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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