African and African American Studies
I. SURVEY AND EXPERIMENTAL COURSES
2. Swahili II
09F: 10A
This intermediate-level course involves instructor lectures supplemented with students accessing a wide variety of Swahili language materials (such as internet-based Swahili newspapers, video resources, and pictorial depictions of Swahili poems, artifacts, proverbs, songs). Students will be involved in class conversations, presentations, and discussions to encourage them to interact effectively in Swahili. Emphasis will be placed on helping students to improve their reading, speaking, and writing skills. Prerequisite: A Swahili introductory course or the equivalent. Nyamongo.
7. First Year Seminar
Consult special listings
10. Introduction to African American Studies
09F: 12 11W: 10A
A multidisciplinary investigation into the lives and cultures of people of African descent in the Americas. Topics may include: the African background, religion and the Black church, popular culture, slavery and resistance, morality and literacy, the Civil Rights Movement, Black nationalism, theories of race and race relations. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Colbert, Chaney.
11. Introduction to African Studies
10W: 2A 11W: 11
Multidisciplinary in scope, the course will survey critical social change in African cultures and civilizations through a study of history, art, literature, religion, economy, and politics, paying particular attention to the cultural impact of colonial rule on contemporary societies and states. Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Sackeyfio, Trumbull.
12. Black America to the Civil War (Identical to, and described under, History 16)
09F: 12
Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Naylor.
13. Black America Since the Civil War (Identical to, and described under, History 17)
10W: 10
Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Naylor.
14. Pre-Colonial African History (Identical to, and described under, History 5.1)
10W: 10A 11W: 10
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Sackeyfio.
15. History of Africa Since 1800 (Identical to, and described under, History 66)
11S: 2A
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Sackeyfio.
16. History, Culture and Society: The Many Faces of Latin America (Identical to Latin American and Caribbean Studies 4)
10W: 10A 11W: 10
The Spanish discovery and conquest of this continent created Latin America and the Caribbean out of the diverse and complex realities of the pre-Columbian world. Since colonial times Latin American and Caribbean cultures have developed against a background of cultural repression, racial conflict, political domination, colonial exploitation, and gender inequality. And yet, in the midst of all this turmoil, Latin America and the Caribbean have produced an extraordinary variety and wealth of artistic creations, ranging from literature to the visual arts, from music to film. In this course we will turn to some of the works by Latin American and Caribbean artists and writers in an attempt to illuminate and explore some of the wonders of the cultural dynamics that shape the many faces of what we call Latin America and the Caribbean. Dist: LIT; WCult: NW. Buéno, Walker (10W), Franconi, Pastor (11W).
17. Slave Resistance in the United States from the Colonial Era to the Civil War (Identical to, and described under, History 39)
09F: 10
Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Naylor.
19. Africa and the World (Identical to, and described under, History 5.8)
09F, 11S: 11
Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Trumbull.
II. AFRICAN AMERICAN COURSES
23. Caribbean History (Identical to History 86)
Not offered in the period from 09F through 11S
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW.
24. The Black Radical Tradition in America (Identical to, and described under, History 37, pending faculty approval)
10W: 11
Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Rickford.
25. Constructing Black Womanhood (Identical to, and described under, Sociology 46 and Women’s and Gender Studies 33)
11W: 2
Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. King.
26. Toni Morrison (Identical to English 67)
Not offered in 2009-2010, may be offered in 2010-2011
Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Vasquez.
26.2 Black Movements (Identical to English 67)
Not offered in 2009-2010, may be offered in 2010-2011
Dist: LIT; WCult: CI (pending faculty approval). Colbert.
31. Black Theater, U.S.A. (Identical to, and described under, Theater 22)
09F: 10
Dist: ART; WCult: CI. Colbert.
33. The African American Intellectual
09F, 10X: 12
A cross-disciplinary study of the contributions and problems of African American intellectuals in the United States. Given time constraints, we will focus primarily on twentieth century figures and scholarship, to understand works by such thinkers as W.E.B. DuBois, Alain Locke, Zora Hurston, Carter Woodson, Ralph Ellison, E. Franklin Frazier, Angela Davis, Stephen Carter, Derrick Bell, Cornel West and Patricia Williams, as well as the social and intellectual contexts in which they found, and continue to find, themselves. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Favor.
34. Early Black American Literature (Identical to, and described under, English 43)
09F: 10 10F: Arrange
Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Favor.
35. Modern Black American Literature (Identical to, and described under, English 49)
10S: 12 11S: Arrange
Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Vasquez.
36. African American Fiction Since 1990 (Identical to, and described under, English 67.3)
10W: 12, may also be offered in 2010-2011
Dist: LIT. Favor.
37. Introduction to Black Religion in the United States (Identical to Religion 17)
Not offered in the period 09F through 11S
Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
39. History of Jazz (Identical to, and described under, Music 5)
09F, 10F: 10A
Associated Courses:
Geography 25 Social Justice and the City
Geography 43 Geographies of Latin America
III. AFRICAN COURSES
40. Gender Identities and Politics in Africa (Identical to Women’s and Gender Studies 34.2)
10W: 2A
This interdisciplinary course explores the constructions of gender identities in different African sociocultural contexts. The emphasis is on contemporary Africa, although we will discuss some of the historical frameworks of these identities. We will read historical accounts of gender in some pre-colonial African societies, investigate the impact of colonialism, and examine gender in some anticolonial movements. We will also analyze gender in urban and rural contexts, and address such questions as homosexuality and gay rights. WCult: CI. Coly.
44. Anthropology and Contemporary Africa: Exploding Myths, Engaging Realities (Identical to, and described under, Anthropology 36)
10W: 10 11W: 2
Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Igoe.
45. Africa: Ecology and Development (Identical to, and described under, Geography 40)
10W, 10F: 2A
Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Faria, Freidberg.
46. History of Modern South Africa (Identical to, and described under, History 67)
09F, 11W: 9L
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Sackeyfio.
47. Politics and Political Economies in Africa (Identical to Government 44)
10W: 10A
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Kasfir.
50. Colonialism, Development and the Environment in Asia and Africa (Identical to, and described under, History 75 and Environmental Studies 45)
10S: 10 10F: 12
Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: NW. Haynes.
51. African Literatures: Masterpieces of Literatures from Africa (Identical to, and described under, Comparative Literature 51)
10S, 11S: 10A
Dist: LIT or INT; WCult: NW. Coly.
52. The History of North Africa from the Arrival of Islam to the Present (Identical to, and described under, History 68)
10W: 10A
Dist:SOC; WCult: NW. Trumbull.
53. Islam in Africa (Identical to, and described under, History 69)
10W: 3B 11S: 2
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Trumbull.
54. Topics in African Theater and Performance (Identical to, and described under, Theater 23)
11S: Arrange
Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Edmondson.
55. African Cinema (Identical to Film and Media Studies 42)
11S: 2A
This course focuses on the cinemas of Francophone Africa. We will begin with an examination of the early Western film representations of Africans as wild savages. We will then proceed to examine how African filmmakers have challenged those images by creating new depictions of their societies. We will explore the social, historical, and political contexts of these films as well as examine each of them closely to better understand their aesthetic and narrative characteristics. Dist: ART; WCult: NW. Coly.
Associated Courses:
Environmental Studies 40, Foreign Study in Environment Problems I
Environmental Studies 42, Foreign Study in Environment Problems II
Geography 16, The Political Economy of Development
IV. AFRICAN DIASPORA AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES
63. Black Atlantic (Identical to English 66)
Not offered in 2009-2010, may be offered in 2010-2011
Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Cosgrove.
65. Introduction to Postcolonial Literature (Identical to, and described under, English 58)
09F: 11 10F: Arrange
Dist: LIT or INT; WCult: NW. Giri.
67. Colonial and Postcolonial Masculinities (Identical to, and described under, Comparative Literature 67 and Women’s and Gender Studies 52.1)
10S: 2A
Dist: LIT. Coly.
Associated Courses:
French 70, Francophone Literature (If related to the African diaspora)
History 6, Guerrilla Warfare, Counter-Insurgency and Movements of National Liberation in Asia, Africa and Latin America
Music 4, Global Sounds
Music 51, Oral Tradition Musicianship
Sociology 22, The Sociology of International Development
V. SPECIAL TOPICS IN AAAS
80. Afro-Latino Expressions of Identity in Sacred Traditions (Identical to, and described under, Latin American and Caribbean Studies 50)
09F: 12
Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Dickerson.
82. Martin Luther King, Black Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement (Identical to, and described under, Religion 61)
10S: 2A
Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Balmer.
83. Food and the African World (Identical to Geography 80)
Not offered in the period from 09F through 11S
African plants, cuisines and knowledge have long enriched the world’s diets and agrarian economies, yet in contemporary Africa millions suffer from hunger. This course explores both aspects of Africa’s food history, as well as the connections between them. The topics covered include traditional African foodways and their transatlantic and global spread, modern Africa’s experience of famine and food aid, and questions of race and food rights in the United States. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Freidberg.
84. Caribbean Women Writers (Identical to, and described under, English 67.10 and Women’s and Gender Studies 52.2)
09F: 2A
Dist: LIT. Hodge.
85. Black Feminism/Womanism in Contemporary U.S. Popular Culture (Identical to Women’s and Gender Studies 36.3)
10W: 12
In this course we will explore the emergence of Black feminism(s)/womanism(s) in twentieth- and twenty-first-century U.S. popular culture. We will specifically address how the work of African-American women artists-scholars critiques sexism, racism, classicism, ethnocentrism and heterosexism within the U.S. context. In order to examine Black feminism(s) and womanism(s) in popular culture from myriad perspectives, the required readings for this course reflect a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, as well as a range of genres. Open to all students. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Naylor.
87. Slavery in the Empire: Brazilian Literature in the Nineteenth Century and Beyond (Identical to, and described under, Latin American and Caribbean Studies 61)
10W: 2
Dist: LIT; WCult: NW, pending faculty approval. Smolin.
88. History of African American Art (Identical to Art History 16)
Not offered in the period from 09F through 11S
Dist: ART; WCult: W.
89. Independent Study in African and African American Studies
All terms: Arrange
Available to students who wish to independently explore aspects of African and African American Studies which are not included in courses currently offered at Dartmouth. Open to qualified students with permission of the course instructor and the Chair. (Obtain Proposal Form in the program office.) No student may take more than two such courses without the approval of the program. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The AAAS faculty.
90-96. Senior Seminars in African and African American Studies
90. Frederick Douglass: Texts and Contexts (Identical to English 71.2)
10S: 10A
In this advanced seminar we will closely examine a substantial selection of Douglass’s writings: all three autobiographies, his novella, and significant speeches and essays. Additional readings in literature, history, and literary theory will help students to contextualize the aesthetic, philosophical, and socio-political significance of Douglass’ contribution to nineteenth-century transnational abolitionism and evolving notions of black identity and American citizenship. Although we will strive for a nuanced understanding of Douglass’s iconic stature in the nineteenth century, we will end by considering Douglass’s legacy in the age of Obama. Dist: LIT. Chaney.
97. Senior Independent Research in African and African American Studies
All Terms: Arrange
For senior African and African American Studies majors toward the culminating experience, with permission of selected instructor and the Chair. (Obtain Proposal Form in the program office.)
98-99. Honors Thesis in African and African American Studies
Two Terms of Senior Year: Arrange
The honors student will pursue the project under guidance of a selected faculty member and with permission of the Chair. See “A Guide to Honors in African and African American Studies” in the program office.