AAA File

African and African-American Studies

Program Adviser: Ralph Austen, P 214, 702-8344

Program Coordinating Committee: Andrew H. Apter, Chairman, H 318,
702-7735; Ralph Austen, P 214, 702-8344; Edgar G. Epps, J 328,
702-1578; Kenneth Warren, Cochairman, G-B 429, 702-9761

Program Office: P 226, 702-0902

Program of Study

The Bachelor of Arts concentration in African and African-American Studies provides a context in which College students might examine African and African-American cultures and communities from a rigorous, interdisciplinary perspective. Its intellectual justification lies in the direction taken by African and African-American studies over the past few years, which has been characterized by a growing insistence on the integrity and coherence of the links (historical, sociocultural, and experiential) between Africa and its diasporas.

Program Requirements

The concentration requires a B.A. thesis and eleven courses distributed according to the following guidelines:

1. Six basic courses dealing with African and African-American materials. These must include the three-quarter African civilization sequence and a combination of three courses in African or African-American subjects approved by the Program Coordinating Committee. Since the African civilization sequence is used to fulfill a program requirement, students should take another civilization sequence to satisfy their Common Core requirement. The remaining three courses are to be selected from other offerings listed by the committee in any year.

2. Three courses in the social sciences and/or the humanities relevant to African and African-American studies. The courses require approval by the Program Coordinating Committee and should contribute to the overall coherence and integrity of a student's program of study. Courses in a language such as Portuguese, Arabic, French, or Swahili may be used to satisfy this requirement. Students may also learn an African language such as Zulu under the auspices of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, through which the necessary arrangements can be made. The Common Core language requirement must still be satisfied.

3. Two reading courses, taken during the student's final year, to prepare a B.A. thesis. Students are required to write the B.A. thesis under the supervision of a faculty member approved by the Program Coordinating Committee. The committee must approve the proposed paper topic by the end of the autumn quarter of the final year.

It is expected that the Common Core requirements in the social sciences are completed before a student enters the program. A student who has not done so should complete them during the first year of the program.

Each student in the program has an adviser who is a member of the program faculty, listed below, or a lecturer appointed for his or her special knowledge of African or African-American subjects.

Summary of Requirements

Concentration 3 SocSci 225-226-227 (Introduction to African Civilization I, II, III)

3 approved African or African-American courses

3 relevant courses in the social sciences and/or humanities

2 reading courses

- B.A. thesis

Grading. All courses must be taken for a quality grade.

Honors. The B.A. with honors is awarded to all students who meet the following requirements: a grade point average of at least 3.0 overall and 3.25 in the concentration, and a grade of A- or above on the thesis.

Faculty

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, Assistant Professor, Department of English

ANDREW H. APTER, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and the College; Chairman, Committee on African & African-American Studies

RALPH A. AUSTEN, Professor, Department of History, Committee on African & African-American Studies, and the College

LAUREN BERLANT, Associate Professor, Department of English

JAMES E. BOWMAN, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Committees on Genetics and African & African-American Studies, and the College

JEAN COMAROFF, Bernard E. and Ellen C. Sunny Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Anthropology; Committee on Human Nutrition & Nutritional Biology, Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science & Medicine, and the College; Committee on African & African-American Studies; Chairman, Department of Anthropology

JOHN L. COMAROFF, Harold H. Swift Distinguished Service Professor, Departments of Anthropology and Sociology and the College, Committee on African & African-American Studies

MICHAEL DAWSON, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Committee on African & African-American Studies, and the College

EDGAR G. EPPS, Marshall Field Professor, Department of Education; Cochairman, Committee on African & African-American Studies

JOHN A. GOLDSMITH, Professor, Department of Linguistics

GENE B. GRAGG, Professor, Departments of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations and Linguistics, Oriental Institute, and the College

WENDY GRISWOLD, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Committee on the History of Culture, and the College

THOMAS HOLT, Professor, Department of History and the College

LOREN KRUGER, Associate Professor, Department of English Language & Literature and the College

DAVID LAITIN, Professor, Department of Political Science and the College; Director, Center for the Study of Politics, History, and Culture

DONALD N. LEVINE, Peter B. Ritzma Professor, Department of Sociology and the College

INGRID MONSON, Assistant Professor, Department of Music

SALIKOKO S. MUFWENE, Professor, Department of Linguistics; Chairman, Department of Linguistics

DOLORES G. NORTON, Professor, School of Social Service Administration

JULIE SAVILLE, Associate Professor, Department of History and the College

DAVID SCOTT, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology and the College

RONALD SINGER, Robert R. Bensley Professor, Departments of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Anthropology and Committees on Evolutionary Biology and African & African-American Studies

RAYMOND T. SMITH, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology

KENNETH WARREN, Associate Professor, Department of English Language & Literature and the College; Cochairman, Committee on African & African-American Studies

Courses

An asterisk (*) denotes general courses with more than half the content directly devoted to African and/or African-American materials. For additional course offerings, see the Program Coordinating Committee or program adviser.

African and African-American Studies

*AfAfAm 201-202-203. The African Diaspora I, II, III.

AfAfAm 201. The African Diaspora I: Musical Systems of the African Diaspora (Cuba and the Caribbean). R. Moore. Autumn.

AfAfAm 202. The African Diaspora II: Race, Class, and Nationalism in the Caribbean. L. Derby. Winter.

AfAfAm 203. The African Diaspora III. Rethinking The African Diaspora (=Anthro 313-3). A. Apter. Spring.

Anthropology

*212/336. Intensive Study of a Culture: The Tswana, Past and Present (=AfAfAm 205, Anthro 212/336). J. Comaroff. Not offered 1997-98; will be offered 1998-99.

212/406. Intensive Study of a Culture: Yoruba (=AfAfAm 204, Anthro 212/406). A. Apter. Not offered 1997-98; will be offered 1998-99.

*Anthro 213/453. Modern Readings in Anthropology: Explorations in Oral Narrative (The Folk Tale). J. Fernandez. Autumn.

Anthro 251/451. Anthropology of the Body. J. Comaroff. Spring.

*Anthro 306-1,-2,-3. Introduction to African Civilization I, II, III (=SocSci 225-226-227, Anthro 306-2=LL/Soc 266). J. L. Comaroff, Autumn; A. Apter, Winter; R. Austen, Spring.

*Anthro 312. Imperial Cultures of India and Africa. B. Cohn, A. Apter. Autumn.

Anthro 313-1,-2,-3. The African Diaspora III (=AfAfAm 203). A. Apter. Spring.

Economics

Econ 221/321. Colonization, Servitude, and Slavery: The Early American Experience. D. Galenson. Winter.

Econ 270. International Trade. L. Sjaastad. Autumn.

Econ 296. Problems of Economic Policy in Developing Countries (=PubPol 286/375). L. Sjaastad. Winter.

Education

Educ 225/425. Education and Social Change in the Third World. J. Craig. Winter.

Educ 258/458. Research in Urban Education. E. Epps. Autumn.

Educ 281/381. Colonialism and Schooling (=Hist 290/390). J. Craig. Autumn.

*Educ 293. Race Relations: New Perspectives (=Sociol 210). E. Epps. Winter.

Educ 424. Race and Urban Education. E. Epps. Spring.

English

Eng 273. Contemporary African-American Literature and Culture (=GS Hum 220/320). E. Alexander. Spring.

Eng 275. The Harlem Renaissance (=AfAfAm 215, GS Hum 214). K. Warren. Winter.

History

Hist 202. Modern Africa. R. Austen. Autumn.

Hist 272/372. African-American History to 1877. J. Saville. Autumn.

Hist 273/373. African-American History since 1865. T. Holt. Winter.

Hist 275/375. Race and Racism in America. T. Holt. Spring.

Hist 293. The Diaspora II: Race, Class, and Nationalism in the Caribbean (=AfAfAm 202-2). L. Derby. Winter.

Hist 402. Colonialism/Globalism. R. Austen. Autumn.

Law, Letters, and Society

LL/Soc 243. American Law and the Rhetoric of Race (=Law 598). D. Hutchinson. Winter.

Linguistics

LngLin 370. Structure of African-American English. S. Mufwene. Winter.

LngLin 442-3-4. Elementary Swahili I (=AfAfAm 208-9-10). K. Peterson. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Music

*Music 231/331. Jazz. R. Wang. Winter.

Public Policy

PubPol 286/375. Problems of Economic Policy in Developing Countries (=Econ 296). L. Sjaastad. Winter.

Social Sciences

*SocSci 225-226-227. Introduction to African Civilization I, II, III (=Anthro 306-1,-2,-3, Anthro 306-2=LL/Soc 266). J. L. Comaroff, Autumn; A. Apter, Winter; R. Austen, Spring.

Sociology

*Sociol 210. Race Relations: New Perspectives (=Educ 293). E. Epps. Winter.