W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies Undergraduate & Graduate Course Descriptions

W.E.B. DU BOIS DEPARTMENT OF AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE & GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS UNDERGRADUATE AFROAM 101. Introduction to Black Studies Interdisciplinary introduction to the basic concepts and literature in the disciplines covered by Black Studies. Includes history, the social sciences, and humanities as well as conceptual frameworks for investigation and analysis of Black history and culture. AFROAM 111. Survey African Art Major traditions in African art from prehistoric times to present. Allied disciplines of history and archaeology used to recover the early history of certain art cultures. The aesthetics in African art and the contributions they have made to the development of world art in modern times. (Gen.Ed. AT, G) AFROAM 113. African Diaspora Arts Visual expression in the Black Diaspora (United States, Caribbean, and Latin America) from the early slave era to the present. AFROAM 117. Survey of Afro-American Literature (4 credits) The major figures and themes in Afro-American literature, analyzing specific works in detail and surveying the early history of Afro-American literature. What the slave narratives, poetry, short stories, novels, drama, and folklore of the period reveal about the social, economic, psychological, and artistic lives of the writers and their characters, both male and female. Explores the conventions of each of these genres in the period under discussion to better understand the relation of the material to the dominant traditions of the time and the writers' particular contributions to their own art. (Gen.Ed. AL, U) (Planned for Fall) AFROAM 118. Survey of Afro-American Literature II (4 credits) Introductory level survey of Afro-American literature from the Harlem Renaissance to the present, including DuBois, Hughes, Hurston, Wright, Ellison, Baldwin, Walker, Morrison, Baraka and Lorde. (Gen. Ed. AL, U) (Planned for Spring) AFROAM 132. African-American History 1619-1860 (4 credits) The main aim of this course is to make you familiar with some of the most important developments and issues in African American history until the Civil War. We will focus on the black experience under slavery and the struggle for emancipation. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, evolution of African American communities and culture, the free black community, the distinct experience of black women, and the black protest tradition. The format of the course is lecture supplemented by class discussions. (Gen.Ed. HS, U) (Planned for Fall) AFROAM 133. African-American History Civil War-1954 (4 credits) Major issues and actions from the beginning of the Civil War to the 1954 Supreme Court decision. Focus on political and social history: transition from slavery to emancipation and Reconstruction; the Age of Booker T. Washington; urban migrations, rise of the ghettoes; the ideologies and movements from integrationism to black nationalism. (Gen.Ed. HS, U) (Planned for Spring) AFROAM 151. Literature & Culture (4 credits) This course focuses on African American cultural expressions contributing to the shape and character of contemporary African American (and U.S.) culture and how these forms have influenced and been represented by African American writers. The course uses African American literature and culture of the 1960s and 1970s 1 in their many manifestations, especially poetry, criticism, theater, music, and the visual arts as an entry into the concerns listed above. A particular focus of the course will be the ways in which domestic and international political movements, such as Civil Rights, Black Power, anti-colonial, and non-aligned intersected with black cultural efforts, deeply influencing the formal and thematic choices of African American artists. (Gen.Ed AL,U) AFROAM 155. Revolutionary Concepts in Afro-American Music I Introduction to history of Black music from its African origins to the end of the 19th century. (Gen.Ed. AT, U) (Planned for Fall) AFROAM 156. Revolutionary Concepts in Afro-American Music II This course will examine the development of Afro-American music during the twentieth century with an especial focus on links to the Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement. In particular, the class will survey the variegated styles and productions of artists, including Bessie Smith, Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Lightnin’ Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Mary Lou Williams, Charlie “Bird” Parker, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Smith, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, Randy Weston, Nina Simone, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Booker T. & the MGs, Nikki Giovanni, Sun Ra, the Chicago Art Ensemble, Sonia Sanchez, Albert Ayler, Leon Thomas, Jayne Cortez, The Watts Prophets, The Last Poets, and Gil Scott-Heron. (Gen.Ed. AT, U) (Planned for Spring) AFROAM 161. Introduction to Afro-American Political Science Survey of the politics of the Black community in the U.S. The history of Black political development, major theories which explain Black political life, social, economic, psychological and institutional environment from which Black politics flows. Attention paid to 1988 presidential campaign of Jesse Jackson and its relevance to the 2008 election of Barack Obama. (Gen.Ed. SB, U) AFROAM 170-171. The Grassroots Experience in American Life and Culture I and II This course combines instruction in research techniques in a variety of Humanistic and Social Science disciplines, and hands-on experience with those techniques, with substantive materials focusing on the long struggle of minority populations for full participation in American cultural and public life. As students go through the year-long course, they will be encouraged to attempt their own research investigations, and in the second semester will be required to undertake a substantial piece of individual research, under the guidance of their mentor. (Gen. Ed. I, U) AFROAM 190G. Racism: the American Experience Some present-day examples of racism in the workplace and criminal justice system. The roots of racism in North America. Examination of the various uses and purposes of racism as they developed over the course of the nation's history. The World War II incarceration of Japanese-Americans and the FBI's suborning of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The investigation and analysis of contemporary racism as expressed in, and revealed by, the print media of today. AFROAM 196D/ 196E. Drum Circle Part I and II Although recreational drum circles are a means for having fun and reducing stress, traditional drum circles have been around for centuries and almost always occur for specific reasons (e.g. annual celebrations, festivals, ceremonies, etc.). Often times society may ignore the spirit of the drumming tradition and its various cultural origins and this has recently produced a growing void between traditional playing, recreational drumming and even ballet style performances across the world. But the fact is that West African and various other world percussion rhythms are being adopted by various people, including western countries such as the U.S. Respecting the context and background of these rhythms ensures that we are acknowledging the long, rich 2 history of the drum. The significance of this will be explored to the best of our ability in this 1-credit course. Alongside playing the percussion instruments traditionally, improvisationally and recreationally, we will respect that we are embracing the vast history of the drum, of percussion and human beings’ ability to make music in a group. Fall semester covers rhythms such as Kuku, Madan, Fankani, Djole, Sorsenet and more. Spring semester covers rhythms such as Makru, Yankadi, Djagbe, Suli, Kakilambe and more. AFROAM 197A/197B. Taste of Honey: Black Film in the 1950s This course is a part of the Afro-American Studies department partnership with the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS) and the Malcolm X Cultural Center (MXCC) enrichment programming initiative. The purpose of this class is to raise awareness of and exposure to different cultural backgrounds that will enhance student personal development while promoting a better understanding of our diverse community. This course will take you on an historical journey exploring the roles of African American men and women highlighting their contributions and struggles in the American movie industry. Students will learn about the ground breaking movies, roles and actors who helped pave the way for a future generation while breaking down racial barriers to tell the story of the African American experience. A selection of movies will explore a variety of topics such as, race, gender and stereotypes while reflecting on how these characteristics have been portrayed. We will introduce you to a sampling of movies made during the decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s. AFROAM 222. Black Church in America Survey of West African religions. The development of the Black Christian Church in its visible and "invisible" institutional forms during the colonial period, and the merging of these two branches, free and slave, following the Civil War. Also the emergence of Holiness and Pentecostal sects, the impact of urban migrations on black spiritual expression, the Black Church and civil rights, gender issues, and the recent challenge of Islam. AFROAM 232. History of Black Nationalism Black nationalism in the United

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