African Studies

This course introduces students to fiction and other critical and cultural perspectives from the postcolonial world.  This course discusses selected texts from postcolonial Africa, beginning with examining what Ngugi wa Thiong’o has called the “struggles to move the centre”—that is, the political and cultural struggles to “correct the imbalances of the last four hundred years” of colonization. The course then turns to fictional writings and other cultural texts that come out of various decolonization struggles in Nigeria, Algeria, Kenya, and South Africa.  The course seeks to answer the question: Why should these texts and ideas matter to us today?
 

This course uses a regional approach to highlight the main areas of conflict on the African continent. Using a reading grid based on an understanding of the spatial logics of actors in conflict, drawn from both history and the analysis of very contemporary phenomena and current events, this course differentiates between types of space and isolates their more or less belligerent characteristics. Drawing extensively on geography and the sociology of actors (polemology), this geopolitical analysis of the African continent uses methodological tools such as cartography and satellite imagery, as well as numerous readings, to review all of the continent's conflict zones. Examples highlight the use of geopolitical reasoning by political, military, and humanitarian decision-makers, as well as by economic players.

This is a basic course in Asante Twi for beginners covering the Twi alphabet and sounds; verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, postpositions, and interrogatives; and simple expressions such as greetings, numbers, days of the week, etc. Part B continues the basic study of the language, reading and writing, and everyday conversational skills with practical study in market places, restaurants, etc.

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.

This course examines the influence of colonizer religions on countries in Africa and how these religions are used in political relationships between African countries, specifically Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria. It primarily focuses on Islam and Christianity but also includes indigenous religions found in various regions. Topics include missions and colonization, African Pentecostalism, political Islam and radical movements, and Islamo-Christian relations.