The African American Studies Department is a multidisciplinary program of study that seeks, through the humanities and social sciences, to explore key aspects of the Black experience in a systematic and structurally integrated fashion. Its broad educational purposes are to engender among all students an intellectual appreciation of Black life in Africa and the Americas (especially in the United States); to enrich the Oberlin College curriculum, and increase the relevance of an Oberlin education to a culturally diverse world. Thus, the Department strives to provide the student body, in general, with substantive knowledge of the Black experience and values that maximize possibilities for racial harmony. The Department is aided in its efforts by the Afrikan Heritage House, which serves as the College's Black communal and cultural center.

Curriculum. The African American Studies curriculum offers extensive study of the Black experience in a diasporic setting, including but not limited to, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. These offerings are arranged in three categories: introductory, intermediate, and advanced. All introductory courses are open without prerequisite, except as indicated in the course description. African American Studies 101 and other beginning courses may serve as prerequisites to all intermediate and advanced courses.

Major. The requirements for the major in African American Studies are consistent with our view of the field as a multidisciplinary and area studies program. Major prerequisites are designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the Black experience as well as a firm grounding in a single field of study. Both breadth and depth in the field are to be obtained by majors.

The major consists of a minimum of 30 hours. In consultation with their major advisor, students are expected to develop a balanced program of study and to supplement their work with courses in fields related to their special needs and interests:

1. As the introduction to the discipline, African American Studies 101 is required of all majors and must be taken in the freshman or sophomore year.

2. All majors are required to take at least one course in each of the three following subject areas: African, African American, and Caribbean Studies.


3. All majors are required to take courses within the Department that total not less than nine hours in the humanities and nine hours in the social science divisions, as multidisciplinary training. Students must also ensure that these courses are drawn from at least four of the five core fields (i.e., education, history, literature, politics, and fine arts), with a minimum of three credit hours in each chosen field.

4. An additional nine hours, including the Senior Seminar, are to be taken in a single field of specialization in one of the following areas: education, history, literature, politics, and the fine arts (i.e. art, music, theater and dance). Students are required to show a balance between introductory and advanced courses in their specialization.

5. All majors are required to take the Senior Seminar in their junior or senior year.

6. Up to six hours of credit may be gained from cross-listed or cross-referenced courses (such as MHST 290, 291, POLT 224, RELG 284, and SOCI 277), or from approved cognate courses.

Minor. A minor in the field consists of a minimum of 15 hours in African American Studies. In addition to the introductory survey course, student minors are expected to take at least one course from the fields of: education, politics, history, literature or fine arts. All minors are required to take at least one three hour credit course in each of the three following subject areas: African, African American, and Caribbean Studies.

Honors. The honors program offers an opportunity for majors of proven ability and independence to extend their competence in the field of African American Studies. Participation in the Honors Program shall be by invitation only.

Students have the option of writing a research paper, completing a special arts project, or demonstrating advanced pedagogical skills. All honors work is supervised by a faculty advisor who assists the student in defining the nature of his/her honors project.

Africa Program. Study opportunities are offered in the English-speaking countries of Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania where students are placed at universities or accommodated in international programs like those offered by the School for International Training (SIT). Similar opportunities exist for students proficient in French at the Universities of Dakar, and Sheikh Anta Diop, in Senegal. Students on financial aid should consult the Director of Financial Aid before planning to participate in the program.

Off-Campus Programs for Credit. Field work in programs approved by Oberlin College in Africa and the Caribbean is encouraged. In the United States there is a long-standing Fisk program in Tennessee which allows for the exchange of students between our two institutions. By approval of the department students may count a maximum of six hours of such work toward the major. Prior permission from the department must be obtained to receive credit.

Transfer of Credit. Students transferring credits in African American Studies from courses taken at other institutions may apply a maximum of nine credit hours toward the major with the approval of the department. Individual cases for students who transfer into the College after their sophomore year will be reviewed by the department.

Winter Term. The African American Studies faculty will sponsor individual projects, on- or off-campus, in African and African American art, dance, education, history, literature, politics, and theater.

Private Reading. Students may schedule a private reading course during their junior or senior years. No more than one reading course may be taken in any one semester, nor more than two during the undergraduate program. Normally the private readings may not duplicate a regularly scheduled course.

African American Studies Department On-Line (afamstud). For more information on courses, instructors or Afrikan Heritage House (the cultural center), please visit our home page at: www.oberlin.edu/afamstud/.

Cross-Referenced Courses. The following cross-referenced courses count toward the African American Studies major and minor.

MHST 290, 291 Introduction to African American Music, Mr. Logan
POLT 224 Topics in Contemporary African Affairs, Ms. Sandberg
RELG 284 The History of the African-American Religious Experience, Mr. Miller
SOCI 277 Race and Ethnic Relations, Mr. White

In this Department General Information Introductory Courses Intermediate Courses Advanced Courses

Introductory Courses

070. Talking Book 3 hours
3HU,CD
First Semester. This class is a hands-on exploration of spoken/written narrative within African American visual tradition(s). We will view works by Carrie Mae Weems, Faith Ringgold, David Hammons, Lil' Willie, Glen Ligon, and many more. These artists will serve as models for the layering of voices gathered and conjured within class projects. Students will be required to write, perform, compose (visually, and/or sonically) tapestries of voices carried within. Projects will range from portraits of self, to portraits of place and time. Sound equipment will be made available to students enrolled (no previous experience necessary). Consent of instructor required. Identical to ARTS 055. Enrollment Limit: 12.
Mr. Coleman

072. Blues Aesthetic: Continuity and Transformation 3 hours
3HU, CD
Next offered 2004-2005

074. Something From Something 3 hours
3HU, CD
First and Second Semester. This course is a 'hands on' exploration of vernacular visual traditions existing within African American culture. We will examine design choices/material processes used to define and describe the specificity of lived experience(s) within African American culture. Our focus is upon elders within black communities and the stories that they tell through their work. These artists will serve as references for assigned projects designed to reflect the experiences of the individuals enrolled. Identical to ARTS 056. Enrollment Limit: 12.
Mr. Coleman

101. Introduction to the Black Experience 3 hours
3SS, CD
First and Second Semester. An interdisciplinary exploration of key aspects of Black history, culture, and life in Africa and the Americas. The course attempts to provide students with a fundamental intellectual understanding of the universal Black experience as it has been described and interpreted by humanists and social scientists. Included in the course will be such topics as: the African American Studies movement, the African heritage of Afro-Americans, Pan-African relations, racism and sexism, the family, the role of religion in Black life, class structure and class relations, the political economy of African American life, and Black political power. Declared majors are given priority for this course. Enrollment Limit: 45.
Mr. Millette, Ms. Brooks

107. Nommo, A Practicum in Black Journalism 1-2 hours
1-2SS, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

118. Ritual and Performance I: The world according to the Yoruba and their descendants in the New World 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. For full course description, see section entitled "Colloquia for First- and Second-Year Students."
Ms. Sharpley

120. The Caribbean and the Wider World 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. For full course description, see section entitled "Colloquia for First- and Second-Year Students."
Mr. Millette

141. The Heritage of Black American Literature 3 hours
3HU, CD
First Semester. A survey of black American literature from its inception in the 18th century to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Phillis Wheatley, Jupiter Hammon, David Walker, Maria Stewart, and others up to DuBois and Anna Julia Cooper, including related slave songs, sermons, spirituals, blues, slave narratives and other folk expressions. Preference for declared majors and department credit students. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Ms. Gadsby

171, 172. Introduction to African-American Music 3 hours
3HU, CD
First (171) and Second (172) Semester. Identical to JAZZ 290, 291 and MHST 290, 291.


181. Education in the Black Community 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. The philosophy of a Ghetto Scholar is the sole focus of this course. This highly creative and very original philosophy centers on a Ghetto Scholar's use of education to pursue the concept of GGG (the greatest good, for the greatest number, for the greatest period). Students are required to think imaginatively, analytically, and independently as they examine critical issues facing black and other oppressed peoples. Education is essential to the attainment of a world that is liberated, peaceful, and humane.
Enrollment Limit: 20.
Mr. Peek

190. West African Dance Forms in the Diaspora I 2 hours
2HU, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

191. West African Dance Forms in the Diaspora II 2 hours
2HU, CD
First Semester. This course will expand the dance movements, forms, and techniques from AAST 190 class. Extensive dance performance within a particular area (Brazil, Cuba and Haiti) will be examined. The dances will be explored in their total experience in context with costumes and music. Prerequisites: AAST/DANC 190 or previous dance experience. Identical to DANC 191. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Sharpley

192. West African Dance Forms in the Diaspora III 2 hours
2HU
Second Semester. This course will expand and build upon the dance movements, forms, and techniques explored in AAST 190 and AAST 191. It focuses on extensive dance performance within the area of Matanzas, Cuba, which has strong historical links that can be traced to West Africa. In particular, the class will explore the dances and rhythms of the following traditions: Yambu, Rumba Columbia, Guaguanc and Orisha dances which will be examined in their total context with costumes and music. Consent of instructor required.
Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Sharpley

194. Blues Improv 2 hours
2HU, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

195. Jazz Improv 2 hours
2HU, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.
Intermediate Courses
Majors are given priority for enrollment in all intermediate and advanced courses.

In this Department General Information Introductory Courses Intermediate Courses Advanced Courses

Intermediate Courses

202. African American History Since 1865 3 hours
3SS, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

203. African History from Earliest Times to the 19th Century 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. This course deals with the origins of human society in Africa; the rise of organized social, commercial and political systems; Egypt and other classical African civilizations and empires; traditional religions, Christianity and Islam in Africa; the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its impact on African societies and trading systems; the under-development of Africa by the end of the slave trade. Enrollment Limit: 40.
Staff

204. African History 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. The history of Africa from its encounter with colonialism to the era of independence and neo-colonialism. Coverage includes colonial systems of governance, African resistance and nationalism, the independence movement, and the struggle for liberation in Southern Africa. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Staff

207. Seminar: HIV/AIDS and Development in Africa 2 hours
2SS
First Semester. This course is designed to sensitize and provide a frame of reference through which individual students can better understand HIV/AIDS. The main focus in this course is to examine the challenges HIV/AIDS present in Africa in terms of the economic, social and demographic underpinnings of development. The course will also review and assess the strategies African countries have taken in the campaign against HIV/AIDS. Though focused on Africa as a region, the course will provide students with the building blocks necessary to design an HIV/AIDS prevention campaign. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Mr. Ochwa-Echel

208. Slavery and Freedom in the Western Hemisphere 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. This course examines the emergence of the African diaspora in the Western Hemisphere from the 15^th century onwards. It focuses on the African historical background; the European contacts with West Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean; the rise of the Atlantic socio-economic and cultural complex; the development of New World economies and societies; the origins and organization of the slave trade and slavery; slave resistance, emancipation and the establishment of freedom. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Mr. Millette

209. Society and Politics in the Modern Caribbean, 1838-1970 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. This course discusses the modern Caribbean from the emancipation of the slaves in the British West Indies to the independence and post-independence periods. It explores the post-emancipation social, economic and political problems; the introduction of East Indian indentureship; the later emancipations in the French and Spanish islands; political and economic modernization; the growth of the nationalist movements; independence and neo-colonialism. Enrollment Limit: 40.
Mr. Millette

211. Seminar in Diplomacy: Model Organization of African Unity (OAU) 3 hours
2SS,CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

213. Education and National Development in Africa 3 hours
3SS, CD
Second Semester. This course examines the link between education and national development in Africa. Emphasis is given to understanding the relationship between education and development; international aid, education and role of donor agencies; gender, development and education; globalization and education; colonialism and education: legacies and links; lifelong learning and adult literacy programs and education for all. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Mr. Ochwa-Echel

215. African American Women's History 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

219. The Freedom Movement: Civil Rights and Black Power 3 hours
3SS CD, WR
Second Semester. In December 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, by refusing to yield her bus seat to a white passenger, launched the modern freedom movement on behalf of all African Americans. This course offers an analysis of the many singular and communal acts waged by Black people in the U.S. in pursuit of justice from 1955-1968 and beyond. It seeks to illuminate the several ways in which African Americans would wrest greater political, economic, and social control over their lives in the U.S. South and North. Using a host of personal testimonies, as well as important secondary works, this course considers questions of leadership, organization, tactics, goals, gender relations, politics, and the economic implications of such a critical moment in African American and U.S. history. Enrollment Limit: 25.
Ms. Brooks

235. Government and Politics of Africa 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. This course will provide a general overview of colonialism in Africa and its after-effects. More specifically it will deal with topics such as: the acquisition of African colonies by European powers; the slave trade; the colonial policies of the various European powers; "protonationalism;" constitutional developments on the Continent, particularly during the period from 1945 to 1960; African nationalism; the evolution of political parties and the struggle for independence. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Mr. Saaka

244. Modern African Literature 3 hours
3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

245. The Harlem Renaissance 3 hours
3HU, CD
First Semester. A survey. The writings will include poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and will examine the African American literary tradition, theme, aesthetics and criticisms, and problems of black writers. Special attention will be given to the literature of the "new Negro Harlem Renaissance" period of the 1920s and the succeeding decades of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. W.E.B. DuBois, Ama Bontemps, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Jessie Faucet, Wallace Thurman, Ann Spencer, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Sterling Brown, Richard Wright, M.B. Tolson, Margaret Walker, Robert Hayden, John O. Killens, Chester Himes, Ralph Ellison, Margaret Danner, James Baldwin, and others. Note: Ten places held for consent. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Ms. Gadsby

248. Resistance and Voice: Literature of the African Diaspora 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

261. "Framing Blackness": African Americans and Film In 3 hours
The United States, 1915 to the Present
3 HU, CD, WRi
First Semester. Through an interrogation of Hollywood's construction of Black images and the development of African American independent cinema, this class will examine the multifaceted relationship of African American people to the powerful medium of film. Drawing its title from Ed Guerrero's book of the same name, "Framing Blackness" will draw on historical and critical readings as well as film viewing. The course will also track the rise of independent Black voice in film and the development of a distinctively Afrocentric aesthetic. Discussions and paper will be used for evaluation. Enrollment Limit: 35.
Ms. Jackson-Smith

264. African-American Drama 3 hours
3HU, CD
Second Semester. Identical to THEA 264.

268. Black Arts Workshop 3 hours
3HU, CD
Second Semester. The Black Arts Workshop combines theory and performance in African American cultural styles. Readings and discussions encompass Afrocentric philosophy, history, religion and aesthetics, dance, music, visual arts and drama. Classroom exercises focus on meditation, movement, dance and acting skills. In the latter part of the semester there is a focus on Black Theater including scene work. Written work is required. Final projects are to be creative in nature. Identical to THEA 268. Enrollment Limit: 25.
Ms. Jackson-Smith

281. Practicum in Tutoring 1-3 hours
1-3SS, CD
First and Second Semester. Tutors offer academic help to children in schools, homes, etc. Focus is on academically weak children generally, and on black children specifically. By critiquing the instructor's tutorial demonstrations, tutors develop an appreciation and understanding of the Master Tutor Concept. TB test required. Obtain and return questionnaires before tutoring. Notes: Repeatable up to eight hours. CR/NE grading. Enrollment Limit: 80.
Mr. Peek

In this Department General Information Introductory Courses Intermediate Courses Advanced Courses

Advanced Courses
Majors are given priority for enrollment in all intermediate and advanced courses.

321. Black Feminist Thought: An Historical Perspective 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. This seminar course will explore and analyze the evolution of intellectual discourse among African-American women from slavery to the present. Particular attention will be given to the interplay of ideas about race and gender and the social and economic position of black women at various time periods. Sources will include autobiographies, novels, historical documents, sociological studies, and modern feminist social critiques. Prerequisite: AAST 220 or consent of instructor. Identical to GAWS 321. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Ms. Brooks

343. Langston Hughes and the Black Aesthetic 3 hours
3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

346. Contemporary African American Literature: 1960-Present 3 hours
3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

347. Going Away Coming Home: Caribbean Literature 3 hours
3HU, CD
Next offered 2004-2005.

385. Black Pedagogy 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. Black children possess the inherent ability to score 1400 plus on the SATs and obtain As in school. This course examines the philosophy and practices of Honors Teachers. Students explore analytically and pragmatically a pedagogy designed to help ghetto children attain excellence in reading, writing, and arithmetic in spite of racism, poverty, etc. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Mr. Peek

390. Essence Dance Class 1-2 hours
1-2HU, CD
Second Semester. This course is designed to promote and develop creativity in dance performance through the Black experience. A variety of dance forms will be used such as: modern, Afro-forms, and black urban vernacular dances. Students are expected to purchase costumes. Prerequisites: AAST 101, AAST 190, or AAST/DANC 191. Notes: This class may be repeated for a maximum of four accumulated hours. CR/NE grading. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Ms. Sharpley

391. Dance Diaspora 2 hours
2HU, CD
First Semester. Faculty directed performance project. Auditions are held during each semester before enrollment. Note: This class may be taken for four accumulated hours. African American Studies majors will have first priority. Identical to DANC 391. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Ms. Sharpley

450. Senior Seminar 4 hours
4SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. This course will cover aspects of philosophy, history, methodology and research methods in the discipline. This is a required course for all African American Studies majors during the senior year. Note: Juniors who are majors will be accepted only with consent of instructor or department chair. Consent of instructor required.
Mr. Millette

500. Junior Honors Project 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Specialized readings pertaining to a well-defined honors project. Students must be supervised by a member of the department to identify research sources. Note: Honors program is by departmental invitation. Consent of instructor required.

501, 502. Senior Honors 3-5 hours
3-5SS, CD, WR
The preparation of honors theses under the supervision of faculty supervisors. Note: Honors program is by departmental invitation. Consent of instructor required.

995. Private Reading 1-3 hours
1-3SS, CD
Any student who is interested in undertaking a Private Reading course with a member of the Department.