An interdisciplinary minor, African and African Diaspora Studies is an integrative program intended to deepen students' understanding of a region of the world, and of widely dispersed cultural traditions, that are of increasing significance to global economics, health policy, international development, and Christian theology. A broad choice of courses is offered, making it possible to adapt the minor to a variety of major programs in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. The minor program encompasses study both of Africa and its peoples and of the dispersal of Africans to Europe and the Americas through forced migration and voluntary immigration. Accordingly, students may choose one of the two tracks: one that focuses on Africa (Track 1) and the other on the African Diaspora, primarily in the New World (Track 2). M. Ntarengwi of the Sociology Department serves as Interim Director of the AADS minor; J. Bascom (Geography), D. Hoekema (Philosophy), and A. Patterson (Political Science; Director of Ghana program in fall semester 2008), serve as advisors for this program.
English 283: African American Literature
History 241: Africa from Antiquity to 1700
Philosophy 279: African Politics
LTCL 101: Elementary Swahili
THE MINOR REQUIRES:
1. Four courses from one of the two tracks as listed below.
TRACK 1: AFRICA
Art 245: African and Oceanic Art
Geography 242: African Geography
History 241: Africa from Antiquity to 1700
History 242: African History: 1800 to the Present
English 318: African Literature
Philosophy 226: African Thought and Culture
Political Science 279: African Politics
LCTL (Less Commonly Taught Languages) 101: Elementary Swahili
French 219: Francophone Literature of Africa and the African Diaspora
The following courses offered through the Semester in Ghana program:
STGH 217: West African Literature and Drama
STGH 280: Government and Development in Africa
Other courses, including on-campus or off-campus Interim courses,may be counted toward the minor requirements with the approval of a program advisor.
TRACK 2: AFRICAN DIASPORA
History 255: African American History
English 283: African American Literature
Sociology 252: African Diaspora in the Americas
Sociology 303: Anthropology of Religion
French 219: Francophone African and Caribbean Literature
Other courses, including on-campus or off-campus Interim courses,may be counted toward the minor requirements with the approval of a program advisor.
2. One additional course from the opposite track.
3. IDIS 391; Seminar in African and African and Diaspora Studies
No more than one language instruction course, and no more than two Interim courses, may be counted toward the requirements for the minor.
LCTL 101 Elementary Swahili I
This course is an introduction to spoken and written Swahili. The course is designed for students with no previous experience with the language. It will expose them to the people and cultures of Swahili-speaking countries and enable them to learn elementary spoken Swahili as well as basic grammar concepts needed to communicate with Swahili-speaking peoples in East Africa. Students will develop a deeper understanding of East Africa through exposure to film, art, culture, journalistic interviews, history, and literature. No prerequisites.
LCTL 102 Elementary Swahili II
This course continues the study of Swahili grammar with equal emphasis on improving conversational proficiency and on reading and writing Swahili. Students will gain more insight into the cultures of Swahili-speaking peoples. Prerequisite: LCTL 101 or permission from the instructor after testing.
LCTL 201 Intermediate Swahili I
This course concentrates on developing communicative skills to enable the learners to engage in meaningful verbal interactions with other Swahili speakers. In order to achieve this goal, most lessons are task-based, both pedagogic and real-life tasks. Activities such as role-play, creating sample materials, discussion, story telling, describing scenes, and studying authentic cultural objects are used. Reading and writing passages are carried out as would be in a Swahili-speaking community. Prerequisite: LCTL 102, or permission of the instructor.
LCTL 202 Intermediate Swahili II
A continuation of 201, this course concentrates on developing communicative skills to enable the learners to engage in meaningful verbal interactions with other Swahili speakers. In order to achieve this goal, most lessons are task-based, both pedagogic and real-life tasks. Activities such as role-play, creating sample materials, discussion, story telling, describing scenes, and studying authentic cultural objects are used. Reading and writing passages are carried out as would be in a Swahili-speaking community. Prerequisite: LCTL 201 or permission of the instructor.
IDIS 391 Senior Seminar in African and African Diaspora Studies
This course covers the parallel and simultaneously unique stories of Africa and the African Diaspora from the common colonial histories to the contemporary issues and transformative movements of today. From Africa to the West, colonialization and neo-colonialization have formed the historical and social context from which racialized gender representations, identity, and resistance have emerged. Drawing on the fields of sociology, history. anthropology, political science, economics, philosophy, and theology, this course utilizes a Christian lens 'to explore and critique those colonial/neo-colonial roots as well as current issues, social movements, economic development, and the role of the church in transformative efforts in Africa and in the Diaspora. Special attention is paid to critical theory, the neo-colonial social context, its operational impact, globalization, and means for social change. Class discussion and structure, in keeping with the course's purpose as an integrative seminar, derives from interactions with the texts, guest lectures, theories, and ideologies. The course carries an honors option (to be arranged with the professor). Prerequisites: Three courses from the African or African Diaspora minor (at least two of which must be in areas other than language or literature) or approval of the instructor.
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