(** Periodic required convocation attendance. There are several films scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 and Sundays at 2:15pm)

K. Gibel Azoulay

(Goodnow 306 Tel. 4324)

Office Hours: M-W-F 10-2  

Objectives of this course:

            The aim of this course is to introduce issues and themes related to the experiences of, and studies about, people and communities of the African Diaspora. The readings are particularly intended (1) to foster critical thinking about "race," "identity" and "communities of meaning" and (2) to introduce the political implications of constructing narratives about the African Diaspora.

Class Format

            Classes will usually begin with my introductory comments and then move into a general discussion of the assigned readings.  3-4 students will be responsible for leading the discussion, introducing key topics, themes or questions for discussion (including distributing a one-page outline of the main points to class). All students will be required to keep a weekly journal that critically engages with  the assigned readings and films.

Course Requirements

This course aims to sharpen skills of critical reading and thinking in order to consider various approaches, interpretations, and the social and political implications of studying African Diaspora and African people and their histories. You should plan on 2.5-3 hours to prepare for each class.

            This course does not include any exams -- however careful reading, extensive writing and active participation in class discussion are expected and will be graded. In order to facilitate this process, students will be expected to adhere to the following requirements:

1. Attendance is mandatory Absence is strongly discouraged. Students who miss more than three classes will receive an automatic reduction in the final grade. You are responsible for setting up a meeting with me if you miss class in order to review the material covered. Five absences or more will be considered a withdrawal from the course. The extra meetings scheduled for viewing films are an integral part of class participation -- please note these on your calender. If there is a conflict with another activity, please arrange to see the film in advance. (Don’t wait for the last minute)
Class begins on time!

2. Film Evaluations (30%). There are two sets of films which you will see on your own and on which you will write short essays which integrate insights from readings and in-class documentaries.   

As a class, we will see several feature films and documentaries which are related to the themes we are exploring. The objective is to critically engage with the visual and sensual representations, as well as consider the effectiveness of the film or documentary in comparison to  "academic" texts whose audience is more limited. Your reflections on these films should be incorporated into your journals in the context of the relevant readings.

3. Reading Journal (30%) The first half of the semester you will be learning a new vocabulary, new information and new modes of analysis. Therefore, every student must keep a reading journal which notes the main points of the reading assignment and -- of equal importance - records his/her reactions in the context of the reading. As the semester proceeds,  your writing will become a conversation with the text, the author and class discussions.

Before writing always ask: What did you learn? What were the main points? What is the significance of the essay? What opinions or preconceptions did you have and did they change? How?

Some of the texts present both an analysis and an argument: are the arguments persuasive? Why? Why not? Are there points of identity between your life experience and what you found in the reading? Where are the differences?

Additional questions to keep in mind throughout the semester: What is "race"? How does racial identity affect perspectives and shape interpretations? How is "difference" a learned phenomenon? What makes a "community of meaning"? How do they reproduce themselves? Why? etc. What is the relationship between citizenship, class and racial identities?

The readings are grouped according to similar themes although many of these themes (and therefore foci of essays) intersect, overlap and/or flow into one another.

The journals are to be dated, typed, and paginated. You will be expected to write at least two pages for each reading assignment. Your ideas will not be graded as "correct" or "incorrect" -- rather this is an opportunity to explore, engage with and challenge ideas. A separate hand-out describes in detail the guidelines for writing journal entries. 

NOTE:

The format for typing your entries is as follows: Left Margin 1.5", Right Margin 1." Double spaced and standard font. Pages must be numbered and entries must be dated (the dates are for you to review the development of your thoughts at the end of the semester.)

The journal entries count toward your final grade but will not receive individual grades. Journal entries are due in the box outside my office on Fridays by 4:30. (An automatic extention until noon Sat may be used– journals then need to be dropped off at my house 1405 Broad which is on NW corner of 9^th Ave.) 

            4. Leading Discussions (20%) For most classes, 2-3 students will be responsible for discussing the main argument(s) of an article (or chapter): how and why the reading is significant to the key themes or topics under discussion? How are issues linked to previous readings and class discussions? Each member of the group will come with a written 5 min. comment/ary (this may be incorporated into the week’s journal entry).

            5. Class Discussions (20%): The readings and films provide the main material for class discussion. Therefore you should come to class with notes from your reading and always be prepared to comment on the texts. Sometimes, there are different interpretations and understandings of the texts. It is appropriate for there to be differences of opinion -- the readings provide a common ground of reference. This furthers our own understanding of the topic. You may refer to material from other classes where relevant, and should always be prepared to provide a reference (author, title and, where possible, a page number).

Critical thinking and exchanging ideas depends on listening carefully to another person's perspective and responding respectfully. The focus should be specifically on what and why there are points of agreement or disagreement -- how is one interpretation different and in what ways should it be valued as more or less persuasive? Personal experience is important, but you may draw on it as an additional resource -- not a substitute -- for information or evidence from the texts we will be reading. In other words, your arguments need to be situated within the context of the readings. These may be supplemented with outside sources. 

You must keep a hard-back folder with three sections for each of your written material (journal entries; film evaluations; paper) which will be submitted at the end of the semester in a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Required Texts

**         Mintz, Sidney and Richard Price. The Birth of African-American Culture: An Anthropological Perspective. (Boston: Beacon Press,1976).

**         Morrison, Toni. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. New York: Vintage, 1993.

**         Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. New York: Grove Press, 1967.

**         ed. Harding, Susan. The 'Racial' Economy of Science: Toward a Democratic Future. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.

-- Susan Harding. "Preface." & "Introduction"

-- Stepan Jay Gould. "American Polygeny and Craniometry Before Darwin"

-- Nancy Leys Stepan. "Race and Gender: The Role of Analogy in Science."

-- Gloria A. Marshall "Racial Classifications: Popular and Scientific."

-- Takaki, Ronald. Aesculapius was a White Man."

– Nancy Leys Stepan and Sander Gilman. “Appropriating the Idioms of Science”

** Course Pack

Films List