African Studies Courses

AFST 101. Introduction to Contemporary Africa. 3 crs. A general introduction to contemporary Africa, its people, and their relations with people in other parts of the world. The course includes a survey of important political, economic and social issues shaping the African continent.

AFST 102. Science, Technology, and African Development. 3 crs. A general survey course designed to examine Africans contributions to science and technology and contemporary needs in science and technology for development.

AFST 105. African Languages and Cultures. 3 crs. A survey of African languages and their classification. Characteristics of the language families of Africa will be described and the relation of language to conceptual systems and logic will be analyzed. Prerequisite: AFST 001, or consent of the instructor.

AFST 106. Foundation to African Studies. 3 crs. A general introduction to the scope, basic concepts, and methods of African Studies and a survey of the history, major themes, and current trends of the field. Prerequisite: AFST 101 or equivalent.

AFST 111. African Systems of Thought. 3 crs. An introduction to the nature, and variety of African religious, political, social and cultural systems of thought, with emphasis on the connections among them, their impact on African definitions, problems, and their interactions with emerging formations such as African feminism. Prerequisite: AFST 101 or equivalent.

AFST 121. Environment and Society in Africa. 3 crs. A general survey of Africa’s conditions and their effects on societal efforts to overcome poverty. Prerequisite: AFST 101 or equivalent.

AFST 131. African Cultural Formation and Identities. 3 crs. A comparative examination of emerging and changing patterns of culture and definitions of identity in urban Africa and in selected communities outside Africa. Prerequisite: AFST 101 or equivalent.

AFST 141. African Development and Underdevelopment. 3 crs. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of African development problems, based on an integration of economic, historical, socio-cultural, political, and philosophical perspectives. Prerequisite: AFST 101.

AFST 156. Introduction to African Literature. 3 crs. A general introduction to the oral and written literatures of Africa, with emphasis on their formal and aesthetic properties and their sociopolitical and cultural significance for contemporary African societies. Prerequisite: AFST 101.

AFST 157. Literature, Film and Society in Africa. 3 crs. An examination of the modes and dynamics of interaction between literature, oral and written, and film, and the social, political, and cultural significance of these media of creative and intellectual expression in contemporary African societies. Prerequisite: AFST 101; AFST 156.

AFST 182. Seminar in Regional Studies. 3 crs. A research seminar on specific socioeconomic and political issues of a selected African region, designed to introduce students to the methodology of regional studies and to increase their familiarity with a given region of the continent. Prerequisite: AFST 101, or equivalent.

AFST 183. Internship in African Studies. 3 crs.  This course offers students an opportunity to apply their knowledge of Africa by serving one semester internships with public or private organizations conducting African related work. Prerequisite: AFST 101.

AFST 191. Senior Colloquium. 3 crs. A seminar on selected themes and topics in African Studies designed to highlight the interdisciplinary focus of the field and to prepare students for the senior comprehensive examination. Prerequisite: AFST 101, AFST 102, or senior status.

AFST 195. Internship in African Studies. 3 crs. This course offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of Africa by serving one semester internships with public or private organizations conducting African related work. Prerequisite: AFST 101.