Boyce-Davies, Carole, Professor, PhD, University of Ibadan
Laremont, Ricardo Rene, Assistant Professor, PhD, Yale University
Mazrui, Ali, Albert Schweitzer Chair,
DPhil, Oxford University
Muhammad, Akbar, Associate Professor, PhD, Edinburgh University
Nzegwu, Nkiru, Associate Professor, PhD, University of Ottawa
Okpewho, Isidore, Professor, PhD, University of Denver
Patterson, Tiffany, Assistant Professor, PhD, University of Minnesota
Thomas, Darryl C., Associate Professor and Chair, PhD, University of Michigan
Young, Cynthia, Assistant Professor, PhD, Yale University
Sharon Bryant, Assistant Professor
Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, Adjunct Professor
Juanita Diaz, Associate Professor
James A. Geschwender, Professor
Thomas Glave, Assistant Professor
Florence Lansana-Margai, Assistant Professor
William G. Martin, Professor
Martin J. Murray, Professor
Kelvin Santiago-Valles, Associate Professor
Dale Tomich, Professor
Robert White, Assistant Professor
Lisa Yun, Assistant Professor
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, art history, 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 people and cultures and those people 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 people and their descendants have been omitted or neglected.
The department attracts students of all ethnic backgrounds. Both minority and non-minority 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.
For the major, eight courses (32 credits) taken within the department are required. These should include:
1. AFST 101, Introduction to Africana Studies.
2. One introductory course in Africana studies (100-200 level).
3. One upper-level writing course in the humanities (300-400 level).
4. One upper-level writing course in the social sciences (300-400 level).
5. Four remaining courses chosen from departmental offerings or courses cross-listed with other departments.
Many 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 should also consider AFST 112, 232 and 240 as complementary study areas in the social sciences. For the humanities, recommended courses include AFST 272, 282 and 394.
Students must earn a grade of C or above in courses fulfilling the major requirements. Courses fulfilling major requirements may not be taken Pass/Fail.
Exceptional students majoring in Africana studies are 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 497, 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 solicits a sample of the student’s written work in Africana studies courses and two letters of recommendation from appropriate faculty.
The minor in Africana studies is designed to give students with majors in other fields a chance to have a supplementary discipline and focus that 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 Africana studies course at the introductory level (100 or 200).
2. 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.
TopAFST 101. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICANA STUDIES
Designed as a multidisciplinary survey of people of African descent in
Africa and African diaspora (North and South America, Europe, the Caribbean and
Asia). Introduction to academic arena that combines general intellectual
history, academic scholarship in social sciences and humanities, and
quintessential movement for fundamental change. Examines impact of migration
with reference to struggles for emancipation and abolition, rural-urban
migration and dispersal of people of African descent throughout globe, creating
global African phenomenon. Compares and contrasts civil rights movements, black
power movements and liberation movements in U.S., Caribbean, South Africa and
African continent. Analyzes European migration to Americas and impact on
development of African identity and culture, as well as reverse, i.e., African
presence and impact on American identity and culture. Concerned with
interconnections and linkages between Africa, Americas and Asia.
AFST 111 (also ARTH 111). INTRODUCTION TO WORLD OF AFRICAN ART
Introduction to basic ideas about art and art making in ancestral Africa:
concepts of nka, ona, neku, design consciousness and imagination.
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. 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.
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 221 (also ARTH 221). ICONS AND IMAGES OF THE AFRICAN WORLD
Explores concepts of the rites, performance and life force in understanding
the production of art in different African and African diasporic communities in
the 19th and 20th centuries.
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 232 (also HIST 232). AFRICA, EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS: 1400-1888
The African experience in the Atlantic world. Course begins with study of
African society in the 15th century, the encounter with Europe, the emergence of
the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its impact on Africa, Europe and the
Americas, and the formation of "new world" African cultures. Course
ends with examination of transition(s) to freedom and rise of an imperial world
order predicated on race.
AFST 233 (also HIST 233). AFRICA, EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS: 1830-1968
The African experience from the end of slavery to the mid-20th century.
Focus on development of colonialism in Africa, struggle for freedom and
democracy in Europe and the Americas, and creation of "black" cultures
and identities in the Atlantic world. Course ends with examination of
independence movements and struggle for civil society from end of World War II
to late 1960s.
AFST 235 (also HIST 235). MUSLIM PEOPLES
Cross-disciplinary survey of Muslim people from seventh to 20th century.
Part I introduces Islam as a religious, ethical, legal, social, political and
economic system. Part II surveys Muslim people and communities in Central Asia,
China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
South America, Sudan, Swahili-speaking East Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom
and the United States. Topics include ethnicity, gender, relations with the
West, legal and social reforms, internal Muslim/non-Muslim relations and Muslim
perceptions of the future.
AFST 240 (also LA&C 240, SOC 240, WOMN 240). WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE
U.S.
Examination of the diverse struggles (political, economic, social, legal,
etc.) of Asian, Native American, African American and Latin/Chicana women in the
U.S. and the ways in which public institutions and agencies (federal, state,
local) deal with women of color.
AFST 272 (also ENG 272). AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE TO THE 1920s
Development of African American literature from 1700s to 1920s. Deals with
such literary forms as slave narratives, essays, poetry, song, short story,
drama and the novel.
AFST 273. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN LITERATURE
Introduction to the major forms of literary activity on the African
continent. Begins with an examination of the oral literature, then moves to a
study of modern African creative writing through readings of some published
fiction, drama and poetry, paying close attention to the ways in which the
writers relate to the oral traditions.
AFST 280-289. SPECIAL TOPICS
AFST 282 (also ENG 282). AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE 1920 TO PRESENT
Introduces African American literature of the period through poetry, the
novel, short story and drama in the context of social, political and literary
developments. Topics include the Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright and the
Naturalists, the Black Arts Movement, black women writers.
AFST 311 (also SOC 311). AFRICAn WORLD SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
Understanding the process of change in African sub-Saharan societies,
mentalities, economies and culture. Examined are natural environment and major
historical turning points; sociological heritage of so-called
"traditional" societies; impact of Islam as a long-distance
relationship with worlds of Mediterranean and Indian Ocean; organization of a
Western world economy based on Atlantic trade in slaves, then in raw materials;
colonial imperialism; 20th century unrest, reactions, problems.
AFST 313 (also SOC 313). SLAVERY, RACE, AND CULTURE
Cross-cultural and socio-historical analysis of slavery and slave systems,
including redefinition of social groups within the world economy. Draws on
materials from United States and elsewhere where slavery took root and
developed. Different experiences of slavery, impact of slavery on populations of
African origin and on the formation of African and African-diaspora cultures;
response of these populations to slavery.
AFST 331 (also SOC 331). 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.
AFST 340 (also SOC 340). WOMEN AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Focuses on the interrelationships among gender, race/ethnicity, class and
sexual orientation/preference, and on how these influence the causes for which
juvenile and adult females are arrested and incarcerated in local jails, state
and federal institutions, immigration facilities, concentration camps and
juvenile detention centers. Also examines the types of offenses for which
juvenile and adult females are arrested, the punishment they receive and the
treatment they face once institutionalized. Attention given to how women respond
to the conditions of incarceration.
AFST 342 (also PLSC 342). URBAN POLITICS
Examination of competing explanations of urban politics. Topics include
immigration, melting-pot thesis, racial formation, world system analysis,
globalization and segmented labor theory. Exploration of extent to which
American cities have been receptive or hostile to recent immigrants/migrants.
Prerequisite: PLSC 111.
AFST 352 (also ARTH 352). INTERMEDIATE WORLD OF AFRICAN ART
Exploration of cultural and artistic issues in the works of 20th-century
African and African diasporic artists as shaped by major historical events in
Africa, Canada, Caribbean, South America and the United States. Prerequisites:
ARTH 111 or 221.
AFST 368 (also SOC 386). POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY
Impact of social structure and social psychological factors on political
attitudes and behavior of significant groups and strata. Structure of such
groups; social characteristics of leaders and members, analyzed in light of
sociological theory. Elites, intellectuals, students, women, ethnic and
religious groups.
AFST 371 (also SOC 371). THEORIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
How social theorists analyze large-scale social change; conceptions of
origins, structure, development of modern social systems, classes and social
groups; the state and bureaucracy; problems of rationalization and technology;
problems of theory and method. Special topics may include the "Rise of the
West" and origin and transformations of colonialism, neo-colonialism,
racism and women’s oppression.
AFST 373. THE AFRICAN NOVEL
Exploration of the development of the novel in Africa. Formal growth of the
genre from the oral narrative traditions of the continent, through its
attachment to European forms, to its present achievement in blending various
traditions in the articulation of key issues — such as colonialism and
post-colonialism, social and political crisis, and the role of women — in
contemporary African society.
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 377 (also HIST 377). WEST AFRICAN HISTORY, 16TH-20TH CENTURIES
Course divided into two parts. Part I, survey of West African history, deals
with social-political organization; trade; religion; kingdoms/empires/states;
interstate and interregional relations; relations with Asia, Europe and
Americas. Part II focuses on Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, and deals with
servility/slavery; ethnic relations; education; women’s activities; colonial
impact; government; post-independence relations with selected eastern and
western states and organizations.
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
A study of the prose and poetry of contemporary Africa. An introduction to
African oral literature; writers who combine both oral and written forms in
their works; contemporary authors; and current experiments in film. Emphasis on
representative authors of the major regions: West Africa, East Africa and
Southern Africa.
AFST 394 (also ENG 394). BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
Thematic and structural examination or prose and poetry written by black
American women. Comparative assessment of selected works by African and
Caribbean women writers.
AFST 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY var. cr.
Meets special needs and interests of advanced students on tutorial or
seminar basis. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
AFST 403 (also PLSC 403). ISLAM IN WORLD POLITICS
Factors behind the politicization of Islam, from theocratic tradition in
Islam to partition of India, from Jihad tradition to Islam’s confrontation
with Zionism over Palestine. The tensions among Islam, capitalism and
nationalism. Prerequisite: at least one course from among PLSC 319, 327, 375,
and 440.
AFST 410A (also WOMN 410). WOMEN OF AFRICA
Ethnographic explorations of the lives of women in Africa. How women
perceive and react to forces of modernization and change: strategies they use to
deal with increasingly complex and unpredictable social, economic and political
circumstances. Course orientation is comparative, analytical. Prerequisite: one
socio-cultural anthropology course.
AFST 422 (also PLSC 422). BLACK POLITICS IN AMERICA
Critical evaluation of fundamental concepts and propositions related to
black politics with U.S. political system. African American experience compared
to that of Latino, Irish and other ethnic and minority groups. Prerequisite: one
intermediate course in American politics.
AFST 435 (also PLSC 435). POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT
Political and social change and modernization in Third World; use of western
and communist models of modernization; analysis of selected transitional
systems. Prerequisite: one intermediate course in comparative or international
politics.
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 491. TEACHING PRACTICUM
Independent study through teaching in particular Africana course. Course
instructor directs students in preparation of syllabi, other course materials,
devising and reading examinations; lecturing and/or leading discussion; academic
counseling. May be repeated for a total of no more than eight credits. Credit
may not be earned in conjunction with course in which student is currently
enrolled. Does not satisfy major or all-college requirements. Prerequisite:
consent of instructor. P/F only.
AFST 495. INTERNSHIP PROJECT
Internship project under guidance of faculty member, in an institution,
agency or program. Written analytical term report of project work required.
Prerequisite: prior arrangement with and consent of chosen instructor. Four
credits of internship may be counted toward major.
AFST 497. ADVANCED INDEPENDENT STUDY
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.