Afro American Studies Courses [163-795]

[005-159] [163-795]

AFRO 163. Black Experience in the Caribbean. 3 crs. This course is a detailed historical analysis of the African experience in the Caribbean Basin from the 16th century to the present. Political, sociological, economic and cultural issues in the Caribbean are explored. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

AFRO 175. Preparation for Practicum. 3 crs. This course examines research methods with emphasis on the steps required to design a scientific study including archival and survey data collection techniques, e.g., document analysis, participant observation, survey design and field interview techniques. Prerequisite: Junior standing, majors only.

AFRO 176. Practicum-Fieldwork. 6 crs. Required of all majors, this component of the field work program affords students opportunities to merge theory with practical aspects of their chosen areas of concentration by interning for one semester with selected organizations outside of the University. Prerequisites: AFRO 175 or AFRO 775, senior standing, majors only.

AFRO 185. Black Women in America. 3 crs. This course is a critical analysis of the historical involvement of black women in American institutions—education, religion, politics, social reconstruction. It also highlights the linkages to black women in Africa and the Caribbean.  AFRO 191. Comparative Slavery: An Introduction. 3 crs. This course is a survey of various systems of chattel slavery—the Near East, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Examined are the economic, social and cultural factors which contributed to the rise and decline of slavery in different parts of the world. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. (This course satisfies the Divisional Studies C requirement. 

AFRO 192. The Harlem Renaissance. 3 crs. This course reviews the Harlem Renaissance Movement from 1910 to 1945, the first era in Afro-American literary and social history in which black writers emerged as distinct political voices in the arts. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

AFRO 193. Literature and Politics of the Caribbean. 3 crs. This course is a sociological examination of the ideologies, themes and concerns expressed by Caribbean writers, with particular reference to the socio-political context in which their literature was produced. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

AFRO l95. Comparative Black Literature I. 3 crs. This course is a survey of the creative literature of black writers in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa, with critical attention given to the social and cultural environments from which they emerged. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

AFRO 196. Comparative Black Literature II. 3 crs. This course examines the relationship between the creative literature of black authors in the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa and their socio-political life as reflected in drama, novels, poetry, essays. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

AFRO 197. Black Thought in the Diaspora. 3 crs. This course is an examination of the cultural, historical, and political origins of Pan-Africanism and other black systems of thought. Topics for analysis include ideologies of early black political and social organizations. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

AFRO 198. Contemporary Black Poetry. 3 crs. This is a survey of Black American poetry from the mid-1960s to the present. Attention is given to the folk and cultural basis of poetry with special emphasis on the place of poetry in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and early 1970s. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

AFRO 199. Black Aesthetics. 3 crs. This course examines the artistic ideas and values found in Africa and traces their reappearance and transformation in the religions and philosophies of African-American cultural life. The aesthetics of the plastic, visual and performance arts are explored. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

AFRO 775. Preparation for Practicum-Writing. 3 crs. This is a writing intensive course on research methods. Emphasis is placed on the steps required to design a scientific study which include data collection techniques, e.g., archival documentation, participant observation, survey design and field interview techniques. Prerequisites: Junior standing and “C” or better in Freshman English 003 or 004. 

AFRO 795. Comparative Black Literature-Writing. 3crs.  This writing intensive course compares selected literary works of black writers of North America, the Caribbean and West Africa. Students are required to express in writing their reactions to assignments involving novels, poems, dramas and essays, stressing their similarities and differences. Prerequisite: “C” or better in Freshman English 003 or 004.