Africana Studies Major (B.A.)

Answers the questions: What has been the content of the Black experience and how has it changed over time? The economic, cultural, political and religious experiences of African-Americans are examined in traditional Africa, during slavery, after slavery in the rural South and in the present period of urban living.

Emphasizes independent developments in African civilization and the impact those developments have had on human progress.

Study of the traditional peoples and cultures; survey of contacts between Africa and the outside world with emphasis on colonialism, decolonization and the independence era.

Interaction between Black and White society in the United States and the nature of Black society and culture to 1865.

Continuation of AFAM 1213 from 1865 to post World War II.

Advances the student's knowledge of research design issues, statistical and computer applications to the research process. Concentrates more fully on applications of research in organizational settings.

Examines the interactions of the disciplines of law and social work, as well as interactions between lawyers and social workers and the relationships of ethics and law.

Selected topics in Africana Studies chosen by the instructor.

Review of major events and campaigns. The decade 1955-65 represents the temporal focus of the course, but the movement's 20th century antecedents and the period between 1965-68 are discussed; the period within which the movement was broadened in international perspective and transformed into a struggle for human rights. Goals and objectives of the struggle and the movement's impact on United States society are identified and evaluated.

Examines the philosophy of Black nationalism as it appears in the writings and speeches of major leadership figures in the African-American community in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The nationalism of Martin R. Delany, Alexander Crummell, Edward Wilmot Blyden, Bishop Henry McMeal Turner, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X is covered.

History of Black education from its origins in Timbuktu, Egypt and Ethiopia. Impact on Western civilization. Black colleges and universities; the Black student on the White campus. The Black scholar and the community; contributions of Black scholars to general knowledge. The myth of Black intellectual inferiority. Role of education in American society; educational innovation and improvement. Proposes models for urban education and its institutions, community involvement and community control. Preschool programs. Liberation schools.

Investigates the history and culture of the English, French and Spanish speaking Caribbean Islands and contemporary issues confronting these societies and their immigrant communities on the mainland. Literature and music, film and guest lectures augment classroom discussion.

Topics in North African History include pre-Arabia; Arabization and Islamization; Ottoman rule; North Africa since the Napoleonic invasion.

Critical examination of public institutions and public policy formation as it impacts on the welfare of the African-American community. Examines methods used by professionals, advocates and activists to improve responsiveness of public institutions to the legitimate needs of African-Americans.

An African-centered political system course. The salient economic, social and political variables involved with discussion of specific experiences. Examination of traditional background, colonial experience and post-independence era.

Analytical study of the impact of black participation in American political institutions and their responsiveness to the political demands of the Black community.

Historical development of American foreign policy in Africa. Analysis of the institutions and political and economic forces that shaped policy toward African countries and Africa's response to American foreign policy.

An interdisciplinary and comprehensive analysis of the special health problems and status of African-Americans and other ethnic populations. The state of health affairs for all ethnic and immigrant populations of the Africana Diaspora, and particularly African-Americans is especially precarious. The epidemiology of chronic disease, within these populations, will be researched. Programs to address the excessive differential in the health status of the African-American community with that of other ethnicities will be reviewed. Innovative national strategies and community-base programs will be examined.

Analysis of the anatomy of contemporary racism in the U.S. Examination of the socioeconomic structure, especially in the urban setting, as the dynamic creating and recreating institutional racism.

Methods of organizing Black communities to alter the responsiveness of institutions, assume control of them, or replace them. Heavy emphasis on the theories of power, politics and community control along with practical examples.

Study of mass media from a Black perspective. Covers a broad outline of the history of media and its developments, paralleling Black media and White media, and the impact each has had on the other and the institutions of our society.

This course will examine the African Diasporas in the United States in the post World War II era. It will, however, briefly examine immigration from the Caribbean in the early 20th Century. It will examine the new wave of immigration of blacks to the U.S. from Africa, the Caribbean and the rest of the World after the passage of less strict immigration laws in the 1960's. How did this new immigration of blacks change relations between the overall black population and the rest of the country? What are relationships like between the various black ethnic groups? What are their religious, social and political conditions? What kinds of relationships have they maintained with their home countries? What roles are the new black immigrant groups in the country playing in the relationships between African Americans and the people in their home countries?

This is an introductory level survey course that explores the social, cultural, and political factors that shaped the Black literary experience in the Americas, Africa and the Caribbean. Examining the work (poetry, prose, plays, and short stories) of contemporary mainland and diasporic authors, this course will be studied by major themes, some of which include post/colonial struggles, neo-colonialism, African and New World religions, culture (clash), race and racism, gender, materialism and spirituality.

Survey of the major developments in Black literature since the 19th century. Literature in view of social, political and cultural movements of African-Americans. Comparisons with some works of Africans throughout the diaspora. (Formerly ENGL 3613)

Black writings involved with social protest and as an outgrowth of social change. The Black writer as an outgrowth of social change, and as a "mover," directing himself to his own community. Richard Wright to Imamu Baraka and contemporary neo- African and pan-African writers. (Formerly ENGL 3614).

Harlem Renaissance (1920-40): the emergence of the "New Negro" and the impact of this concept on Black literature, art and music. Literary movements shaped by Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer compared to American writers of the "lost generation." Special emphasis on new themes and forms developed by the Harlem Renaissance writers. (Formerly ENGL 3617).

Introduction to some of the major African novelists and poets, such as Chinua Achebe, Camara Laye and Denis Brutus. Identification of recurring themes and comparisons of various writers¿ attitudes toward the themes. (Formerly ENGL 3616).

In-depth study of major African-American literary figures, their lives and major works. (Formerly ENGL 3615).

Explores the complex nature of the African system of thought concerning God, man, animate and inanimate things, and the meaning of religious experience in African society. The effect of Christianity and Islam on African religious thought.

A survey of the philosophy and world views of representative Black thinkers and cultures from ancient Africa through the contemporary societies of Africa and its Diaspora. (Formerly AFAM 2416).

A survey of the major institution for religious expression developed by African-Americans from its origins in slavery until the contemporary urban period. The social, economic and political role of the Black church as well as its cultural and religious functions are examined. (Formerly AFAM 2417).

From ideas to actual performances using music, dance and drama with student participation. (Formerly AFAM 1411).

Overview of African American material culture and visual arts from colonial times to the present, including painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture. Close analysis of visual representations will go hand in hand with a discussion of key texts in art history and critical theory. Topics include the effects of patronage, the influence of class, gender and sexual orientation. Special emphasis in exploring how transatlantic travel and dislocation affected continuity and transformation in African American art practice and beyond. Regular class attendance, reading, oral participation, and engagement in classroom, museum field and online are essential for successful completion of course.

Contemporary psychology and White racism. Consequences of being Black. Strengths of the Black community. Alternative psychological models. (Formerly AFAM 2314).

Analysis of historical and sociological perspectives of the Black man and woman as separate entities and as partners. Primary focus on the African-American experience. Myths and misconceptions. Contemporary issues: projects for the future. (Formerly AFAM 2317).

Special Topics- Subtitle-"Hip Hop in America"

Selected topics in Africana Studies chosen by the instructor.

Independent research under the supervision of the Africana studies faculty. Faculty assigned according to areas. (Formerly AFAM 3390).

Independent research under the supervision of the Africana studies faculty. Faculty assigned according to areas. (Formerly AFAM 3391).

Using the paradigms and wisdom of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, participants will learn the history of racism, sexism, classism, etc. and their impact on our institutions, socio-cultural processes and the behavior of individuals and social groups. We look at the civil rights movement in terms of its impact, organizations and its rhetoric. We will examine the role of privilege, macroaggressions, micro aggressions, the humanities and laws in shaping our policies, perceptions and interactions with and toward others. What are the requirements of the workplace for cultural competencies today? An outcome of this course will be that participants will be better equipped to be functional and accountable in their professional and personal relationships. An interdisciplinary group of faculty and business leaders will facilitate the learning modules.

Designed for Martin Luther King Jr. scholars. An exploration of the philosophical development of Martin Luther King Jr. Study of theories of leadership through examination of the history of multicultural leaders in the 19th and 20th centuries. Seminar faculty assist students in development of a research paper relative to seminar topics.

Study of the tradition of protest thought that has developed in the last century and a half in response to overseas expansion of Europe. Major emphasis on social theory of African and African American intellectuals such as Fanon, Nkrumah, Cabral, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvy, Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. DuBois.

This study abroad program in the Caribbean and the Americas will provide students with a unique opportunity to not only familiarize themselves with the literature of the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial Caribbean but it will also allow them to experience first-hand Caribbean and the Americas' culture and people, and provide a snapshot of the region's historical development. Literary (textual) experience will converge with on-site (lived) experience for an interesting and unique mix. Guest lectures by local specialists, in conjunction with visits to historical sites, such as museums and art galleries, will complement the program. For a sampling of the social and cultural make-up of the society, on site research into Caribbean popular culture will be integrated into readings and discussions. (Formerly AFAM 3320).

For advanced undergraduate students, an involvement in inner-city residents in researching neighborhood needs, demographic designs and collaborative problem solving. Problems, resources, city services and alternatives for change. Students assigned to groups in designated geographic areas, reflecting random sampling of socioeconomic and political life. (Formerly AFAM 3318).

Conducted by faculty members. Focuses on the synthesis of field experience and classroom study through preparation of a major research project.