Africana Studies (AFST)
Interdisciplinary introduction to the study, research, and interpretation of historical, cultural, social and political knowledge of African American, African, and Caribbean peoples examining contemporary black identities, politics, and culture, particularly focusing on the role and place of blacks in modern American cities through exploration of international migrations, race relations, and 20th-century cultural movements, including civil rights, social protest music, art and literature. Addresses the cultural, historical, political, economic, and psychological consequences of the dispersal of Africans from their ancestral continent to the United States and the Caribbean and the impact of the cultures of West and central Africa in the United States and the Caribbean, through oral narratives, music, art, festivals, foodways, clothing, hairstyles, dance, and religious belief systems. Introduces literary and political movements including Pan-Africanism, black feminism, Negritude, Harlem Renaissance, and other activities reflecting shared theories, ideologies and political movements of Africans, African Americans and Caribbean blacks.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Although often considered homogenously white, Europe's population is and always has been racially diverse. This diversity is the culmination of centuries of colonialist interventions around the globe, particularly in Africa and the West Indies. This course will explore the history and contemporary reality of this population diversity, with a particular focus on the African diaspora in Europe. Beginning with Europe's simultaneous expulsion of Jews and Muslims and "discovery" of Caribbean islands in 1492, the students will trace Europe's colonial history in Africa and the West Indies that ultimately resulted in return migration of current and former African colonial subjects to multiple metropoles in Europe. Students will then focus on the experiences of the African Diaspora in Europe, broadly, and in five countries (Britain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, and Italy) before addressing contemporary debates (the racialization of Muslims as the "new Blacks" in Europe, citizenship laws within and across the EU, and anti-racist movements) and concluding with discussion of the future of race and Africans in Europe.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Social Science
Typically Offered: Alternate Years
American scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois famously wrote, the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line. This course will examine the struggle to break down the color line, from the nadir of the early 1900s through the peak of activism in the 1950s and 60s and up to today. We will analyze the leaders who were out in front, learn about those at the grassroots who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and consider the thoughts and tactics of the Black Americans and their allies who organized to create a more democratic civil society. We will read secondary and primary sources, speeches, memoirs, and court cases, and work to understand the intersection of people and politics. Perhaps most importantly, looking at the struggle in its many contexts will provide a framework to discuss its legacy and how we see the color line today.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Historical Studies
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
GPA units: 1
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring