University of Ghana, Legon

This course focuses on the history and culture of the Africans in the diaspora on the African continent (especially West Africa) and the Americas (North America, the Caribbean, and South America). The course examines major issues and conditions in Africa that sent many people into diaspora communities in Africa. Specific issues considered in this direction are those related to Islamic Jihads, Trans-Saharan Trade, Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Colonialism, and plantation slavery in West Africa, as these events led to the relocation and redistribution of African populations in Africa. Additionally, the course reviews archaeological evidence that provides insights into the historical experiences of the African Diaspora as seen from the Americas.

Ghana Society and Culture II is a follow-up to Ghana Society and Culture and builds upon the skills acquired in the first semester. This course is purely a Research class with three-week intensive field work in subject areas such as History, Political Science, Sociology, Geography, Public Health, Gender and Development and others. The course has 15 hours of lectures/seminar and over 80 hours of field interactions. 

This course examines the sociological approaches to the systematic analysis of law, its operation, and its significance in society. It studies law as a major social phenomenon related to other aspects of society and explores its pervasive influence on human behavior and society. Topics include the sociology of law; the justification of law; major foundational works on law and society; the social basis of law, including folkways and mores, law and culture, legal pluralism, living law and book law, traditional or customary law and modern law, approaches to the study of law, and legal positivism; the consensus perspective or law as an integrative mechanism; the conflict perspective or law, power, and ideological control; law as an instrument of social change; the acceptance and legitimacy of law; the professional guardians of law; judges, courts, and disputes; and the enforcement and invocation of law.

This course explores concepts of globalization and the advantages and disadvantages of globalization for such developing countries as Ghana, India, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Honduras, and Malaysia. It studies four different selections of literature that have been developed around the concept of globalization. The first set of selections defines the concept in terms of its relationship to the changing work force, technology and communications, culture, and finance. A second set debates the novelty of the various processes encoded in the concept of globalization. Another set debates the changing role and nature of the state in an era of globalization. A final set debates the issue of whether the economic prospects of the developing world indeed hinge on their full participation in the globalization process. The course also explores economic, political, and cultural perspectives on globalization.

This course offers an in-depth study of witchcraft and magic. Topics include the history of witch hunting; witchcraft in the Bible; witch meetings; cannibalism; the Black Mass; witches and devils; interpretations of European and American witchcraft and magic; modern African witchcraft and magic; activities of African witches; confessions of African witches; African witch hunting; witch doctors; the social setting of witchcraft and magic; and the future of witchcraft and magic.