Courses of Instruction

BLACK WORLD STUDIES (BWS-Arts and Science)

MPF, MPT 151 Introduction to Black World Studies (4)

Introduces the Afrocentric perspective as it has developed in anthropology, history, political science, geography, sociology, religious studies, mass communications, theater, art, etc. Covers theories, research, methodologies, and practice of Africana studies. Students develop historical and contemporary understanding of the African Diaspora. IIC, IIIA, H.

156 Introduction to Africa (4)

A survey course designed to introduce students to Africa's varied and complex history and culture. It approaches the study of Africa from a political economy perspective as well as situates it within the context of global developments.

MPF 209 Civilization of Africa (3)

Survey of cultural, political, economic, and social developments in sub-Saharan Africa, viewed in geographical and historical perspective with attention to images of the area prevalent in our society. Cross-listed with ATH, GEO, HST, and REL 209. IIIB, H.

MPT 210R Race and Ethnicity (3)

Relies on a variety of primary evidence to study how the Greeks and Romans defined race and ethnicity and how they defined themselves as individual peoples when they confronted cultures and peoples distinctly different from themselves. Examination of the relationship between current theories of race and ethnicity and the theories and practices of the Greeks and Romans. Cross-listed with CLS 210R.

MPT 221 African-American History (3)

Survey of African-American history, concentrating upon the black experience in the United States. Black America from African origins to the 20th century. Cross-listed with HST 221.

MPF 224 Africa in History (3)

Survey course focusing on the changing historiography of Africa, African ancient civilizations, the emergence and development of the Bantu and Nilotes, Eastern Africa and the Orient, early Christianity and Islam, trans-Saharan trade, the medieval Sudanic Empires, statelessness and state formation, Africa and the West between 1400 and 1800, South Africa to 1870, the Mfecane, the Sudanic Jihads, long-distance trade, and African-European relations in the 19th century. Cross-listed with HST 224. IIB, IIIB, H.

MPF 225 The Making of Modern Africa (3)

Survey of the transformation of Africa, south of the Sahara, from the time of the scramble for, and partition of, the continent among European powers in the second half of the 19th century to the present. Emphasizes economic, social, cultural, political, and intellectual features. This is done through reading monographs, articles, and literary works (novels, plays, poems, etc.) on African experiences with colonialism, the rise and triumph of nationalism, African womanhood, popular culture and the experiences of change, and the rise and nature of post-colonial economic and political crises in the region. Cross-listed with HST 225. IIB, IIIB, H.

265 Penny Lecture Series (1)

Weekly lectures given by different Black World Studies Affiliates. Credit/No Credit.

267 National Cinemas: African Film (3)

Explores the cinematography of Black Africa. Topics may vary but the focus will be given to social and ideological implications of African cinema and the way films produce a critique of cultural mores. Cross-listed with FST 267.

MPT 301 Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa (4)

Analysis of physical and cultural features of that area south of the Sahara Desert. Cross-listed with GEO 301.

MPT 325 Identity, Race, Gender, Class (3)

Develops conceptual tools and critical perspectives that enable students to better understand and analyze the processes through which identities are constructed and experienced. Learning activities facilitate analysis of individual identities as experienced through the life cycle and across diverse cultural and subcultural contexts, and build a systematic understanding of the processes and dynamics through which identities and identity groups develop and interact. Cross-listed with ATH, LAS and WMS 325.

MPT 348 Race and Ethnic Relations (3)

Description and analysis of emergence and trends of minority relations in the U.S. Cross-listed with SOC 348.

362 Family Poverty (3)

Examines definitions, theories, causes and consequences of family poverty in the U.S. Identifies the extent and degree of U.S. poverty and demographic characteristics of those who are poor or likely to become poor. Consideration given to programs that reduce poverty and/or its negative effects, including those practiced in the past, those now practiced, and those that offer promise for improving the economic and social status of those who are poor. Costs and benefits of welfare and welfare reform and strategies for preventing poverty among future generations also discussed and evaluated. Prerequisite: FSW 295 or SOC 262. Cross-listed with FWS 362.

365 Civil War and Reconstruction Era (3)

Origins and growth of sectionalism with emphasis on the period after 1850, secession and Civil War, Federal and Confederate governments, Reconstruction, and foreign issues. Cross-listed with HST 365.

MPT 366 African Oral Traditions (3)

Explores interactions between language and culture among African peoples, especially sub-Saharan peoples. Surveys the indigenous languages of Africa, explores African meaning systems, and examines the uses of language in African societies. Cross-listed with ATH 366. Prerequisite: junior or senior status, or permission of instructor.

370 Selected Topics/Black World Studies (3; maximum 9)

These courses examine specific aspects of the research, theories, roles, status, and experiences associated with blacks in America and throughout the world.

MPC 370E Feminism and the Diaspora: U.S. Women of Color (3)

Concerns issues of language, history, geography, social-psychology, and culture for U.S. women of color (black, Asian-American, Latina, American Indian, and others). Includes works by and about women on gender, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and other differences. Cross-listed with WMS 370E.

381 African Lusophone Literature (3)

A focus on questions of gender, race, class and stereotypes in the African Lusophone countries. Taught in English. Prerequisite: Any literature course. Cross-listed with ENG/POR/ FST 381.

383 By or About (Afro-) Brazilian Women (3)

Addresses questions about gender, race, class and stereotype of women's bodies in 20th-century Brazil. Cross-listed with POR/ENG/WMS 383.

386 Race in U.S. History (3)

Examines the historical contexts within which major transformations in racial practices and policies have taken place and analyzes racialized customs and behaviors in the United States across time and place. Cross-listed with HST 386.

395 The American South to 1877 (3)

History of culture, society, and politics of the American South from 18th century to the end of reconstruction. Cross-listed with HST 395. Offered infrequently.

396 The American South Since 1877 (3)

Intensive study of the region since reconstruction. Expansion of cotton culture and industrialization; age of segregation; white and black cultures; modernization; desegregation. Cross-listed with AMS and HST 396. Offered infrequently.

410A Black Feminist Theory (3)

Examines black feminist theory from a variety of perspectives. Samples diversity of texts by theorists in the U.S. and the African Diaspora. Readings include both well known and lesser known thinkers/scholars as well as classic texts and newly published works. Cross-listed with WMS 410A and ENG 470A.

427 The American City Since 1940 (3)

Examination of the American city and its physical transformation since 1940. Studies how different experiences of the city are conditioned by issues of class, race, gender, culture. Cross-listed with ARC.

MPT 455/555 Race, Urban Change, and Conflict in America (3)

Since the 1960s, changes at both global and local levels have affected the American city. Traditional study of the city has not focused on race and the effect of such changes on race. Conflicts with racial undertones occur on a daily basis in most American cities. More often these are conflicts over production, distribution, and consumption of public and private goods and are manifest in the housing market, job market, and access to education and social services amongst others. This seminar focuses on race in urban America within the context of conflict and change. Cross-listed with GEO 455/555.

470 Social/Political Activism (3)

Provides students with the opportunity to explore how indigenous groups effect change in their communities. Cross-listed with SOC 470. Prerequisite: SOC 151 or BWS 151.

MPT 472 Race, Ethnicity & Aging (3)

Examines aging among U.S. minority and ethnic groups. Topics include theoretical perspectives, demographics, economics, health, social support, public policy and service delivery systems, and the role of culture in adaptation to aging. Prerequisite: (472) GTY 154; GTY 602 or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with GTY 472/572.

492 African & American Sexualities (3)

Drawing from post-structural theory, the cultural politics of sexuality within and across Africa and African American cultural formations will be examined. Through various instructional activities, upper level undergraduate students will critically critique the ways competing discourses on Christianity and Marxism shape the meaning(s) of sexualities of "black" color.

495 Modern African Environmental History (3)

Offers a multidisciplinary approach to the social, economic, and political aspects of environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa. Explores the utility of social science and historical analyses for understanding long-term changes in the region's environment. Concerned with the way the idea of development has been conceptualized and applied in the region in the last 100 or so years. Considers how Africans perceived and responded to environmental crises in the 20th century. Cross-listed with HST 495/595. Offered infrequently.

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