AFRS Courses

AFRS 1100. Introduction to Africana Studies. (3) Interdisciplinary survey of key issues in the life and history of peoples of African descent and their interaction with other peoples and world cultures; introduction to theoretical foundations in the field of Africana Studies. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 2050. Topics in Africana Studies. (3) Treatment of a special topic. May be repeated for credit as topics vary, with the approval of the department chair. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 2103. Introduction to Hip Hop. (3)  Examines the musical, corporeal, visual, spoken word and literary manifestations of hip hop from its early years to the present, focusing especially on the political, aesthetic, and lifestyle ramifications of hip hop in the US.  The Black cultural practices and the intercultural relations across race, class, and gender that have given rise to the various forms of hip hop in North America will also be analyzed.  (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2105. Black Images in the Media in the US. (3) Cross-listed as COMM 2120. Examination of African American images projected through electronic and print media, historically and currently. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2107.  Global Hip Hop.  (3)  Cross-listed as SOCY 2107.  The development and growth of Hip Hop from a US inner city Black expressive culture to a global subaltern social movement.  Examines cultural production in Hip Hop in relation to the contemporary global issues that focus on the youth, subalterns, and postcolonial experiences.  (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2120.  African American Women.  (3)  Cross-listed as WGST 2120. This course explores how cultural, political, historical and economic factors shape African American women’s positions and opportunities in society today.  (On demand)

 

AFRS 2156.  African Civilization.  (3)  Cross-listed as ANTH 2156.  A survey of major cultural innovations and foundations of civilizations in ancient Africa; examination of the origins of ideas, beliefs, institutions, and practices; and the philosophical, religious, social, political and economic foundations of ancient African civilizations.  Draws from a wide range of historical sources, especially archaeology, language, literary, oral traditions, and material culture.  (Fall)

 

AFRS 2160. The African American Experience through Civil War. (3) Cross-listed as HIST 2160. Exploration of circumstances that brought Africans to the Americas and their experience during the era of slavery. Emphasis on the political, economic, and socio- cultural systems that maintained slavery in the South and constrained freedom in the North and the responses and struggles of African Americans. Topics include: slavery/slave trading to the Americas; the system of slavery in British North America; free blacks; political compromises sustaining the peculiar institution; and the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the freedom, citizenship, and suffrage of African- Americans. (Fall)

 

AFRS 2161. The African American Experience:  Civil War to Civil Rights. (3) Cross-listed as HIST 2161. Prerequisites: AFRS 1100 or AFRS 1111 for majors. Exploration of the African-American experience from the Civil War to the present and the struggle of freed slaves and free people of color in garnering the promises of emancipation and the changing status of African-Americans in American society.  Interdisciplinary survey of key eras, issues, debates, and personalities in the African-American experience from 1865 to the present. It is strongly encouraged that students take AFRS 2160 before enrolling in this course. (Spring)

 

AFRS 2170. Introduction to Health and Environmental Issues in the Africana World. (3) A general introduction to the cultural, social, political, ethical, and psychological dimensions of health and environmental issues affecting the African and African Diaspora peoples globally, and the policy implications. (fall semester)

 

AFRS 2206. African Literature, Music, and Art. (3) (W)  Survey of socio-cultural context in which African literature, music, and art function; examination of the impact of changes resulting from international dependence and improved communications across continents and cultures; parallels drawn with other regions of the world, particularly the US and Europe. Creative research or community projects required. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2207. Pan-Africanism. (3) Study of the Pan-African movement; examination of historical and contemporary efforts of peoples of African descent to unite their struggles for human advancement, political independence, and equality in Africa, the US, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Afro-Latin American. Included in the study are popular movements, leading proponents, and related organizations. (On demand)

 

AFRS 2208. Education and African-Americans. (3) Examination of the problems and challenges of educating African-Americans. Topics include: conceptual approaches to education; historical and contemporary overview of education for African-Americans; the impact of race and discrimination; analysis of existing curricula; and suggested models for a multi‑racial and multi‑cultural education. (On demand)

 

AFRS 2215. Black Families in the United States.  (3) (W) Critical and comprehensive examination of the life of African-American families in the United States including the historical evolution of black families and their relationship with the political-economic structures of American society. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2221. Contemporary Africa. (3) Cross-listed as HIST 2211 and INT 2101. Study of Africa from the 1880s to the present. Focus on political and socio-economic changes and Africa's integration into the community of nations. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 2225. West African Dance and Percussion. (3)  Introduction to the practice and cultural theory of West African dance forms.  Students will be taken through the rhythmic experience of regional West Africa dances accompanied by live drumming.  The cultural contexts of these dances as a window to understanding social norms and societies will be emphasized throughout. (Fall)

 

AFRS 2301. Introduction to African-American Literature. (3)  Cross-listed as ENGL 2301.  Prerequisite: ENGL 1101 and 1102 or 1103, or departmental permission.  Survey of the major periods, texts, and issues in African-American Literature.  Prerequisite to 4000 level African-American literature courses in Department of English. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 3050. Topics in Africana Studies. (3) Treatment of a special topic. May be repeated for credit as topics vary, with approval of department chair. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 3101. Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in the US. (3) Study of values and make-up of American pluralistic society in historical and contemporary context. Focus on the understanding of African American values and the role of ethnicity and race. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3150. The African-American Church and Civil Rights. (3) Cross-listed as RELS 3150. Role of the African-American church in the struggle for human equality.  Topics such as radical, moderate, and accommodationist leadership styles; historical development of the black church in the South; and its emergence as a foundation for modern civil rights movement. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 3155. Health and Healing in Africa. (3) This course provides an historical context for some of the major healthcare challenges facing Africa today. The course will trace the history of health and healing from the pre-colonial era through the period of colonial rule, and since political independence. Both the Africa-centered and Western methods of healing and

conceptions of health and illness will be examined at different junctures in African history. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3158.  Gender and African-American Literature.  (3)  Cross-listed as ENGL 3158. Exploration of the intersection of gender and African-American literature, focusing on either Black women writers or Black male writers, or a combination in dialogue.  (Alternate years)

 

AFRS 3159.  African-American Poetry.  (3)  Cross-listed as ENGL 3159.  Intensive study of African-American poetry, focusing on one period or traversing several.  (On demand)

 

AFRS 3179. African American Political Philosophy. (3) Cross-listed as POLS 3172. Prerequisite: 3000 level course on Africa from AFRS, POLS, or HIST. Analysis of competing ideologies in African American political philosophy. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3190.  The Political Economy of the Caribbean.  (3) An examination of the manifestations of Caribbean economic problems and policies and Caribbean political development from the post‑war period to the present. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3192. African Cinema. (3)  A study of the relationship of African film/video production to historical and contemporary issues in Africa; and the sociopolitical contexts, intertextuality, and aesthetics of African film/video production. (Fall) (Evenings)

 

AFRS 3200. Folklore of Africa and the African Diaspora. (3) A study of the relationships among African and African Diaspora folktales, folk beliefs, customs, legends, myths, proverbs, poetry, songs, performance, narratives, symbols, and social practices. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the course will identify parallel tales and verbal and performance arts in the Mother Continent and the Diaspora and also study how geographical environments and historical experiences have impacted new manifestations of African folklore. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3210. Black Families in the Diaspora. (3) Cross-listed as SOCY 3210 and LTAM 3110. This course is designed to acquaint students with historical and contemporary experiences of peoples of African descent in the Caribbean and Latin American countries with specific emphasis on family structure and family relationships. Includes discussion of theories, history, impact of globalization on family structure, roles of women and identity, socioeconomic status and mobility, slavery, colonialism, and capitalism. The course is designed to provide students with a better understanding of the comparative relationships and links between family structures and common life experiences among peoples of African descent in different parts of the world, with specific emphasis on the Caribbean and Latin American regions. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 3218. Racial Violence, Colonial Times to Present. (3)  Cross-listed as HIST 3218.  This course examines the ways in which African-Americans and Whites used violence both as part of struggles for liberation and freedom as well as repression from the colonial period to the present in the United States.  The focus will be on broader processes of social, political, and cultural change and at efforts to build cooperation. (On demand) 

 

AFRS 3220. The Caribbean from Slavery to Independence. (3) Cross-listed as LTAM 3220 and HIST 3180. Covering the sweep of history from European/indigenous contact, through the construction of a plantation regime based on African slave labor, and up to the present day, this course explores the spread of colonialism, the dynamics of slavery, and the tumult of abolition and national independence movements.  The Caribbean Sea will be examined as a region, emphasizing the ties uniting the islands and the circum-Caribbean coasts. The region’s past – including empire and imperial conflict, racial oppression and interaction, and international contact – and its legacies will be discussed in relation to political economics, race, and contemporary culture. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3230. Poverty and Discrimination in African Diaspora in the Modern Era. (3) Socio-economic roots of poverty and discrimination in African America, the Caribbean, and Afro-Latin America; impact of anti-poverty and anti-discrimination laws and programs. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3240. African Americans and the Legal Process. (3)  Cross-listed as HIST 3240. This course explores the unique role law has played in the African American experience, establishing the status of persons of African descent in America.  Students will investigate how the legal history of African Americans has shaped American race relations over the past 400 years by tracing the evolution of race, racism, and racial formations as a function of America’s legal system. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 3250. African-Americans and Health Communication. (3) Focuses on the use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions regarding health among African American populations. The course will consider how health messages are created and the impact they have on African-Americans within the context of their lives. (yearly)

 

AFRS 3260. Slavery, Racism and Colonialism in the African Diaspora. (3)  Cross-listed as LTAM 3260 and HIST 3190. This course is designed to explore how race and racism, slavery, and colonialism served as principal institutions and constructs shaping the experience between Africa and the emerging African Diaspora in the New World. Students will consider how the maintenance of Western social, economic, and political superiority materialized as functions of these three important historical developments. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3261. Psychology of the Black Experience. (3) A study of the psychological issues relating to the Black experience in the Americas, using Africa-centered philosophical and psychological frameworks to examine how Black subjectivities have been constructed historically, and how this affects human motivations, self-perceptions, cultures, and behaviors

among Africa-descended populations. (Spring)

 

AFRS 3265. African Economic Development. (3) Focus on economic theories, planning, production, and resource allocation strategies, capital formation, foreign aid, and multinational corporations in Africa. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3270. Afro-Latin American History. (3) (W) Cross-listed as LTAM 3270 and HIST 3181. This course explores the African Diaspora in Latin America ranging from the Caribbean Sea to the Rio de la Plata.  From slavery, to fighting for freedom in the Spanish-American Wars of Independence, to forging new notions of citizenship in twentieth century Brazil, African-descended peoples have an important place in Latin America’s historical past.  According special attention to regions with concentrated populations of African-descended peoples, this course reveals the vibrant history of Afro-Latin America. (Yearly)

 

AFRS 3278. Race in the History of Brazil. (3)  Cross-listed as LTAM 3278 and HIST 3178. Examining the history of Brazil since Portuguese colonization, this course focuses on experiences, struggles, and debates revolving around questions of race and identity.  The course interrogates the construction of a slave society, abolition, negotiation of freedom for slaves, and debates around national identity that attended the formation of the Brazilian republic and which have shaped the country in the 20^th century. The Brazilian experience will be approached comparatively, using the United States and other areas of the African Diaspora for context. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3280. Blacks in Urban America. (3)  Cross-listed as HIST 3280.  African-Americans have been part of the urban scene since the colonizing of the Americas.  The course will examine the ways in which their presence in cities has both exemplified and contradicted the understanding of both urban development and race relations in America from colonial times to the present. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3290. Research Methods. (3) (O) Prerequisite: completion of sophomore-year courses or instructor's permission. Design of a research project with emphasis on developing sound research skills and methods. (Fall)

 

AFRS 3692. Colloquium. (3) (W) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. A weekly colloquium; research and writing; opportunity for intellectual stimulation, critique and problem solving. Open to majors and non-majors. (On demand)

 

AFRS 3830. Philosophy and Race. (3)  Cross-listed as PHIL 3830.  This course both examines the role of the concept of race in the Western philosophical canon, and uses current philosophical texts and methods to examine Western discourses of race and racism.  Issues such as whiteness, double consciousness, the black/white binary, Latino identity and race, ethnicity, mixed-race identity, and the intersection of race with gender and class will also be examined.  (Alternate years)

 

AFRS 3895. Independent Study. (1-3) Prerequisite: Permission of the department. Supervised investigation of a problem or subject in the field of Africana Studies. May be repeated for credit. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 3990. Senior Project in Africana Studies. (2-15) Prerequisite: Completion of junior-year courses. Completion of a senior research paper on an academic topic or a community-related written project. Emphasis on mastery of academic skills and content of the field or specific discipline.  (On demand)

 

AFRS 4000. Senior Seminar in Africana Studies. (3) Prerequisites: Completion of junior-year courses. This advanced seminar explores a wide-body of literature selected as the eminent scholarship in the field of Africana Studies. Students will read, analyze, and critique the scholarly literature of the field and prepare written assignments conceptualizing the course readings and discussions. (Spring)

 

AFRS 4010.  African Diaspora Theory. (3)  Explores the diverse conceptual and theoretical perspectives in the African Diaspora Studies, with emphasis on the dialectical relationships between social theories and the African Diaspora, especially as these relate to the issues of race, identity, gender, migrations, cultural production, and transnationalism.  (Yearly)

 

AFRS 4050. Topics in Africana Studies. (3) Treatment of a special topic. May be repeated for credit as topics vary, with the approval of the department chair. (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 4101. Modern African Literature in English. (3) Prerequisite: Junior standing. AFRS 1100 or 2206 for AFRS majors. Topics include: Traditional African and Western literary influences, the culture debate, post-independence satire, decolonization of African literature, apartheid, and women writers. (On demand)

 

AFRS 4105.  African International Relations. (3)  Cross-listed as POLS 3169. This course examines Africa’s relations with external powers (including Europe, the United States, and China), cooperation among African countries, the role of non-state actors in African conflicts, and U.S. policy toward the continent.  (Yearly)

 

AFRS 4401. Professional Internship in Africana Studies. (3)  Prerequisites:  Permission of the chair of the department, restricted to juniors and seniors majoring or minoring in Africana Studies who have at least a 2.5 GPA and have completed the following courses:  AFRS 1100, and up to twelve credits of other AFRS courses.  Internship in wide-ranging working environments, including government establishments, private businesses, as well as not-for-profit organizations, especially those focusing on issues affecting African and African Diaspora populations.  The internship provides students with experiential learning in an environment that is consistent with the student’s professional goals and growth.  (Fall, Spring)

 

AFRS 4630. Environmental and Public Health in Africa. (3) (O) In-depth analysis of environmental and public health hazards in Africa, including pandemic, as well as the principles and practice of public health, pollution control, and waste management. The social and political contexts of the environmental and health issues in Africa will be emphasized throughout. (yearly)

 

AFRS 4640. Environment, State, and Society in the Caribbean and Latin America. (3) The history of the environment in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially the impacts on race, labor, culture, political relations, and state formation from the pre-Columbian period through the present. (on demand)

 

AFRS 4652 - Race, Health, and the African Diaspora. (3) (W) Global approaches to health disparities throughout the African Diaspora using racial, gender, class, and development theoretical frameworks. The course explores the comparative relationships between contemporary social and historical factors determining the health status of peoples of African descent residing in different areas of the world. The course fulfills writing requirement. (yearly)