Encountering Africa
Prerequisite: Completion of HONR 101, HONR D101, HONR 102, and HONR D102; Restricted to students in the Honors Program.
This course introduces students to various regions in Africa and some of the fundamental components of African civilizations as they have evolved historically and persist in the modern world. These might include classical African civilizations, origins of the slave trade, agriculture, ethnicities, colonialism, nationalism, the modern state.
Outcomes: Students will learn different methods of interpreting cultural, economic, political, and social forces, and their impact on human behavior; They will become aware of variations in human identities and values, ideas of justice, and shared understandings in unfamiliar cultures.
Prerequisite: Completion of HONR 101, HONR D101, HONR 102, and HONR D102; Restricted to students in the Honors Program.
This course introduces students to various regions in Africa and some of the fundamental components of African civilizations as they have evolved historically and persist in the modern world. These might include classical African civilizations, origins of the slave trade, agriculture, ethnicities, colonialism, nationalism, the modern state.
Outcomes: Students will learn different methods of interpreting cultural, economic, political, and social forces, and their impact on human behavior; They will become aware of variations in human identities and values, ideas of justice, and shared understandings in unfamiliar cultures.
Prerequisite HONR 101, HONR D101, HONR 102, HONR D102. Restricted to students in the Honors Program
Tier 2 Societal Knowledge
Global Studies
Islamic World Studies
Restricted to Students in the Honors Program.
This course introduces students to Francophone literatures of Africa. It proposes to analyze a selection of important literary texts (novel, short story, poetry, and essays) and films by representative authors, in their historical and cultural contexts: Negritude, (post)colonialism, new African voices within and beyond the continent. It also underscores African perspectives on the universal challenges and complexities of immigration, gender and sexuality, religion, activism, and community building. The ultimate aim of the course is to forge students¿ critical capacity to resist simplistic popular understandings of what is taking place on the continent and works to refocus their attention on distinctively African perspectives.
Spring 2023 Course Description:
This course introduces students to contemporary history, culture, politics and society of sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on various disciplines including anthropology, sociology, history, and political science as well as different textual and audiovisual sources, this course explores the formation, advances and challenges of Africa since colonialism to the modern day. Topics include colonialism and its legacy, democratization and authoritarianism, economic development and international donors, ethnicity and religion, urbanization and social challenges, role of women in society, as well as media and movie industry in the region.
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