For a full listing, click [ Table of contents ]

Africana Studies Department
(Undergraduate)


Faculty

Boyce-Davies, Carole, Associate Professor, PhD, University of Ibadan
Bryant, Sharon, Assistant Professor, PhD, Yale University
Kokole, Omari, Adjunct Professor, PhD, Dalhousie University
Mazrui, Ali, Albert Schweitzer Chair, D. Phil, Oxford University
Muhammad, Akbar, Associate Professor, PhD, Edinburgh University
Okpewho, Isidore, Professor and Chair, PhD, University of Denver
Patterson, Tiffany, Assistant Professor, PhD, University of Minnesota
Thomas, Darryl C., Associate Professor, PhD, University of Michigan

Associated Faculty


Juanita Diaz, Assistant Professor
Florence Lansana, Assistant Professor
Nkiru Nzegwu, Assistant Professor
Kelvin Santiago-Valles, Associate Professor
Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, Adjunct Professor
James A. Geschwender, Professor
Martin J. Murray, Associate Professor
Dale Tomich, Associate Professor

[ Table of Contents || Menu ]

Program Components

The Africana Studies Department is multidisciplinary, with some of its faculty holding joint appointments in other departments. The department's offerings thus range across the traditional fields of anthropology, history, literature, political science, sociology, theater, etc. These disciplines are integrated by certain themes that underscore the uniqueness of the department. First, subject matter focuses on African peoples and cultures and those peoples of the New World who are descendants of Africans. Second, the department's courses offer a non-Eurocentric and non-racial approach to the investigations, interpretations, and understanding of the experiences of African peoples and of the wider world social, political, and economic systems. Third, departmental courses broaden the scope and range of traditional disciplines and offer a corrective to those disciplines in which the knowledge of the presence, roles, cultural contributions, and experiences of African peoples and their descendents have been omitted or neglected.
The department attracts students of all ethnic backgrounds. Both minority and nonminority students benefit from exposure to academic materials and perspectives not otherwise available to them.
All the department's courses satisfy Harpur College requirements. A cross-disciplinary major (BA program) and minor in Africana studies and a concentration are available.

Requirements for Africana Studies Major

For the major, eight courses taken within the department are required. These should include one course in Afro-American and one in African studies (both at the introductory levels, i.e. 100-200). In addition, students are required to take two upper-division (300-400 level) writing emphasis courses, one in the humanities and one in the social sciences. The remaining four courses may be chosen from departmental offerings, or courses cross-listed with other departments. Many of the students choose to pursue double majors with one of the related departments represented in Africana studies.
Non-majors are encouraged to enroll in any of the courses indicated above, but they should also consider AFST 112, 253, and 259 as complementary study areas in the social sciences. For the humanities, recommended courses include AFST 272, 282, and 394.

Honors Program

Exceptional students majoring in Africana studies will be considered for admission to the honors program upon the successful completion of five semesters or 80 credit hours (including at least 16 in Africana studies). The honors program consists of two courses taken in the senior year: AFST 495, Special Topic (possibly as independent study), Honors Independent Research and AFST 499, Honors Thesis. Honors in Africana studies are awarded to students who receive at least a B+ grade in the Special Topic and at least an A- in the Honors Thesis.
Students who wish to enroll in the honors program must have a 3.5 grade-point average. The undergraduate studies director will solicit a sample of the student's written work in Africana studies courses and two letters of recommendation from appropriate faculty.

Africana Studies Minor

The minor in Africana studies is designed to give students with majors in other fields a chance to have a supplementary discipline and focus which can combine their political, social, and academic interests as well as future professional concerns. Students develop their programs with the advice of departmental faculty. Students may, for example, take a history, sociology, literature, or economic concentration with the supervision of the Africana studies faculty.
A minimum of six courses (24 credits) is required:
1. Any course at the introductory (100 or 200) level.
2. At least two senior-level courses, one of which may be the senior seminar designed for majors.
3. All courses in fulfillment of the minor must be taken in the department.
4. Only one independent study course may be counted in fulfillment of requirements for the minor.

[ Table of Contents || Menu ]

Course Offerings


NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits and are offered every year.

AFST 101. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICANA STUDIES
Multidisciplinary survey of peoples of African descent in Africa and the diaspora (North and South America, Europe, Caribbean, and Asia). Introduction to theoretical materials and to non-Eurocentric perspectives. Social, economic, and political conditions of black communities; the preservation of African cultural elements in the New World; Africa's contribution to development of New World and to European and Asian cultures.

AFST 112 (also PLSC 112). CULTURAL FORCES IN WORLD POLITICS
The impact of values and world-views upon the behavior of groups and states; religion, language, class, ethnicity, race, gender, and ideology in their international implications. Analysis of both East-West relations and North-South tensions will be analyzed from the perspective of political culture-including an exploration into the cultural causes of war. A previous course about a non-Western culture is desirable.

AFST 153 (also ANTH 153). INTRODUCTION TO AFRICA
Human populations in Africa from origins to modern times. Geography, ecology, types of economies in relation to environment; traditional cultures, similarities and differences in social-political organization, kinship systems, village, town, community life; traditional state formation; trade, warfare, slavery, religious beliefs, values, aesthetics, cosmologies.

AFST 176 (also HIST 176). INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN HISTORY
African social, political, and economic history from the Pharaonic period to the mid-20th century. Social, political, and economic organization; religion and philosophy; education; women's roles and achievements; inter-African and international relations; slavery; internal and external migrations; resistance to European rule; nationalism; liberation movements; effects of European rule; problems of independence and post-independence; African peoples' contributions to civilization.

AFST 222 (also SOC 221). RACIAL STRATIFICATION IN THE U.S.
Primary emphasis on black Americans. Theories of racial stratification (viz: assimilation, white racism or prejudice, internal colony, social class comparison of these theories with historical experiences of black Americans). Attempts at black political organization and movements. Prerequisite: SOC 111.

AFST 226 (also SOC 226). SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Structural conditions that stimulate rise of social movements; social psychological factors that motivate individuals to support, ignore, or resist social movements; conditions that affect "career" and probability of success or failure of any particular movement. Social movements of present (women's movement, black revolt), recent past (civil rights movement, students' movement), or distant past (Utopian movements).

AFST 243 (also SOC 243). WORKERS AND WORKERS' MOVEMENTS
Life experiences and consciousness of workers in Africa, North America, Asia, and Western Europe. Conditions under which workers' movements develop overtly political orientation.

AFST 253 (also ANTH 253). CULTURES OF AFRICA
Peoples and cultures of Africa; selected ethnographic works. Diversity richness, complexity of traditional cultures; ecological or adaptive significance of certain customs and institutions; processes of change and growth in traditional African societies. Prerequisite: ANTH 166 (preferred), ANTH 111, or permission of instructor.

AFST 257 (also SOC 257). THE BLACK FAMILY
Examination of evolution of black family in the U.S. from its African roots to its contemporary composition in urban America. Emphasis placed on close relationship the black family has with different economic patterns and conditions. The African roots of the black family, male-female roles, socialization and the black child, single parent households, public policy, and the black family. Recent developments in the literature on the black family.

AFST 259 (also HIST 259). AFRICAN HISTORY TO 1860
Black social, political, economic life to 1876. Slavery, rise of urban northern black community, impact of Civil War and Reconstruction, patterns of black political and social thought.

AFST 267 (also PLSC 267). POLITICS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Examination of the various circumstances and force that have contributed to growth of nationalism in sub-Saharan Africa and the disparate forms of political organization and government to which it has given rise.

AFST 272 (also ENG 272). AFRO-AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1700 TO 1920
Explores development of African-American literature from 1700s to 1920s. Deals with such literary forms as slave narratives, essays, poetry, song, short story, drama, the novel.

AFST 282 (also ENG 282). AFRO-AMERICAN LITERATURE 1920 TO PRESENT
Introduces Afro-American literature from 1920s to present. Examines poetry, the novel, short story, and drama in the context of social, political, and literary developments. Topics include Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright and the Naturalists, the Black Arts Movement, and black women writers.

AFST 280-289. SPECIAL TOPICS

AFST 311 (also SOC 311). AFRICA IN WORLD SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE
Understanding the process of change in African sub-Saharan societies, mentalities, economies, and culture. Examined are: natural environment and other historical turning points; sociological heritage of so-called "traditional" societies; impact of Islam as a long-distance relationship with worlds of Mediterranean and Indian Oceans; organization of a western world economy based on Atlantic trade in slaves, then in raw materials; colonial imperialism; 20th century unrest, reactions, and problems.

AFST 313 (also SOC 313). SLAVERY, RACE, AND CULTURE
Sociological analysis of slavery as process of social and cultural change and of redefinition of social groups within the world economy. Draws on materials from United States, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Different experiences of slavery, impact on populations of African origin, response of these populations to slavery. Methodological and theoretical problems entailed in analyzing slavery.

AFST 350 (also ANTH 351). THE CONCEPT OF RACE IN WESTERN THOUGHT
Western attitudes toward human variation expressed in concept of "race." Probable origins, history, changing conceptualization of race and racial ideologies in context of rise and expansion of European industrial nations. How race has been reflected in science, literature, and popular thought; how notion of race has ordered and continues to order western culture and consciousness from arena of everyday life to contemporary science, the arts, religion, and law.

AFST 360 (also ANTH 360). AFRICAN SOCIETY IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Peoples and cultures of Africa; selected ethnographic works. Diversity, richness, complexity of contemporary cultures; ecological or adaptive significance of customs and institutions; processes of change and incorporation of African societies into the world economic system. Prerequisite: ANTH 166 (preferred) or ANTH 111. Recommended prerequisite: ANTH 253.

AFST 374 (also ANTH 375). ARCHAEOLOGY OF AFRICA
Covering the period from the earliest archaeological traces (ca. 2 million years ago) through the rise of complex polities in the last millennium, this course traces the complexity of human social and cultural development in the African continent with an emphasis on Africa south of the Sahara. Emphasis will be placed on how archaeologists approach reconstruction of the African past and on critical evaluation of archaeological interpretation. Prerequisite: ANTH 111, 125, 167, or permission of instructor.

AFST 375 (also HIST 375). MUSLIM SOCIAL HISTORY TO THE 19th CENTURY
Survey of evolution and development of selected Asian (Middle Eastern) and African Muslim societies from seventh to 19th century. Social structure institutions, and concepts of Muslim societies. Prerequisite: at least sophomore standing. Recommended prerequisite: completion of basic course in history, sociology, or anthropology.

AFST 376 (also HIST 376). ISLAM IN AFRICA
Political and cultural impact of Islam on eastern, central, and western Africa to 20th century. Methods of Islamization, relations with indigenous cultures of northern Africa, state-building, intellectual tradition.

AFST 380-389. SPECIAL TOPICS

AFST 390 (also ENG 390). TOPICS IN BLACK LITERATURE
Specialized and advanced topics in the literature of black peoples: Harlem Renaissance, African women writers, black novelists, etc. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.

AFST 391 (also ENG 391). MODERN AFRICAN LITERATURE
Study of prose and poetry of contemporary Africa. Introduction to African oral literature; writers who combine both oral and written forms in their works; contemporary authors; current experiments in film. Emphasis on representative authors of major regions; West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa.

AFST 393 (also ENG 393). MAJOR BLACK WRITERS
Broadens the scope of the students' understanding of literature by exposure to major black writers. Corrects the definition of "major writer" as being either American or European, white and/or male; examines the literary politics of canon formation and composition. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing and three courses in literature.

AFST 394 (also ENG 394). BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
Examines the specifics of black women's writing cross-culturally (Afro-American, Caribbean, African, Brazilian, black British, etc.). Attention to the multiple meanings of black womanhood as represented in literature and in theoretical works. Feminist theory by women of color forms an important counterpoint and ideological backdrop to literary explorations. Examines the social construction of gender and social hierarchies as confronted by black women writers.

AFST 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY / half course
Meets special needs and interests of advanced students
on tutorial or seminar basis. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

AFST 410A (also ANTH 410). WOMEN OF THE THIRD WORLD: AFRICA / variable credit
Lives of women in selected cultures in Africa: how these women view their lives both in traditional and in modern settings. How do women react to increasing modernization and social change? What strategies have women developed for coping with unpredictable changes? What, if any, alterations are occurring in women's roles vis-a-vis men? Are women active agents of social change, or passive recipients being molded by and to changing social order? Prerequisites: one sociocultural anthropology course and junior standing.

AFST 445 (also PLSC 445). COMPARATIVE BLACK POLITICAL THOUGHT
Historical and contemporary theories of liberation expounded by theoreticians from an Afrocentric perspective; pan-pigmentationism theories and political movements concerned with questions of slavery, colonialism, and racial oppression; pan-proletarianism theories and political movements concerned with questions of economic justice within countries and worldwide. Prerequisite: one course in comparative or international politics.

AFST 480-489. SPECIAL TOPICS

AFST 490. SENIOR SEMINAR
Advanced general survey and analysis of critical problems in Africana studies. Prerequisite: senior standing.

AFST 495. SPECIAL TOPICS as needed
Intensive study of particular topics to be announced in advance. May be repeated for credit if different topic offered.

AFST 499. HONORS THESIS
Honors essay for seniors, under supervision of faculty member. Prerequisite: approval must be given by director of undergraduate studies and the faculty member concerned.

[ Table of Contents || Menu ]