African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania

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Spring 2013 Course List
Course Name	Course #	Section	Cross– Listings	Type	Instructor	Fulfills	Meeting Time	CU's	Notes
World Music & CulturesDraws on repertories of various societies from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to examine relations between aesthetic productions and social processes. We investigate musical sounds, cultural logics informing those sounds, and social strategies of performance. Topics may include indigenous music theories, music and social organization, symbolic expressions and musical meaning, gender, religion, and social change.	AFST 053	401	AFRC 053 MUSC 051	LEC LEC	Muller C	Cross Cultural Analysis	TR 12-1:30 PM	1
African Hist before 1800Survey of major themes and issues in African history before 1800. Topics include: early civilizations, African kingdoms and empires, population movements, the spread of Islam, the slave trade era. Also, emphasis on how historians use archaeology, linguistics, and oral traditions to reconstruct Africa's early history.	AFST 075	401	AFRC 075 HIST 075	LEC	Babou C	Hist & Trad Sector Cross Cultural Analysis	MW 11-12 PM	0	Registration required for LEC, REC
	AFST 075	402	AFRC 075 HIST 075	REC	Staff	Hist & Trad Sector Cross Cultural Analysis	F 10-11 AM	1	Registration required for LEC, REC
	AFST 075	403	AFRC 075 HIST 075	REC	Staff	Hist & Trad Sector Cross Cultural Analysis	F 11-12 PM	1	Registration required for LEC, REC
	AFST 075	404	AFRC 075 HIST 075	REC	Staff	Hist & Trad Sector Cross Cultural Analysis	F 1-2 PM	1	Registration required for LEC, REC
African ReligionsReligion permeates all aspects of African life and thought. There is no dichotomy between religion and society in Africa. Religion is therefore an essential tool for understanding and appreciating the behaviors and lifestyles of African peoples. In this course, we will survey some of the indigenous religions of Africa and examine their nature and their philosophical foundations. We will examine African systems of belief, myths, symbols, and rituals, as developed by African societies to express their distinctive worldviews. We will also raise a few general questions about the interrelationship of religion and culture as well as religion and social change in Africa, and the challenges of modern technologies to African beliefs. Focus will be on West African religions, including those of Akan of Ghana, Yoruba of Nigeria, and Mende of Sierra Leone. Questions are provided (a) to guide and direct reading (b) to form the basis for discussion (c) as exercises and (d) for examinations.	AFST 210	601	AFRC 210 RELS 210	LEC	Ofosu-Donkoh		M 6-9 PM	1
Afr. Women's Lives Past/Pres.Restoring women to African history is a worthy goal, but easier said than done. The course examines scholarship over the past forty years that brings to light previously overlooked contributions African women have made to political struggle, religious change, culture preservation, and economic development from pre-colonial times to present. The course addresses basic questions about changing women's roles and human rights controversies associated with African women within the wider cultural and historical contexts in which their lives are lived. It also raises fundamental questions about sources, methodology, and representation, including the value of African women's oral and written narrative and cinema production as avenues to insider perspectives on African women's lives. (instructor requests course to be submitted for: cross cultural analysis fulfillment consideration)	AFST 221	601	GSWS 222	LEC	Blakely P		T 4:30-7:30 PM	1
African Lang. & CultureThe aim of the course is to provide a general perspective on African languages and African linguistics. No background in linguistics is necessary. Students will be introduced to theoretical linguistics-its concepts, theories, ways of argumentation, data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation. The focus will be on the languages and linguistics of Africa to provide you with the knowledge and skills required to handle the language and language-related issues typical of African conditions. We will cover topics related to formal linguistics (phonology/phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics), aspects of pragmatics as well as the general socio-linguistic character of African countries. We will also cover language in context, language and culture, borrowing, multilingualism, and cross-cultural communication in Africa	AFST 225	401	AFRC 225	LEC	Mbeje A	Cross Cultural Analysis	TR 1:30-3 PM	1
Contemp Issues African SocThis course will look at several key issues occuring in African countries such as health and mortality, religion and the rise of Pentecostal Christianity, migration and development including brain drain phenomenon, African migrant assimilation (including refugees) in the U.S., political governance, human traffiking, etc. Before delving into these issues, the class shall spend some time understanding the history of Africa before and after colonial rule and the fight for indpendence. The class shall integrate census and other survey data. Films and other media shall be incorporated into class lectures.	AFST 230	402	AFRC 230 SOCI 230	SEM	Imoagene O		TR 10:30-12 PM	1
Migration and Refugees in African HistoryThis seminar will examine the experiences of recent African emigrants and refugees from a historical and comparative perspective. We will look at the relations of overseas Africans with both their home and host societies, drawing on some of the extensive comparative literature on immigration, ethnic diasporas, and transnationalism. Other topics include reasons for leaving Africa, patterns of economic and educational adaptation abroad, changes in gender and generational roles, issues of cultural, religious, and political identity, and the impact of international immigration policies. Students will have the opportunity to conduct focused research on specific African communities in Philadelphia or elsewhere in North America, Europe, or the Middle East. We will employ a variety of sources and methodologies from different disciplines--including newspapers, government and NGOs, literature and film, and diaspora internet sites--to explore the lives, aspirations, and perceptions of Africans abroad.	AFST 232	402	HIST 232 AFRC 233	SEM	Babou		M 2-5 PM	1
Senior ThesisIndividual research under faculty supervision culminating in a thesis	AFST 300	0		IND	Cassanelli L		TBA	1	Permission needed from department
African Political Economy: Contemporary Issues in DevelopmentThis course critically investigates the political economy of development on the African continent. In both academic literature and the popular consciousness, Africa is often dismissed as the world’s "basket case." In the context of a graduate-level introduction to political and economic development on the African continent, the course will consider why the region has come to be regarded in this manner. The objective of the course is to provide students interested in doing research on Africa relevant background with which to better explore diverse topics and projects. As a class, we will examine the politics of economic relations between Africa and the West and study how governments frame national policies in the face of critical political, economic, and social considerations. As such, we will explore the following topics: pre-colonial legacies, the slave trade, colonialism, diverse African economic policies, ideologies, and institutions, and aid and development interventions. We will investigate how African fiscal and monetary policies are influenced by history, politics, and culture and in doing so engage key debates within the larger field of development studies. In this way, we will question narratives that lead to declarations of Africa as the world's foremost example of a "basket case."	AFST 515	401	PSCI 516	SEM	Markovits M		W 6-9 PM	1	Undergraduates need permission
Public Interest WorkshopPublic interest ethnography workshop that incorporates an interdisciplinary approach to exploring issues. The workshop is a response to Amy Gutmann's call for interdisciplinary cooperation across the University and to the Dept. of Anthropology's commitment to developing public interest research and practice as a disciplinary theme. Rooted in the rubric of public interest social science, the course focuses on: 1) merging problem solving with theory and analysis in the interest of change motivated by commitment to social justice, harmony, equality and human rights; and 2) engaging in the public debate on human issues to make research results accessible to a broader audience. Students are encouraged to apply the framing model to a public interest research and action topic of their choice.	AFST 516	401	ANTH 516 GSWS 516 URBS 516	SEM	Suess G		W 2-5 PM	1	Acad Based Community Serv Course
The New Global South: China in Africa & Latin AmerChinese economic and political engagements now stretch across the globe from Africa to Latin America. This state of affairs is hardly historically unique - complex interconnections have existed for centuries. Yet this course looks behind the numbers to consider whether the curent moment is qualitatively different from earlier iterations of globalization. How do we understand a road bulit by Chinese laborers in Nigeria, a ""Chinese"" airport in Sudan, a copper mine in Zambia, a gold mine in Peru, oil investments in Venezuela and Ecuador, or massively increasing trade with Brazil? Together we will explore Chinese state and firm-level interventions in Africa and Latin America as harbingers of an emergent gloabal economic structure, largely defined by intensified re-configured South-South linkages. Through the disciplinary mehtods of anthropology, political economy, management, and media studies we will consider both the historical context of intensified Chinese involvement in these regions and a wide range of more contemporary ethnographies and case studies. In the process, we will subject transnational economic studies, the statements of managers and officials, and popular culture texts alike to fine-grained readings.	AFST 522	401	ANTH 522 LALS 522 EALC 548	SEM	Bund A		W 5-8 PM	1	Undergraduates need permission
Independent StudyMay be taken for research connected with the Ph.D. dissertation with the consent of the faculty adviser.	AFST 999	0		IND	Cassanelli L		TBA	1	Permission needed from department

Languages
Course Name	Course #	Section	Cross– Listings	Type	Instructor	Fulfills	Meeting Time	CU's	Notes
Afrikaans
Elementary Afrikaans II	AFST 491	686	AFRC 491	Lec	Holtzman G		MW 5-7pm	1	Department permission needed
Intermediate Afrikaans II	AFST 493	686	AFRC 493	Lec	Holtzman G		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Advanced Afrikaans II	AFST 494	686	AFRC 495	Lec	Holtzman G		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Amharic
Elementary Amharic II	AFST 241	680	AFRC 241 AFRC 541 AFST 541 NELC 482	Lec	Hailu Y		MW 5:30-7:30pm	1
Intermediate Amharic II	AFST 243	680	AFRC 243 AFRC 544 AFST 544 NELC 484	Lec	Hailu Y		TR 6-8 PM	1
Advanced Amharic II	AFST 247	680	AFST 547	Lec	Zemichael E	Cross Cultural Analysis	W 8-10 PM F 3-5 PM	1
Amharic Language & Culture II	AFST 249	680		Lec	Hailu Y	Cross Cultural Analysis	MW 7:30-9:30pm	1
Igbo
Elementary Igbo II	AFST 491	681	AFRC 491	Lec	Nwadiora C		MW 7-9 PM	1	Department permission needed
Intermediate Igbo II	AFST 493	681	AFRC 493	Lec	Nwadiora C		MW 5-7 PM	1	Department permission needed
Advanced Igbo II	AFST 495	681	AFRC 495	Lec	Nwadiora C		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Igbo Lang & Culture II	AFST 499	681	AFRC 497	Lec	Nwadiora C		MW 7-9 PM	1	Department permission needed
MANINKA
Elementary Maninka II	AFST 491	687	AFST 596	LEC	Traore I		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Intermediate Maninka II	AFST 493	687	AFST 597	LEC	Traore I		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Advanced Maninka II	AFST 495	687	AFST 599	LEC	Traore I		TBA	1	Department permission needed
Sudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic II	AFST 559	680	ARAB 549	Lec	Ali-Dinar A		TBA	1
SWAHILI
Elementary Swahili II	AFST 181	680	AFRC 181 AFST 581	Lec	Mshomba E		TR 12-2pm	1
Intermediate Swahili II	AFST 281	680	AFRC 282 AFST 583	Lec	Mshomba E		TR 10:30am-12pm, F 3-4pm	1
Advanced Swahili II	AFST 285	680	AFRC 285 AFST 586	Lec	Mshomba E	Cross Cultural Analysis	TR 9-10:30am, F 4-5	1
Swahili Language & Culture II	AFST 485	680	AFST 591	Lec	Mshomba E	Cross Cultural Analysis	TBA	1
TIGRINYA
Elementary Tigrinya II	AFST 491	683	AFRC 491	Lec	Mebrahtu F		TR 6-8pm	1	Department permission needed
Intermediate Tigrinya II	AFST 493	683	AFRC 493	Lec	Mebrahtu F		TR 2-4 PM	1	Department permission needed
Advanced Tigrinya II	AFST 495	683	AFRC 495	Lec	Mebrahtu F		TR 4-6 PM	1	Department permission needed
TWI
Elementary Twi II	AFST 161	680	AFRC 163 AFST 565	Lec	Ofosu-Donkoh K		TR 4:30-6:30pm	1
Intermediate Twi II	AFST 263	680	AFRC 265 AFST 567	Lec	Ofosu-Donkoh K		TR 6:30-8:30pm	1
Advanced Twi II	AFST 363	680	AFRC 364 AFST 569	Lec	Ofosu-Donkoh K	Cross Cultural Analysis	TR 2:30-6:30pm	1
Wolof
Elementary Wolof II	AFST 491	682	AFRC 491	Lec	Thioune M		MW 5-7pm	1	Permission needed from department
Intermediate Wolof II	AFST 493	682	AFRC 493	Lec	Thioune M		TR 2-4 PM	1	Permission needed from department
Advanced Wolof II	AFST 495	682	AFRC 495	Lec	Thioune M		TBA	1	Permission needed from department
Yoruba
Elementary Yoruba II	AFST 171	680	AFRC 171 AFST 518	Lec	Awoyale Y		MW 5-7pm	1
Intermediate Yoruba II	AFST 271	680	AFRC 271 AFST 532	Lec	Awoyale Y		TR 7-9pm	1
Advanced Yoruba II	AFST 371	680	AFST 588	Lec	Awoyale Y	Cross Cultural Analysis	TBA	1
Yoruba Language & Culture	AFST 487	680		Lec		Cross Cultural Analysis	TR 3-5pm	1
Zulu
Elementary Zulu: Accl.	AFST 149	680	AFRC 149 AFRC 549	Lec	Mbeje A		TR 6-9 PM	2
Elementary Zulu II	AFST 151	680	AFRC 152 AFST 551	Lec	Mbeje A		MW 3-5 PM	1
Intermediate Zulu II	AFST 251	680	AFRC 251 AFST 553	Lec	Magaya L		T 5-7 PM R 12-2 PM	1
Advanced Zulu II	AFST 351	680	AFRC 351 AFST 555	Lec	Magaya L	Cross Cultural Analysis	T 7-9 PM R 5-7 PM	1