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• Program Description
• African Studies web site

African Studies Interdepartmental Program

Coordinator: William Moseley (Geography).

African Studies Steering Committee: David Blaney (Political Science), Erik Larson (Sociology), Sowah Mensah (Music), David Chioni Moore (International Studies and English), William Moseley (Geography), Sonia Patten (Anthropology), Ahmed Samatar (International Studies), Dianna Shandy (Anthropology), Joëlle Vitiello (French and Francophone Studies), Karl Wirth (Geology).

Additional faculty with teaching and research interests in Africa: Peter Rachleff (History).

The Interdepartmental Program in African Studies offers a concentration that consists of six Africa-related courses. The broad theme of the African Studies concentration is continuity and change in recognition of the faculty's desire to instill an understanding of the internal and external forces on the African continent. Students are encouraged to take courses that place the region in its historical and global political-economic context while understanding its internal intellectual, cultural and biophysical energies. Given that students and faculty approach African Studies from an array of disciplinary perspectives, students may begin this concentration from a variety of entry points. The program promotes breadth by requiring courses in several departments, and depth by requiring a lengthy Africa related paper in an existing senior seminar or independent study.

Requirements

A concentration in African Studies consists of six Africa-related courses chosen with the assistance of an African Studies advisor. Three to five courses must be "Tier One," with an exclusive African focus (see list below). Note that "Africa" implies the whole continent; thus North Africa counts under this designation. A maximum of two courses may be "Tier Two" (see list below), with substantial but not exclusive African content, or with African Diaspora content with major African inflection. One or two of the first five courses may be taken in an approved off-campus program, only one of which may be Tier One. The sixth course must be an advanced research seminar in any department in which the student completes a substantial Africa-focused paper; this requirement may also be completed with an Africa-focused independent study with an African Studies faculty member resulting in a major paper. Students may include (as Tier Two) one Africa-related internship by registering for the internship under the supervision of any steering committee member and by filing a copy of the learning contract with the African Studies program coordinator.

Students are required to take Africa related courses at Macalester from at least two different departments, and are encouraged to take from at least three to gain interdisciplinary breadth. It is suggested that students also take introductory courses in a number of departments affiliated with the concentration (especially anthropology, geography, history, international studies, political science and literature departments) to gain broader conceptual appreciation of regional issues and an understanding of disciplinary approaches used to interpret African material. It also is highly recommended that students participate on an Africa-focused study abroad program in Africa to experience and study first-hand the issues and ideas explored at Macalester. Students contemplating study abroad in Africa are strongly encouraged to take at least one Tier One course before departure. Africanist coursework taken elsewhere in the world (such as London, Paris or Lisbon) will also, when appropriate, count toward the concentration.

Courses

I. Tier One Courses (exclusively focused on Africa)

* A minimum of three of these courses must be taken for the concentration

Anthropology 258—Peoples and Cultures of Africa
Anthropology 294—Gender and Power in Africa
English 369—African Literature
French 407 (Francophone Studies), 408 (French Cultural Studies), 409 (Cinema), and other 400-level French courses, when wholly focused on African (including North African) content.
Geography 243—Regional Geography of Africa
History 115— Africa Since 1800
History 211—History of Africa to 1800
Music 131—African Music
Music 73—African Music Ensemble, and African music-instruction courses (drum, flute, voice). These participation and instruction courses are typically one credit per semester, and may be included on African Studies concentration plans when four credits are accumulated.
Political Science topics course— African Politics
Theater and Dance 21—African Dance. A one-credit technique class which may be counted on African Studies concentration plans when four credits (either dance only or dance plus music, above) are accumulated.

II. Tier Two Courses (significant African Content)

* A maximum of one of these courses may count towards the concentration.

Anthropology 239—Medical Anthropology, when taught by Patten
Anthropology 362—Culture and Globalization
Anthropology 246—Refugees and Humanitarian Response
English/International Studies 384—Langston Hughes: Global Writer
English 342—Anglophone Literature (when Africa-focused)
English 368—Literature of the Americas (when Caribbean-focused)
French 407 (Francophone Studies), 408 (French Cultural Studies), 409 (Cinema), and other 400-level French courses, when at least half focused on African (including North African) content, or when focused wholly on francophone Afro-diasporic content.
Geography 488—Senior Seminar: Comparative Environment and Development Studies
History 314—Africa and the American Connection
History topics course—Race Before Race? The Origins of Color and Ethnic Prejudice
History topics course—The Transatlantic Slave Trade
History topics course—Women in the African Diaspora
History 305 —Comparative Freedom Movements: The U.S. and South Africa
International Studies 367—Postcolonial Theory
International Studies 384—Langston Hughes: Global Writer
Political Science 242—Development Politics
Sociology 280 —Indigenous Peoples' Movements in Global Context (if student case study is of an African movement)

III. Study Abroad

A maximum of two courses may be counted from an Africa-focused study abroad program in Africa, only one of which may be Tier One. Africanist coursework taken elsewhere in the world (such as London, Paris or Lisbon) may also, when appropriate and with approval of the concentration director, count toward the concentration.

IV. Senior Seminar or Independent Study

The student must complete an advanced research seminar in any department in which the student undertakes a substantial Africa-focused paper. The advanced research seminar may be achieved by taking a disciplinary senior seminar that includes a major paper focused on Africa; or an independent study with an African Studies faculty member resulting in a major paper focused on Africa.

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