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Courses in African American and African Studies (AAS)

Lower Division Courses

10. African-American Culture and Society (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Critical examination of the historical, political, social, and economic factors that have affected the development and status of African-American people in contemporary society. GE credit: Div.—I. Harrison

12. Introduction to African Studies (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Introduction to African Studies which will focus on the various disciplinary perspectives through which African society and culture are generally studied. A survey of methods, resources and conceptual tools for the study of Africa. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.)
Adejunmobi

15. Introduction to African American Humanities (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Introduction to the humanist tradition developed by writers, philosophers, and artists of African descent in the West. Attention given to African sources, as well as European, Caribbean, Latin-American, and North American variations on this tradition. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—I. (I.) Harrison, Osumare

16. Verbal and Performance Arts in Africa (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. African verbal arts; oral texts from different African cultures. Types of critical response to oral texts, role of oral artists, context and esthetics of oral performance in Africa. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Adejunmobi

17. Women in African Societies (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Gender relations in traditional and contemporary African society. Involvement of African women in politics, religion, the economy, the arts. African responses to feminist theory. Images of women in African literature. GE credit: Div, Wrt.—I. (I.) Adejunmobi

50. Black Images in Popular Culture (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. A survey of the depictions of Blacks in popular culture (popular press, stage, radio, film, television, advertising) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the present. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—III. (III.) Turner, Acham

51. History of Afro American Dance (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Evolution of African American dance, tracing its history and development from West Africa through the Carribean and to the United States. Investigates the social relevance of African American dance and the artistic merits and contributions of African American choreographers and performers.—III. (III.) Osumare

52. African Traditional Religion (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Introduction to the traditional religions of the sub-Saharan African peoples: emphasis on myths, rituals and symbols in West, East, Central and South African indigenous religions. Examines themes such as sacred kingship, divination system, women, prophecy, conversion and adaptation to Islam and Christianity. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Olupona

54. University Gospel Choir (2)

Rehearsal—4 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; open to any student in the university. Rehearsal, study, and performance of Gospel music. May be repeated for credit. (Same course as Music 54.) (P/NP grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.) Lymos

80. Introduction to Black Politics (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Introduction to the analysis of Afro-American politics, using conceptual frameworks from political science and other social sciences. GE credit: SocSci, Div, Wrt.—III. (III.) Harrison

99. Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)

Upper Division Courses

100. Survey of Ethnicity in the U.S. (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor. Sociological and historical analysis of the experience, culture, and relations of and between groups considered racial and/or ethnic minorities in the United States. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—II. Harrison

101. Introduction to Research in the Afro-American Community (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 10 or consent of instructor. Introductory survey of Afro-American Studies methods and techniques; problems and methodology in Afro-American Studies.—III. (III.) Harrison

107A. African Descent Communities and Culture in the Caribbean and Latin America (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; term paper. Prerequisite: upper division standing. Origin and development of African descent communities and culture in the Caribbean and Latin America: (a) the evidence for pre-Columbian arrivals; (b) the African slave trade and its aftermath; (c) the emergence of the African-creole cultures. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—(I.) Ng'weno

107B. African Descent Communities and Culture in North America (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; term paper. Prerequisite: upper division standing. Origin and development of African descent communities and culture in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico from the African slave trade to contemporary urban society. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—(I.)

107C. African Descent Communities and Culture in Europe and Asia (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; term paper. Prerequisite: upper division standing. The study of early African kingdoms, their relationship with Europe and Asia, and the development of African descent communities and culture in Europe and Asia from the pre-Columbian to the post-colonial era. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—(I.)

110. West African Social Organization (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 101 or consent of instructor. Ecology, population, social organization, and survival culture of West Africa in the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods. GE credit: SocSci, Div.—II. (II.) Adejunmobi

111. Cultural Politics in Contemporary Africa (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing or course 12. Themes and style of new cultural forms in Africa as displayed in art, music, film and writing, especially in regard to blending of indigenous and foreign influences. Social and political forces shaping contemporary cultural expression. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—(II.) Adejunmobi

123. Black Female Experience in Contemporary Society (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor. Black female social, intellectual, and psychological development. Black women's contributions in history, literature, and social science; life experiences of Black women and philosophical underpinnings of the feminist movement. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—III. (III.) Acham

130. Education in the African-American Community (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; fieldwork—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 10 or 100, and completion of the Subject A requirement. Examination of the history of the education of African Americans in the United States. Examination and critique of contemporary theories concerning the schooling of African Americans. (Former course 140.)—I. (I.) Turner

133. The Black Family in America (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor. Analysis of social science research to examine relationship between Black family structures, patterns of functioning, and political, economic, and social conditions. Examination of role differentiation within families by race and social class. GE credit: SocSci, Div.—III. (III.) Harrison

141. Psychology of the African American Experience (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 10 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the psychological issues faced by African Americans. Analysis of issues from European/Western and Afrocentric frame of reference. Emphasis on Optimal Theory, a psychological theory based on an Afrocentric world view.—III. (III.) Haggins

145A. Black Social and Political Thought (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 10 or 80, or consent of instructor. Exploration and analysis of Black social and political thought in the Americas. GE credit: SocSci, Div.—III. (III.) Harrison

145B. Black Intellectuals (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 10, 80, 145A, or consent of instructor. Exposition and critical analysis of selected theoretical writings of Black intellectuals, and especially political and social thinkers, in the Americas. GE credit: SocSci, Div.—III. (III.) Harrison, Ng'weno

150A. Afro-American Visual Arts Tradition: A Historical and Cultural Study (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing. Afro-American visual arts tradition, folk and formal, in historical and cultural context, from 1600 through Reconstruction. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—I. (I.)

150B. Afro-American Visual Arts Tradition: A Historical and Cultural Study (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing. Afro-American visual arts tradition, folk and formal, in historical and cultural context, from Reconstruction to the present. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—II. (II.)

151. Afro-American Vernacular Music and Verbal Arts (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Socio-political dimensions of Afro-American musical forms like spiritual, work song, minstrelsy blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, soul and contemporary pop, and related verbal arts like preaching, toasting, rapping.—III. (III.) Turner

152. Major Voices in Black World Literature (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; term paper. Prerequisite: upper division standing, completion of course 15 or comparable course in literature or the humanities. The recurrence of cultural tropes in the works of major black world authors and formation of an African-oriented canon. Principal activities include critical reading and discovery of literature as a cultural resource. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Adejunmobi

154. University Gospel Choir (2)

Rehearsal—4 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; open to any student in the University. Rehearsal, study, and performance of Gospel music. May be repeated for credit. (Same course as Music 154.) (P/NP grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.) Lymos,

155A. African-American Dance and Culture in the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. A comparative study of the African American dance forms in the U.S.A., Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad. Examination of ritual, folk, and popular dance forms and the socio/historical factors that have influenced these forms. (Same course as Dramatic Art 155A.)—II. (II.) Osumare

156. Language and Identity in Africa and the African Diaspora (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing or course 12. Relationship between language and identity in literature from Africa and the African Diaspora. Use of pidgins, Creoles, translation from African languages and impact of language policies. GE credit: Div.—III. (III.) Adejunmobi

157. Literature and Society in South Africa (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing or course 12. Political and social developments in 20th-century South Africa as illustrated by a range of South African writing. Response of different writers to race relations, impact of government policy on types and context of writing. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: Div, Wrt.—(III.) Adejunmobi

160. African-American Folklore (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour; fieldwork—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 10. Theory and history of African American folklore and folklife, including music, material culture, oral narrative, proverbs, and humor. African and Caribbean cultural influences on New World folk genres will be probed. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—III. (III.) Turner

162. Islam in Africa and the Americas (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course in African American or Religious Studies, preferably course 12 or 110 or Religious Studies 60. A comparative and historical survey of Islam in the regional and cultural settings of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—III. (III.)

163. African Religions in the Americas (4)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: course 10; course 15 or consent of instructor. Comparative study of African religious heritage in the Americas: Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba, U.S.A., Haiti, and Brazil. Emphasis on the origins and development of Candomble, Santeria, Shango, Vodun, and Rastafarianism in the New World. (Former course 153.) GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—III. (III.)

165. Afro-Christianity and the Black Church (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 10, 15 or consent of instructor, upper division standing. Examination of the historical role of Christian belief and practice as well as the institution of the Black Church in the experience of African Americans, from slavery to the present. Offered in alternate years. GE credit—SocSci, Div.—II. Harrison

168. Black Documentary: Theory and Practice (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Humanities 10, course 170 and consent of instructor; course 50 recommended. Preference given to African American and African Studies majors and minors. A study of Black documentary history and understanding of the use of the documentary form for political purposes. A discussion of documentary theory. Each student, singly or in a team, will create and carefully edit a documentary project. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—III. Acham

169. History of African-American Television (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 50 recommended. History of the representation of African Americans in television; how the representations reflect social and political forces in American society. Role of African Americans in actively shaping their representation. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—II. Acham

170. African-American Film and Video (4)

Lecture/discussion—2 hours; term paper; film viewing—2 hours. Prerequisite: one of courses 15, 50, or English 160, or 162. A comparative approach in the study of fictional film and video produced and directed by African Americans, drawing on the social sciences and black feminist theory to examine and discuss selected works. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Acham

171. Black African and Black European Film and Video (4)

Lecture/discussion—2 hours; term paper; film viewing—2 hours. Prerequisite: one of courses 15, 50, or English 160 or 162. A comparative approach in the study of dramatic films and videos that treat black life in Africa and Europe. Critical attention will focus on the imaginative construction of ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, and sexuality in each particular work. GE credit: ArtHum, Div.—III. (III.)

172. Diaspora and New Black Identities (4)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours; term paper. Critical analysis about what it means to be Black/ African American in the United States today. Topics include old and new diasporas, national origin, language, religion, class, education, politics, identity and cultural heritage. GE credit: Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Ng'weno

175A. Black Documentary: History and Theory (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: Film Studies 1, course 170; course 50 recommended. Black documentary history and documentary theory. Use of black documentary for political purposes. GE Credit: ArtHum, Div, Wri.—II, III. Acham

175B. Black Documentary Practicum (4)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—6 hours. Prerequisite: course 175A and consent of instructor. Creation of documentary projects, with students working in production crews. Offered in alternate years.—II, III. Acham

180. Race and Ethnicity in Latin America (4)

Lecture—4 hours. The social and political effects of racial and ethnic categorization in Latin America, including issues of economic production, citizenship, national belonging, and access to resources. Emphasis is on peoples of African, Indigenous, and Asian descent. GE credit: ArtHum, SocSci, Div.—II. (II.) Ng'weno

181. Hip Hop in Urban America (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. History, aesthetics, urban context, economics, and institutional policing of hip hop in the US. Hip hop's four artistic elements (rap, deejaying, breakdance, and aerosol art) and their influence on its globalization.—III, IV. (III, IV.) Osumare

185. Topics in African-American Film (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 170; course 50 recommended. Intensive study of special topics in African American film. May be repeated one time for credit. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt.—II. (II.) Acham

190. Topics in African and African-Diaspora Studies (4)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: upper division standing in African American and African Studies or consent of instructor. Intensive treatment of a special topic or problem in African or African Diaspora Studies. May be repeated once for credit when topic differs.—III. (III.)

192. Internship in African-American and African Studies (1-8)

Internship—3-24 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing, completion of 12 units of upper division study in African American and African Studies courses and consent of instructor. Enrollment limited to African American and African Studies majors and minors. Supervised internship in community, government, or private institutions, in all subject areas offered by the African American and African Studies Program. May be repeated for credit for a total of 12 units. (P/NP grading only.)

197T. Tutoring in Afro-American Studies (1-5)

Tutoring—1-5 hours. Prerequisite: consent of major committee; upper division standing with major in Afro-American Studies. Leading of small voluntary discussion groups affiliated with one of the department's regular courses. May be repeated for credit for a total of 6 units. (P/NP grading only.)

198. Directed Group Study (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)

199. Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)

Graduate Courses

204. Methodologies in African American and African Studies (4)

Seminar—3 hours; term paper. The relationship between theory and methodology, with emphasis on identifying relevant methodological approaches and constructing theoretically informed research projects for studying the experience of people of African descent whether on the African continent or in the rest of the world.—I. Harrison, Ngweno