Courses
African Studies
- AFRO-A 106 Perspectives from the African American Diaspora (1-3 cr.) This course is a study of selected topics or issues in Afro-American/African Diaspora Studies usually coordinated with symposia and/or conferences sponsored by the AADS Program. This course will expose students to current trends in research techniques, new research, allow them to interact with nationally and internationally known scholars and leaders in the area of AAADS. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 140 Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Introduction to the theory, method, and content of African American and African Diaspora Studies. Examines the social, political, cultural, and economic experiences of people comprising the African Diaspora. Utilizes an interdisciplinary approach and conceptual, theoretical, and analytical frameworks to illustrate the interconnectedness of black peoples experiences and the importance of studying AAADS as a field of scholarly inquiry. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 150 Survey of the Culture of Black Americans (3 cr.) An introduction to the traditions, life, and experiences of Africans in the United States. The course utilizes learning resources from a variety of disciplines, including history, literature, and the social sciences. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 152 Introduction to African Studies (3 cr.)
This course provides students with an interdisciplinary, introductory perspective on African continuities and changes. The course will focus on contemporary African societies while considering the lessons learned through the vestiges of slavery, colonization, aparteid and liberation struggles on the continent. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 200 Research in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Introduce students to basic tools, techniques and processes of scholarly research in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Students learn and apply technology as it pertains to research, address ethical issues, gain an understanding of basic statistical techniques in research and gain proficiency in reading, writing, understanding, and critiquing research articles, abstracts, and proposals. PUL=1C
- AFRO-A 202 The West and the African Diaspora (3 cr.) An introduction to Western Europe’s and America’s perception of Africa and Africans. Emphasis is on the image of Africans and their New World descendants, as constructed by European and American intellectuals. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 249 Afro-American Autobiography (3 cr.) A survey of autobiographies written by black Americans in the last two centuries. The course emphasizes how the autobiographers combine the grace of art and the power of argument to urge the creation of genuine freedom in America. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 255 The Black Church in America (3 cr.) History of the black church from slavery to the present emphasis on the church’s role as a black social institution, its religious attitudes as expressed in songs and sermons, and its political activities as exemplified in the minister-politician. PUL=5
- AFRO-A 303 Topics in African American and African Diaspora Studies (1-3 cr.) Study of selected topics or issues in Afro-American studies occasionally, but not always, coordinated with symposia and/or conferences sponsored by the AAADS Program. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 306 Globalization, Struggle, and Empowerment in the African Diaspora (3 cr.) Examines the shared cultural, political, social, and intellectual responses to the transoceanic experiences of African diasporic populations. Utilizes interdisciplinary tools and perspectives to understand the impact of colonialism, imperialism, and globalization on African populations of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and selected Western European nations during the modern era. PUL=5
- AFRO-A 315 Men and the Diaspora: Examining Race, Culture, & Education (3 cr.) This course is designed to assist students develop a critical lens and broaden their understanding of the similarities and differences in the lives of African American men. The course introduces, through to film, music, poetry, literature, and reflective writings, the educational and social development experiences of Black males. We will pay particular attention to the experiences of African American male from distinct periods in American history. PUL=2
- AFRO-A 316 Women of the Diaspora: Race, Culture, and Education (3 cr.) Introduce students to film, music, poetry, literature, and writing dealing with the experiences of women throughout the African Diaspora, with emphasis on Sub Saharan Africa, Central America, North America, and the Caribbean. Students will be required to read four books in addition to short stories, poetry, and scholarly articles on the topic.
- AFRO-A 319 Business of Black Popular Music (3 cr.) This course explores the evolution of the marketing of black popular music in the 20th century and beyond. It will engage the student in a dialogue that relates the subject to other aspects of the Afro-American experience. The course will utilize audio and video recordings along with the text. PUL=3
- AFRO-A 323 The Rise of Hip Hop Entrepreneurship (3 cr.) This course examines the historical evolution of hip hop and the cultural, socio-political, and linguistic expressions that it spawned in the 1970s & beyond. It also examines strategies used by hip hop professsionals to become successful entrepreneurs and generate products and services to sell in the capitalist world economy. PUL=2
- AFRO-A 324 South Africa in the Global Economy (3 cr.) Examines South Africa's movement from apartheid system of government to one that now embraces democracy and political pluralism. Also examines various theoretical frameworks explaining why apartheid developed in South Africa, discussing imperialism and the decolonization processes, the denigration of indigenous ethnic groups & communities, and the establishment of the political order. PUL=3
- AFRO-A 326 Race, Beauty, and Popular Culture (3 cr.) This course explores and contextualizes the popular cultural meanings and implications of Western beauty standards as they relate to women and/or men of color. Considerations for the course can include discourses involving ideologies of femininity, masculinity, and beauty or attractiveness as they impact issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. This course addresses questions such as: how are women and/or men of color represented in multimedia, popular culture, and literature? What have been the consequences of applying Western standards of beauty or attractiveness to women and men of color? And how do these standards affect men's and women's attitudes and understandings of how they should look, act, feel, and behave--both past and present? PUL=2
- AFRO-A 352 Afro-American Art II: Afro-American Artists (3 cr.) A survey of the artistic traditions of the Africans in the New World, from the period of slavery in North and South America through contemporary and expatriate African American artists. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 355 African American History I (3 cr.) A study of the history of African Americans in the United States. Includes the role African-American culture has played in the development of the American nation, Slavery, Abolitionism, Reconstruction and the post-Reconstruction to 1900. PUL=2
- AFRO-A 356 African American History II (3 cr.) This course will explore each of the major historical events and Black leaders of those times and their influence on the social and political advancement of African Americans from 1900 to the present. PUL=2
- AFRO-A 369 The African American Experience (3 cr.) This integrator course introduces students to the methodological and analytical tools needed to understand the historical background, contemporary challenges, and current policy debates about issues confronting the African American community, such as credit market discrimination, affirmative action, and reparations. A chief goal of the course is to expose students to broad themes in African American history, while also providing them with the necessary interdisciplinary tools—both qualitative and quantitative—to analyze contemporary economic problems and prospects. PUL=1A
- AFRO-A 402 Seminar in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Senior capstone course in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Involves intensive discussion of selected themes/topics related to AAADS. Students are expected to engage in in-depth library and/or field research to apply diasporic theory concepts and analysis to real life, peoples, events, and/or issues impacting people of African descent. PUL=4
- AFRO-A 440 History of the Education of Black Americans (3 cr.) This course focuses on the education of Black Americans and its relationship to the Afro-American experience. Trends and patterns in the education of Black Americans as such relate to the notions of education for whom and for what. PUL=4
- AFRO-A 495 Individual Readings in African American and African Diaspora Studies (1-3 cr.) By arrangement with instructor. Investigation of topics of special interest to students that are not covered in the regular program curriculum or that students wish to pursue in greater detail. May be repeated once for credit. PUL=3
- AFRO-A 569 The African American Experience (3 cr.) This course introduces graduate students to the methodological and analytical tools needed to understand the historical background, contemporary challenges, and current policy debates about issues confronting the African American community, such as credit market discrimination, affirmative action, and reparations. A chief goal of the course is to expose students to broad themes in African American history, while also providing them with the necessary interdisciplinary tools—both qualitative and quantitative—to analyze contemporary economic problems and prospects.