419. Black Americans and the Political System.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

Two courses in political science. (3). (Excl).

Focuses on the status of Blacks in the American political system. Analyzes the capacity and the capability of the political system for negotiating the internal conflicts involving Black/white relationships.

CAAS 420/Anthro. 347. Race and Ethnicity.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

Junior standing. (3; 2 in the half-term). (SS).

A comparative analysis of race and ethnicity as social and political phenomena with emphasis on the current theoretical literature; criteria by which different peoples classify races and ethnic groups; the implications of these classifications for intergroup relations; and the study of how attitudes and values surrounding race and ethnicity have shaped contemporary world events.

CAAS 422/Anthro. 411. African Culture.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

Junior standing. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A survey of the processes and patterns of socio-cultural, political, and economic development in Africa before the period of European colonial rule.

CAAS 425. Politics of Black Movements in America.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (Excl).

This course analyzes several Black protest movements. It concerns leaders of movements, political environments, and concepts of freedom and liberation. Relevant questions are: Who joined the movements, and why? What were the costs and benefits of the movements? What were the goals of the movements? What tactics and strategies were used to realize these goals?

CAAS 426. Urban Redevelopment and Social Justice.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (SS).

An exploration of explicit and subtle connections between people, land, and power in cities. Stresses the effects of these linkages upon emerging (and ongoing) developmental efforts.

CAAS 427/Anthro. 427/WS 427. African Women.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

One course in African Studies, anthropology, or women's studies. (3). (SS).

The active roles African women play in their communities as these have changed from pre-colonial to contemporary times are discussed critically through the themes of autonomy and control of resources, esp. land, labor, income, education, and political authority.

CAAS 430. Education and Cultures of the Black World.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (SS). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

A comparative survey of education and culture of Black peoples of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides a systematic view of the dynamics and interplay of education and culture in independent nation-states as well as among minorities in multiethnic states.

CAAS 431. Topics in Black Education.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

CAAS 430 recommended. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

This course deals with special topics in Black education. It emphasizes the bases, skills, theories, and resources need to achieving educational goals in the Black world. The specific focus is determined by the instructor and listed in the current Time Schedule.

CAAS 434/Soc. 434. Social Organization of Black Communities.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (Excl).

Course analyses and interprets Black communities in the U.S. Specifically the origins and development, competing theories, unique characteristics and institutions, and contemporary problems of Black communities are to be examined.

CAAS 435/Hist. of Art 425. 20th Century African-American Art.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 214 or Hist. of Art 272. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Upper level art history lecture course examines monuments, artists, technique and works of art, symbolism within a chronological and regional framework. Various media examined in relation to American culture and history.

CAAS 439/Ling. 449. Creole Languages and Caribbean Identities.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Explorations of linguistic creolization from an historical/comparative perspective, tracing Caribbean creoles to African and European ancestors. Survey of hypotheses about Creole genesis. Examination of sociocultural ramifications of creolization. Issues of identities, misidentifications; creole speakers' attitudes toward race and the African and European components of their cultures. Comparison with African- American society.

CAAS 440/Film-Video 440. African Cinema.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl). Laboratory fee ($35) required.

A critical and interdisciplinary look at the development of African cinema from its inception in the 1960s, at the height of the sociopolitical upheavals experienced by many nations in the transition from colonialism to independence, to the recent phase of introspection and diversification.

CAAS 442/Film-Video 442. Third World Cinema.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (Excl). Laboratory fee ($35) required.

The interrelationships and disruptions between dominant cinema practices and Third World and marginal cinema on the level of aesthetics, production, economic, social and cultural history. Cinema as ideological practice; the formulation of new approaches to film practice sympathetic to the cultural specifications of the producing nations.

CAAS 444/Anthro. 414. Introduction to Caribbean Societies and Cultures, I.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

Junior standing. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A survey of the peoples and cultures of the Caribbean with emphasis on Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Guyana. Analysis of class, race relations, cultural pluralism, ethnicity, population movements, and economic development.

CAAS 446/Hist. 446. Africa to 1850.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (SS).

The course is an introduction to the peoples and cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa. It begins with a survey of the origins of man and early African civilizations and concludes with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

CAAS 448/Hist. 448. Africa Since 1850.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (SS). (R&E).

This is the second part of a two-course introduction to central themes in Sub-Saharan African history. It deals with the abolition of the slave trade, European imperialism, underdevelopment, nationalism and de-colonialization.

CAAS 449/Poli. Sci. 459. African Politics.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

Prior or concurrent study of the Third World; Poli. Sci. 465 is recommended but not required. (3). (Excl).

A comparative survey of the African states and territories, with primary emphasis on the process of decolonization, the continued dependent status of African states, obstacles to change, and alternative strategies of development.

CAAS 450. Law, Race, and the Historical Process, I.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (Excl).

This course studies the legal experience of Blacks in the U.S. from the period of colonial North America to the beginning of the modern Civil Rights era. It reviews such subjects as the law of slavery and the slave trade, the Constitution and the Black status in the antebellum period, Constitutional and legislative developments during Reconstruction and thereafter.

CAAS 451. Law, Race, and the Historical Process, II.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

CAAS 450 recommended. (3). (Excl).

This course is a continuation of Law, Race and the Historical Process I (CAAS 450). It covers the period of time from the beginnings of the modern Civil Rights movement to the present.

CAAS 452. Education of the Black Child.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (Excl).

Deals with crucial questions in the education of Black children in the United States. Emphasis is laid on theoretical frameworks of growth and on the analysis of the social, cultural, political and economic forces which act to influence the learning experiences of Black children.

CAAS 453. Culture, Class, and Conflict in Southern Africa.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (Excl).

A broad overview and detailed exploration of society, economy, and polity in Southern Africa. The major focus of the class is on conflict: its roots, its forms, and its impact. This cross-disciplinary course is concerned with both the historical background and the contemporary situation.

CAAS 454/Anthro. 453. African-American Culture.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

One introductory course in the social sciences. (3). (Excl).

This course examines the Afro-American as one example of how humans live. It places distinctive Black behavior within its social context and its history.

CAAS 455. Seminar on Project and Research Planning.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Upperclass standing. (3). (Excl).

This seminar is concerned with the design and implementation of research projects on topics relating to the African diaspora. Highly recommended for Honors students in AAS.

CAAS 457/Econ. 476. Political Economy of Black America.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

Econ. 101. (3). (Excl).

Focuses on the economic life of African Americans in the U.S., including the role of economics in the social construction of race, and the relationship between the evolution of the U.S. economy and the changing status of African Americans.

CAAS 458. Issues in Black World Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

A generally comparative study of the nature, evolution, and implications of the Black experience in Africa, North America, the Caribbean and Latin America. Specific focus is determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

CAAS 459/Anthro. 451. African-American Religion.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

One introductory course in the social sciences. (3). (Excl).

This course examines the nature of religion in the lives of humans, within the framework of culture, and as a pervasive social institution. Focus on character of religion in the history and lives of Afro-Americans.

CAAS 464/MHM 464. Music of the Caribbean.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (HU).

This course introduces the Caribbean as an area comprising many distinct cultures. The major body of the course proceeds by areas zoned musically for our purposes, and by musical type. We search for social, legislative, and economic factors that operate in favor of musical appropriation and against the continuity of individual traditional styles. Reggae, calypso, soca, pan, ritual, and European music are analyzed through their political and social implications. Theories on the aesthetics of Black music, formulated by Roger Abrahams, Henry Louis Gates and Paule Marshall form the core of the analyses.

CAAS 465. Dynamics of Afro-American Music.

(Literature and the Arts)

Junior standing. (3). (Excl).

Examines the dynamics of change in Afroamerican music, focusing on new directions in music aesthetics within their social and political contexts.

CAAS 470/Film-Video 470. Cultural Issues in Cinema.

(Literature and the Arts)

(3). (HU). Laboratory fee ($35) required.

An exploration of developments in the cross-cultural use of media – from Hollywood feature films to ethnographic documentaries, from Caribbean liberationist literature to African allegories of Colonialism, from indigenous use of film and video to Black Diasporan "oppositional" film practice.

CAAS 475/Engl. 477. Early Afro-American Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

Permission of instructor. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A study of the literature of Afro-Americans from 1773 to the 1930s with particular emphasis on the post-Reconstruction writings of Dunbar, Chesnutt, DuBois, and Johnson and on such writers of the Harlem Renaissance as McKay, Turner, Cullen, Hughes, and Thurman.

CAAS 476/Engl. 478. Contemporary Afro-American Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

Permission of instructor. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A study of literature written by Afro-Americans from World War II to the present. Wright, Yerby, Baldwin, Brooks, Hayden, Jones, Lee, and Cleaver are among the writers discussed.

CAAS 477/NR&E 477. Women and the Environment.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

Junior standing. (3). (Excl).

The course explores the relationship between women and the environment in industrialized and developing countries. It explores issues of race, social class, poverty, power, control and natural resource and abuse. Aid and international development is also analyzed in the context of women's access to resources.

CAAS 478/LACS 400/Hist. 578. Ethnicity and Culture in Latin America.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

This course explores various aspects of ethnicity and culture in Latin America and the Caribbean from historical and anthropological perspectives.

CAAS 479/Poli. Sci. 479. Political Development and Economy of Africa.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (SS).

A survey of the relations of African states with each other and with the Middle East, Western Europe, the Socialist States, North America, the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and other developing areas. Examines the participation of African states in international economic and political organizations. Problems of dependency and decolonization are also discussed.

CAAS 482/NR&E 482. Environmental Justice: Theoretical Approaches.

(Politics, Economics, and Development)

(3). (SS).

This course examines theoretical approaches that are either being used or could be applicable too environmental justice research. Students study several theories including: race relations theory, power elite theory, social movement theory, and organizational theory.

CAAS 489/English 479. Topics in Afro-American Literature.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 274 and/or 338 strongly recommended. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

Following a sequence of introductory and mid-level classes, students may elect this advanced-level seminar in Afro-American Literature. From year to year topics may include the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts movement or the Slave Narrative as well as thematic, or generic approaches.

CAAS 490. Special Topics in Black World Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Junior standing. (1-2). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

A mini-course seminar on specialized topics in Afroamerican, African, and/or Caribbean studies.

CAAS 495. Senior Seminar.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Upperclass standing or permission of instructor. (4). (Excl).

An intensive seminar on specialized topics in Afroamerican, African, and/or Caribbean Studies.

CAAS 510. Supervised Research.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (1-6). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit with permission of the concentration advisor.

Arrangements may be made for adequately prepared students to undertake individual study under the direction of a departmental staff member. Students are provided with the proper section number by the staff member with whom the work has been arranged. Permission of the concentration advisor is required to repeat the course for credit.

CAAS 521/Soc. 521. African American Intellectual Thought.

(Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization)

Senior standing. (3). (Excl).

This seminar explores the research and policy debates constructed by African American scholars on the "Negro Problem." The objective is to ascertain how these social analyses and intellectual arguments framed definitions of and solutions for the social condition of the African American community throughout the twentieth century.

CAAS 533/Amer. Cult. 533/Hist. 572. Black Civil Rights from 1900.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (Excl).

Afroamerican history as reflected in political, economic, cultural, religious, and civil rights protest movements from the 1890's to the 1960's, with a brief introductory review of the post-Reconstruction period beginning with 1877.

CAAS 558. Seminar in Black World Studies.

(Independent Study and Special Topics)

Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

An "interrogation of knowledge systems" approach to selected problem areas in the study of the Black experience in North America, Caribbean and Latin America, and in Africa. Specific area and issue are determined by instructor and indicated in current Time Schedule.

CAAS 562/Hist. of Art 560. African Art and Archaeology.

(Literature and the Arts)

CAAS 108 or 404. (3). (Excl).

This course examines the content and significance of works of art from selected archaeological sites. It reevaluates their potential as sources of historical evidence while offering critical insights into current interpretations given to their discoveries.

CAAS 595/Hist. 595. Topics in African History.

(Historical Perspectives)

(3). (Excl).

This course is meant to examine an aspect, to be designated in the section title, of topics in African history.