Courses

Study of social, economic, and political dimensions of Africa from the 19th century to the present. Special focus on state-society relations.

This course introduces students to the politics of contemporary Africa. It challenges the dominant representations of the continent as conflict prone, economically underdeveloped, and political unstable. Instead, the course presents Africa as a dynamic region comprised of 54 independent states with diverse political and economic realities.

An examination of terrorism in Sub-Sahara Africa and how it is tied to both domestic and international factors. IR 6695 Sub-Saharan African Diplomacy and Economics (3) An examination of Sub-Saharan African diplomacy and economics and their impact on regional relations and linkages to the world system.

Writing in all genres by African women from pre-colonial Africa to the present.

Works by African women from pre-colonial Africa to present.

This course provides a study of music composed by black Americans. Topics include the origin and development of musical styles expressed in Negro spirituals, calypso, gospel music and jazz. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge, understanding and an aural perception of the stylistic characteristics of Afro-American music.

Paul Gilroy’s The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness (1995) explores the global Black experience and Black identity formations through a transatlantic frame. Gilroy’s thesis argues that contemporary black identity constructions are a result of ongoing processes of travel and exchange between Africa, Europe, and the ‘New World’ during earlier periods of capital accumulation (transatlantic slavery and colonialism).

This course examines the black experience in Latin American history and society from the time of slavery to the present day and will look specifically at slavery and race relations; sociocultural and political activities among Afro-Latin Americans and the implications of these manifestations of Afro identity for issues pertaining to national identity; consequences of the black presence; and the contributions of Africans and people of African descent to the development of Latin American

The diverse cultures of many Latin American nations will be discussed with a focus on the descendants of Africa in the Americas. Slavery will be discussed during the colonial and independence periods. Black identity and cultural forms will be discussed through the writers, musicians, and filmmakers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Parallels and connections will be drawn to race and history in the United States. Conducted in Spanish.

The diverse cultures of many Latin American nations will be discussed with a focus on the descendants of Africa in the Americas. Slavery will be discussed during the colonial and independence periods. Black identity and cultural forms will be discussed through the writers, musicians, and filmmakers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Parallels and connections will be drawn to race and history in the United States. Conducted in Spanish.