Introductory Courses
105. Introduction to African
Studies. (4). (SS).
Contemporary Africa has certain striking cultural, social, political, and economic characteristics. These characteristics
range from cultural diversity and creativity, colonially-created
national boundaries, high rates of population growth, and economic
underdevelopment to passion for development and political stability.
This course is designed to address the basic question: Why and how did African countries acquire these characteristics? We will
seek to provide, in a broad and wide-ranging survey, a coherent
explanation for the transformation of African cultures, societies, politics, and economies, in relation to internal developments
and to the effects of external forces. Special emphasis will be
placed on major historical and social processes and their relation
with one another. The historical evolution of Africa will be traced, but this will be done as a means of shedding light on the conditions
and circumstances of contemporary Africa. The underlying approach
is to seek to integrate whatever is known of the pre-colonial
and colonial past (as revealed by archaeology, anthropology, history, etc.) with an understanding of post-colonial societies
and politics. Cost:2
WL:4 (Twumasi)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Historical Perspectives
231/Hist. 275. Survey of
Afro-American History, II. (3). (SS).
This course is a study of the history and culture of African
Americans from the Civil War to the present. We will be particularly
concerned with community development and political struggle to
understand the ways African Americans shaped their own lives and the history and culture of the United States. We also will trace the development and centrality of race as an ideology and racism
as a practice in the United States after the legal end of slavery.
Cost:2 WL:4 (Theoharis)
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Times, Location, and Availability
448/Hist. 448. Africa Since
1850. (3). (SS).
See History 448. (Hunt)
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Times, Location, and Availability
533/Amer. Cult. 533/Hist.
572. Black Civil Rights from 1900. (3). (Excl).
See History 572. (Theoharis)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Politics, Economics, and Development
425. Politics of Black Movements
in America. (3). (Excl).
This course analyzes several Black protest movements of the
20th century. 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? Cost:3
WL:4 (Countryman)
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Times, Location, and Availability
453. Culture, Class, and Conflict in Southern Africa. (3). (Excl).
Issues of culture, class, and political conflict will be
addressed in the context of the rise of settler regimes and apartheid
and their pervasive influence on different Southern African societies
at different time periods. Through novels and autobiographical
writings by Southern Africans we will examine the complex questions
raised by the impact of settler regimes, industrialization and urbanization, wage work, and Western-type education on the social, family, religious, and philosophical systems that were worked
out within historical African cultures. Each week we will discuss
one of these writings, focusing in particular on how each author
approaches and presents these issues. Writers to be discussed
include Alex la Guma, Ellen Kuzwayo, Mongane Serote, Alan Paton, and Nadine Gordimer. Final grades will be based on participation
and discussion as well as on a number of term papers. No previous
work in African studies is required, but seniors and juniors are
particularly encouraged to register. Cost:3
WL:2 (Twumasi)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Literature and the Arts
341/Theatre 222. Introduction
to Black Theatre. (3). (HU).
See Theatre and Drama 222.
(Dickerson)
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Times, Location, and Availability
348/Dance 358. Dance in
Culture: Origins of Jazz Dance. (3). (Excl).
This class is an exploration of the origins of jazz dance through movement, as it relates to African-American vernacular
dance, the African Diaspora, and American culture as a whole, placing African-American vernacular dance right at its center
and providing a broader understanding of the influence of African-American
dance and its legacy within 20th-century concert dance. Starting
from the early dances of enslaved Africans in the Americas to the present, this course investigates the relationship of African-American
vernacular dance to jazz dance forms. Its focus in this context
is the influence of African-American vernacular dance and the
identification of specific movement motifs and concepts, such
as rhythm, improvisation, theme, syncopation, balanced asymmetry, and body carriage, as a clear retention of African culture and rooted deeply in the African aesthetic, as evidenced in the work
of George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, and Jack
Cole. It will identify the commonalities of movement and aesthetics
of both, as well as the sociocultural conditions that contributed
to their creation and influence in American dance and culture.
The course utilizes movement sequences, as well as lecture, group
discussion, supplemental readings, and film and video components, to provide both an experiential and theoretical understanding
of these concepts. Class will also incorporate improvisation as
an essential element through the class, as a basic concept in
all African Diasporic forms. Course requirements: Studio participation
and regular attendance at all lectures; reading assignments; take-home
midterm; midterm choreographic phrase; final research project, and final choreographic phrase. This course is intended for dance
majors, CAAS students, and the wider university community. Two
meetings a week, 1.5 hours per session, in a format mixing lab
with lecture and discussion. (Wilson)
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Times, Location, and Availability
361. Comparative Black Art.
CAAS 360. (3). (Excl).
This course is a continuation of AAS 360, an accelerated
course which provides an interdisciplinary overview of Afro-American
culture and art. AAS 361 develops further information and dialogue
for a closer examination of the interrelationship of the arts, and of how they influence and are influenced by society. The approach
continues to be interdisciplinary, and Afrocentric. The Afro-American
cultural experience and its various forms of existence and encounters
are brought under close scrutiny in a variety of contexts: these
will range from the historical and political to the philosophical, the religious, and the aesthetic. In the process, this course
also examines the relationship of West African cultures to both
South and North American insistencies. The course also recognizes
and will examine the controversies surrounding the impact of the
Afrocentric aesthetic on Western culture and lifestyles. Slides, films, and guest appearances will supplement lectures. But this
course is also designed to be interactive and communal and to
create opportunities for students to strengthen their skills and establish a clearer, more substantial concept of identity, focus, and direction. Cost:1
WL:4 (Lockard)
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Times, Location, and Availability
370/Hist. of Art 350. Special
Topics in African American Art. CAAS 108 and 214.
(3). (Excl).
See History of Art 350.
(Patton)
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Times, Location, and Availability
380/Hist. of Art 360. Special
Topics in African Art. CAAS 108 or 214. (3). (Excl).
See History of Art 360.
(Quarcoopome)
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Times, Location, and Availability
384(406)/Engl. 384/Amer.
Cult. 406. Topics in Caribbean Literature. (3). (Excl).
May be repeated for a total of six credits.
See English 384. (Gikandi)
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Times, Location, and Availability
400/MHM 457. The Music of
Black Americans. Music background preferred. Undergraduates
only. (3). (HU).
See Music History 457.
(Jackson)
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Times, Location, and Availability
440/Film-Video 440. African
Cinema. (3). (Excl). Laboratory fee ($35) required.
This course will provide a critical and interdisciplinary
look at the development of African cinema from its inception in the 1960's to the present. In looking at this period, we will
move from the sociopolitical upheavals of late colonialism to the recent phase of introspection and diversification. The relationship
of cinematic practices to transformations in the social and economic
sphere will be examined, as well as the creation of distinctively
African film styles based on oral traditions. In pursuing these
topics, we will consider the impact of technology, history and culture, ties to the cinema of other developing nations, and co-productions.
The films to be screened include: Halfaquine (Tunisia), Angano...Angano (Madagascar), Xala (Senegal), Sambizanga (Mozambique), Sankofa (Ethiopia), Guimba (Mali), and Yaaba (Burkina Faso). Written
assignments, midterm and final paper are required. Cost:2
WL:1 (Ukadike)
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Times, Location, and Availability
464/MHM 464. Music of the
Caribbean. (3). (HU).
Section 001 – Caribbean Music and Identity. In the Caribbean, a land distinguished by migration and displacement, the concept
of nation and identity assumes tremendous importance. This course
will examine invented and re-invented identities and traditions
as celebrated in the music of Caribbean people. Musics highlighted
include those from the Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad, Grenada, Surinam, Martinique, Antigua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto
Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. A combination of lectures and class discussions
will uncover a Caribbean ethos based on the generation of new
myths and revisions of old, with music revealed as primary indicator
for both. Students are encouraged, in their written projects, to explore issues involving musical ideation, discovery, and decision-making
in a select Caribbean area. Cost:2
(de Jong)
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Times, Location, and Availability
465. Dynamics of Afro-American
Music. Junior standing. (3). (Excl).
Section 001 – Beyond Bebop: Black Music of the 1960s. The
1960s introduced new directions in jazz, establishing musical
styles that metaphorically reflected the world turmoil from which they emerged. This lecture/discussion course surveys the jazz
music from the late 1950s to the present, carefully examining
it within its surrounding social and political contexts. Throughout the term, we will trace the contemporary legacies of several jazz
instruments. We will explore how the bebop lines of Miles Davis
became the inspiration for trumpeters Lester Bowie and Don Cherry, and how John Coltrane paved the way for such saxophonists as Dewey
Redman and Joseph Jarman. We also will discuss the problems of
listening to avant-garde jazz, using this course to train our
ears so to better understand the musicians' intents and conscious
expansions of musical form and style. Students are encouraged
in their written projects to trace the legacy of a chosen instrument, presenting portions to the class at the end of term. Cost:1
WL:1 (de Jong)
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Times, Location, and Availability
489/English 479. Topics
in Afro-American Literature. CAAS 274 and/or 338
strongly recommended. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total
of six credits.
See English 479. (Zafar)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Individual Behavior, Cultural Systems, and Social Organization
241/WS 231. Women of Color
and Feminism. (3). (Excl).
See Women's Studies 231.
(Green)
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Times, Location, and Availability
303/Soc. 303. Race and Ethnic
Relations. An introductory course in Sociology or
CAAS. (4). (SS). (This course meets the Race and Ethnicity Requirement).
See Sociology 303. (Bonilla-Silva)
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Times, Location, and Availability
326. The Black American
Family. (3). (SS).
In this course, theoretical and empirical approaches to the
study of African-American families are explored and critiqued.
We will examine the structural features of these families in today's
American society and assess the role of historic, economic, and other systemic factors as determinants of such structures. Attention
will be given to interactional patterns in African-American families
with the aim of identifying models that account for their strengths
and resilience. Finally, current topical issues affecting the
African-African families, such as, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, and welfare dependency will be addressed. Cost:2
WL:4 (Wilson)
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Times, Location, and Availability
335/Rel. 310. Religion in the Afro-American Experience. (3). (HU).
See Religion 310. (Miles)
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Times, Location, and Availability
422/Anthro. 411. African
Culture. Junior standing. (3). (Excl).
See Cultural Anthropology
411. (Owusu)
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Times, Location, and Availability
434/Soc. 434. Social Organization
of Black Communities. (3). (Excl).
See Sociology 434. (Young)
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Times, Location, and Availability
452. Education of the Black
Child. (3). (Excl).
This course deals with overlooked but crucial questions related
to the education of Black children in the United States. The area
of primary concern will be public schooling, and the emphasis
will be laid on analyzing the social, cultural, political, and economic forces which act to influence the learning experiences
of Black children. This course will thus consider, on the one
hand, the theoretical framing of ideas about the growth, development, and learning of children in different life settings and styles, and, on the other, the existing structural, socio-political attempts
to find ways and means of relating the philosophy and objectives
of public education to the needs of Black children. In the process, this course examines the defects of present-day educational theories
which are based on empirical data drawn from studies of less than
1% of the population. The course will test for the applicability
and generalizability of such data to other population groups, examine their implications for different cultural systems, and assess what is thus contributed to cognitive variation and performance
and competence in the learning process. Cost:2
WL:4 (Wagaw)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Independent Study and Special Topics
103. First Year Social Science
Seminar. (3). (SS).
Section 001 – Family and Conflict in African Society. This
course provides an introduction to themes of generational conflict
and changing gender roles through careful reading and analysis
of Nigerian and Zimbabwean literature. The novels – two by Nigerian
authors and two by Zimbabwean authors – are examined in their
historical context, with students reading and discussing supplemental
selections from anthropology, sociology, and history. Each of these novels presents "coming of age" narratives where
individuals and families must confront dramatic tests that often
pit the younger generation against their parents and individuals
against the weight of family traditions. There will be frequent
writing assignments, a term paper, and exams. No prerequisites.
Cost:1 WL:1 (Scarnecchia)
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Times, Location, and Availability
358. Topics in Black World
Studies. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total
of six credits.
Section 002 – The Politics of Culture in Africa. The course
begins with an examination of the very assumption of "a politics
of culture," looking at a scattering of examples and some theoretical writing. The course will then move more closely into
a microhistorical mode to examine specific instances or cases
and to see what more general perspectives might be drawn from the cases. There is an opportunity, as well, to move back and forth between the examination of specific cases and consideration
of the tensions appearing within the fields or disciplines of
anthropology and history, historical anthropology, art history, literary studies, philosophy, but also microhistory and cultural
studies. There is also an opportunity to draw understandings of the extraordinary, tumultuous, history of Africa in the twentieth
century through an examination of range of debates regarding culture
and the standing of concepts of culture. Cost:2
WL:1 (Cohen)
Section 003 – Community Research Practicum. For Winter
Term, 1998, this section is offered jointly with Psychology
305.003. (Barbarin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
410. Supervised Reading
and Research. Permission of instructor. (1-6). (Excl).
(INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit with permission of the
concentration advisor.
For students who can show appropriate preparation in courses
previously taken, the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies
offers course credit for independent study. A full-time faculty
member must agree to supervise the undertaking and to meet with the student during the term. The proposed course of study may
not duplicate the material of any course regularly offered by the Center. The reading and writing requirement should be comparable
to that required in a regular course for the same number of credits;
and all the work must be completed by the final day of class in the term. After consultation with and approval from a CAAS faculty
member, applications for independent study along with statements
describing the schedule of readings and of writing assignments
must be filled out. Such applications must be signed by the faculty
member involved and turned in before the end of the second week
of the term. It is therefore advisable to submit applications
(available in 200 West Hall) in advance of the beginning of the
independent study term and, upon approval, an electronic override
will be issued.
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Times, Location, and Availability
455. Seminar on Project and Research Planning. Upperclass standing. (3). (Excl).
A seminar for juniors and seniors working on Honors theses
in Afroamerican and African Studies. Fundamental research methods, strategies, and resources are introduced and applied to the students'
projects. Participants meet to discuss and present their work
to the seminar. Permission of instructor required. Cost:1
WL:4 (Twumasi)
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Times, Location, and Availability
458. Issues in Black World
Studies. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total
of six credits.
Section 001 – Empowering African American Families and Communities.
For Winter Term, 1998, this section is offered jointly with Psychology 470.002. (Mattis)
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Times, Location, and Availability
490. Special Topics in Black
World Studies. Junior standing. (1-2). (Excl). May
be repeated for a total of six credits.
Section 001 – Racial and Cultural Identity in British Film. (1
credit). For Winter Term, 1998, this section is offered jointly
with Humanities Institute 411.004.
(Onwurah)
Section 002 – Suzan-Lori Parks. (1 credit). Meets Jan 23-Feb.20. Suzan-Lori Parks is a playwright and screenwriter. She is author of "Girl 6," "Venus," "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World," "Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom," and other works. At the 1996 Black Theater Network Awards Luncheon at which Parks received an award for innovation in theatre, the following exchange took place: "Moderator: 'George [C. Wolfe], tell Suzan-Lori how much we love her work and how much we want her to keep on writing. We don't necessarily understand what she's writing, but we want her to continue to do so anyhow.' Audience: (great laughter from the audience)." In this 5 week mini-course we will attempt to gain a better "understand[ing]" of the work of Suzan-Lori Parks. Be prepared to prepare oral in-class readings of selected plays studied in the course. Cost:1 WL:4 (Splawn)
Section 003 – Black Counterpublics: Theory, History, &
Practice. (1 credit). Meets March 13-April 10. This seminar
introduces the concepts of "counterpublics," "subaltern
publics," and "multiple publics" and applies them
to analyzing examples of Black publics (mainly in the United States)
from the era of slavery up to the present. We will examine how the "official" public sphere excludes people on the
basis of race, class, and gender (as expressed through language, repertoires of communication, and styles of collective action), as well as how specific Black communities have created their own
spaces of association and political communication. Examples will
be drawn from three historical moments: Black women's participation
in religious publics in the post-emancipation period; the relationship
between 'hidden transcripts' and public resistance during the
civil rights movement; and the questions raised by contemporary
Black intellectuals in analyzing popular music and expressive
cultures. We will also consider questions of boundaries, diasporas, and the construction of national vs. transnational identities.
Cost:2 WL:4
(Sheller)
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Times, Location, and Availability
510. Supervised Research.
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.
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Times, Location, and Availability
595/Hist. 595. Topics in
African History. (3). (Excl).
See History 595. (Scarnecchia
)
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Times, Location, and Availability
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