Critically evaluate and use feminist and other revolutionary theories and concepts pertinent to the field of Diaspora Studies to explain, analyze and interpret historical, philosophical, artistic, scientific, and environmental developments.
Required Texts
Parekh, Pushpa, et al., eds. 2016. African Diaspora and the World: Readings for ADW
- 112. Spelman Coll
Dangarembga, Tsitsi, 1988. Nervous Conditions. Oxfordshire: Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd.
Césaire, Aimé. 2000 [1955]. Discourse on Colonialism. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Gomez, Michael A. 2004. Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nkrumah, Kwame. 2006. Class Struggle in Africa. London: Panaf Books. [full text available on Moodle]
Thurman, Wallace, ed. 1985[1926]. Fire! A Quarterly Devoted to Younger Negro Artists.
New York: Fire Press.
Course Description
(Prerequisite: ADW 111 or permission of course Director)
ADW 112, the second half of the two-semester ADW sequence, continues to examine major themes associated with the African Diaspora within a global context and from interdisciplinary and gender-informed perspectives. This semester examines the scramble for Africa and colonialism and considers various manifestations of pan- Africanism and resistance. Specific topics examined include Garveyism and periods of cultural efflorescence such as the New Negro, Negrismo, and Négritude movements;
liberation and anti-colonial struggles in Africa; Black Power; the U.S. civil rights movement and the turbulence of the 1960s; and contemporary issues related to the African diaspora, globalization and the environment. Key terms of engagement include citizenship, colonialism, imperialism, decolonization and liberation movements, resistance, resilience, pan-Africanism, neocolonialism, environmental justice, and transnationalism.
Course Purpose and Goals
The overarching goal of this course is two-fold. The first is to make Africa and its diasporas the center of analytical inquiry and the second is to present an
understanding of historical and modern diasporas in the context of world developments
through time. Through the use of diverse and interdisciplinary methods of scholarly investigation, students will be able to develop a perception of themselves as citizens in an increasingly interdependent world, sharpen their awareness of diverse cultural and historical experiences in that world, and promote the association between learning and social change. Terms of engagement include: citizenship, colonialism, imperialism, decolonization and liberation movements, resistance, resilience, pan-Africanism, neocolonialism, environmental justice, and transnationalism.
Course Objectives
Through oral, written, visual, and digital media, students will be able to do the following upon completion of this course:
- Critically evaluate and use feminist and other revolutionary theories and concepts pertinent to the field of Diaspora Studies to explain, analyze and interpret historical, philosophical, artistic, scientific, and environmental developments.
- Critically evaluate and explain how internal and external power relations have shaped and impacted Africa and its diasporas.
- Examine, interrogate, and deconstruct dominant knowledge systems about
Africa and its diasporas.
- Analyze historical and modern diasporas in terms of international migration and community formation.
- Identify and explain how communities of the African Diaspora have shaped the modern world.
- Analyze categories of identity in relation to difference and the construction of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nation, class, and citizenship.
- Identify multiple exploitations observable in the context of Africa and its diasporas.
- Identify diverse forms of resistance practiced by Africans and African descendants striving to bring about social change.
Process Objectives
Students will meet the above course objectives by doing the following:
- Develop well-informed questions about course content and respond to such questions in written, oral, and digital form.
- Complete a variety of short response, reflective response, free-response, and other pieces of writing.
- Explain and link ideas in informal discussions as well as in formal class presentations.
- Produce at least one in-class Group Facilitation Project which expresses a course objective, concept, or theory.
- Take a map quiz identifying select African and European countries on a map of the world.
Requirements and Expectations for ADW
Students will meet two days a week in classes that include a dynamic mix of lectures and discussions. ADW operates on the belief that it is important to understand the relationship between thinking, reading, and writing. To that end, learning experiences and activities require close reading, critical thinking, and communication of comprehension through oral and written work.
Students are expected to come to class having already read the assigned texts and viewed any assigned films for that week.
Students understand that the first few minutes of class may be devoted to quizzes or other exercises designed to determine whether or not the readings and any assigned film viewings have been completed.
Students are expected to identify and develop their own strategies for moving through the writing process to produce thoughtful academic written work that communicates in Standard English. There are several graded and non-graded writing tasks. These are structured to help students understand the relationship between reading, thinking, and writing and to provide opportunities for students to manipulate and express ideas with precision, clarity, and economy. Students are advised to look at the “Standards and Grading for Course Assignments” section of this syllabus for guidelines on good writing.
Faculty determine pedagogy and teaching style in their class sections. They may include an ADW Supplemental on special pedagogies/teaching styles and/or explain on first day of class.
