Spring '12 Schedule
| CRN | AAS | Title | Instructor | Day | Time/Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71767 | 123 | Music of Black Americans
Study of Black American Christian musical beginnings and the Spiritual evolution of Gospel. An examination of ante-bellum musical activities, including secular song types. Significant literary and aesthetic developments especially during the Harlem Renaissance, and the poetry of several writers will be surveyed. The Blues, its origins and evolution through the 1940s will be discussed. Surveys classical music forms from the 18th to mid-20th century; music of the theater from minstrelsy to Broadway; precursors of jazz; early jazz to bebop. |
Burgett, P. | T | 15:25-18:05 Mel 203 |
| 10013 | 151 | The Blues
The origins of the Blues in the context of African-American culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it's rapid rise to becoming the dominant popular music in the African- American community, and the discovery of blues by white audiences. |
Beaumont, D. | MW | 14:00-15:15 Dewey 2110E |
| 10024 | 158 | Gospel ChoirOne rehearsal per week. Two concerts per semester. In addition, there may be off-campus performances in local colleges, churches, and other venues in the greater-Rochester community. The Gospel Choir performs a varied repertoire of sacred music -- spirituals, hymns, traditional and contemporary Gospel, music of the praise-and-worship genre. Students may register for credit or simply sing as choir participants. (cross listed MUR 158) |
J. Holmes | T | 19:00-21:00 Hutch 140 |
| 75871 | 165 | Mbira Ensemble
Eastman's Mbira Ensemble is devoted to the ancient and deceptively sophisticated musical tradition of the Zimbabwean mbira (sometimes called thumb piano). Usually starting with a core group of three or four musicians, mbira performances become communal activities involving singing, various percussion instruments, rhythmic hand clapping and dancing. In the past two years, members of the ensemble have had the opportunity to work with visiting artists including Erica Azim, Cosmas Magaya, Beauler Dyoko, Musekiwa Chingodza, and Patience Chaitezvi. |
West, G. | S | 10:00-11:30 ET 12 |
| 75534 | 168 | West African Drumming Ensemble
**NEW** FALL 2011** Led by Master Drummer Fana Bangoura, the West African Drumming Ensemble is dedicated to the dynamic percussive traditions of Guinea. The ensemble combines the iconic djembe hand drum with a trio of drums played with sticks, known as dunun, sangban, and kenkeni. The powerful, multi-part relationships established by this trio of drums provide a rhythmic foundation for the ensemble, enabling djembe players to develop technique in executing both accompaniment and solo parts. Drawing upon his experience as a soloist with the internationally acclaimed groups Les Percussions de Guinée and Les Ballets Africains, Fana engages ensemble players with a wide repertory of music from various regions of Guinea, including the rhythms of the Susu, Malinke, and Baga language groups. |
Bangoura, F. | T | 18:15-19:45 Strong Lower |
| 10031 | 182 | West African Dance Forms 1AA continuation of West African Dance Forms I. (cross listed DAN 182) |
Bangoura, F. | MW | 12:30-13:45 GAC MAC |
| 74707 | 185 | African-American Religious History
Historical survey of religions as practiced by people of African descent living in North America. Christianity, Islam, and African-derived religions will be examined. Through its canvassing of doctrinal and ritual frameworks, students are afforded an opportunity to view the diverse and complex terrain of African American religion. Class format includes lectures, discussions, and film/music. |
Guillory, M. | MWF | 1:00-1:50 Mel 208 |
| 10045 | 202 | The Third WorldThe concept of a Third World. The origins of colonialism and "underdevelopment" in the rise of European capitalism. The struggles of the colonial and postcolonial peoples for political independence, cultural autonomy, and economic development.(cross-listed with HIS 201) |
Mandala, E. | TR | 12:30-13:45 Morey 321 |
| 73834 | 222 | Music, Ethnography & HIV
Addressing the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in the United States, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Haiti, and elsewhere, this uniquely interdisciplinary course will incorporate insights from the fields of public health, medical anthropology, and ethnomusicology. Studying the epidemic through the lens of musical expression, we will ask how individuals and communities affected by HIV/AIDS have mobilized musical sound in response to the disease. Topics will include musical representations of HIV/AIDS within queer communities; music in public health prevention and awareness campaigns; and the mobilization of musical performance by grassroots support groups for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. |
Kyker, J. | TR | 16:50-18:00 Todd 202F |
| 10059 | 226 | Black ParisThis course is a study of Black Paris, as imagined by three generations of Black cultural producers from the United States, the Caribbean and Africa. Paris is as a space of freedom and artistic glory that African American writers, solders and artists were denied back home. For colonized Africans, and Caribbean’s, Paris was the birthplace of the Negritude, the ultimate cultural renaissance influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. From Josephine Baker, Richard Wright, James Baldwin to Shay Youngblood's Black girl in Paris, from Aime Cesaire to Maryse Conde, from Bernard Dadie's An African in Paris and to contemporary Franco-African writing, we will investigate how the representation of Paris functions in the construction of a black identities. Readings include: Black Girl in Paris (Shay Youngblood), Desirada (Maryse Conde), The Josephine Baker Story. Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light (Tyler Stovall), An African in Paris.(Bernard Dadie). (cross listed FR 247, CLT 231E, WST 250) |
Kemedjio, C. | MW | 12:30-13:45 Hutch 306 |
| 71703 | 229 | Slavery & The 20th-Century African-American Novel
Race-based slavery in America ended over a century ago, but our nation continues to grapple with the legacies of "the peculiar institution." For example, slavery has haunted the literary imaginations of African-American writers over the last century. This course surveys a range of African-American novels in order to analyze the ways in which these texts both portray and represent slavery's lasting effects on American culture, society, and politics. The course also analyzes these novels’ connections to—and discontinuities with—slave narratives and postmodernism. Readings include works by Steven Barnes, Arna Bontemps, Octavia Butler, Pauline Hopkins, Charles Johnson, Edward P. Jones, Gayl Jones, Toni Morrison, Margaret Walker, and more. Students will be evaluated on class participation, an in-class presentation, weekly reading responses, and two formal papers. |
Tucker, J. | TR | 11:05-12:20 Morey 505 |
| 75033 | 237 | Representing African-Americans in the African Imagination
The dialogue among Africans, African-Americans, and other peoples of African descent rest on their common experiences of oppression, liberation, and cultural exchanges, experiences that have turned the Atlantic from a line of division into a dynamic bridge. This course seeks to critically investigate the shared destinies of African peoples and peoples of the African descent throughout the world. Thus, while acknowledging the centrality of the African-American experience within the Black Diaspora, this course argues that this centrality requires a critical investigation of the representation of Black America in the cultural productions of Africans, Haitians, Caribbeans and Black Europe. The Reading list include Maryse Condé, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Walker, Paule Marshall, and Ngugi was Thiongo. |
Kemedjio, C. | MW | 12:30-13:45 Gavet 101 |
| 10046 | 246 | Cry FreedomSince the 1960's certain Christian theologians have attempted to re-think and re-express their religious beliefs in ways that can lead to the radical transformation of people's lives and social institutions. The movement this group of diverse Christian thinkers has set in motion is often referred to as liberation theology. In this course we will look at the principal ideas of various liberation theologians -- Latin American, Asian, African, Afro-American, and feminist. As well as looking at the ideas of these thinkers, we will also examine the social worlds in which they think and write, thus trying to see the connection between their ideas and the social environments they want to liberate. (cross listed REL 234) |
Cadorette, C. | MW | 14:00-15:15 Morey 504 |
| 74001 | 248 | Marriage, Families & Communities in a Global Prospective
What is the impact of a new global economy on families, love and marriage in the United States and in other countries? Are there new forms of transnational marriage, love, families? Are families still seen as enduring/reassuring 'building blocks' of their respective societies? How does global labor migration of women and men affect families they leave behind? Does women's migration change local understandings of gender roles, families and communities? In this new global context how do people view attachment to 'place'? |
Emmett, A. | TR | 9:40-10:55 Dewey 2-110D |
| 10090 | 249 | The Civil War: A Search for National UnityThe course suggests that there existed two distinct views as to how the new nation would be structured. Once these views clashed and became sectional, the nation was thrown into a political, theological, and, ultimately, a military contest the demands of which led to the incorporation of structural changes that had the effect of resolving the very issues that had propelled the nation into war. As we identify and discuss the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Civil War, we will examine the changing ideas about nation, government, work, race, and gender, and ask: How different were Northern and Southern institutions and, to what extent were northern and southern Americans fundamentally different people? (cross listed HIS 249) |
Hudson, L. | TR | 11:05-12:20 Goergen 101 |
| 10105 | 254 | West African Dance Forms IStudents will experience dancing African styles from the traditional cultures of Ghana and Guinea, West Africa. Technical emphasis will focus on foot patterns and placement, as well as developing the proper physical stance for African dance styles. Students will practice the dances and drum songs called Kpanlogo & Gota from Ghana, and Yankadi, Makru, & Kuku from Guinea, as well as various other selections. Outside work is required, including performance attendance, video viewing, article analysis, and journaling. Students can expect to gain a broadened perspective on contemporary West Africa and its cultural practices. (cross listed DAN 181) |
Bangoura, F. | MW | 12:30-13:45 Gac Mac |
| 76678 | 260 | Africa's Sleeping Giant: Nigeria Since Islamic Revolution of 1804
In the context of the global economy, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is blessed with vast mineral resources and agricultural lands able to produce a wide variety of tropical products and foods. The country's large population is made up of talented and highly resourceful individuals, who are quick to respond to economic incentives. Thus, it is hard to understand why the country has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world and why the country's economy occupies such a lowly position within the global economy. We focus on the historical development of socio-economic/political structures over time to explain why the giant of Africa continues to slumber. Some of the country's central problems, such as ethnic and religious contradictions, are similar in some way to those in the U.S. The solutions attempted by the governments of both countries, such as affirmative action, are also somewhat similar. We will conduct a comparative analysis of contemporary historical issues in the two countries. |
Inikori, J. | MW | 12:30-13:45 Hylan 105 |
| 75892 | 265 | History of the African Diaspora in Latin America
This course examines the historical experiences of Africans and their descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean. The guiding questions of this course are: What is the African diaspora? What is the utility of such a framework for writing the histories of African descended peoples living in Latin America? What do the experiences of Afro-Latin Americans living in the region reveal about the grand narrative of Latin American history? While the course will begin with the era of colonial slavery, most of our attention will focus on the histories of Afro-Latin Americans after emancipation. Topic we will explore include: the particularities of slavery and emancipation in the Americas, gender and the formation of African-descended communities, the role of race and Afro-Latin American peoples in processes of nation formation, and the transnational dimensions of African diaspora history. |
Brunson, T. | MW | 15:25-16:40 Latt 431 |
| 74631 | 267 | Francophone Cinema
The aim of this course is to examine the polyvalent character of French-speaking cinema that is termed as “Francophone.” We will explore issues of the universal application of “Francophone family” that mainly includes African, Caribbean, and French Canadian films, and will investigate the case of French-speaking Europe other than France. We will closely examine the aesthetic and theoretical questions that each Francoophone cinema raises in search of a cinematic discourse along with questions of production, distribution, and exhibition. Weekly film screenings. Knowledge of French is encouraged but not necessary. The course will be taught in English. |
Papaioannou, J. | TR | 11:05-12:20 B&L 269 |
| 10118 | 274 | Guns, War and Revolution in Southern AfricaThis course explores the conditions that created the guerilla movements, the way the rebels and government forces clashed in the air, cities, and jungles, and how the struggles reshaped the history of the region and its position in the global economy before and after the Cold War. (cross listed HIS 274, HIS 274W) |
Mandala, E. | R | 14:00-16:40 RRLIB 456 |
| 10120 | 278 | Birth, Death II: Making Populations HealthyThis course examines programs carried out by governments, multilateral organizations, and non governmental organizations to deal with "public problems" connected to population: communicable diseases such as TB, malaria and HIV/AIDS; famine prevention and relief; child survival, especially malnutrition and infant diarrheal disease; safe motherhood; teen pregnancy; contraception, and abortion. (cross listed REL 234) |
Emmett, A. | MW | 11:00-12:15 SPURR |
| 10154 | 356 | Black Family in Slavery and FreedomAfter a discussion of the Moynihan Report controversy and an assessment of the literature on the black family, the readings will investigate why and how stable black families were encouraged, and how they developed under slavery. The impact of factors such as economics, politics, religion, gender, medicine, and the proximity of free families, on the structure of the black family will be given special attention. In this way, the structure of the slave family on the eve of Emancipation, and its preparedness for freedom, will be tested and assessed. Students will be encouraged to identify persistent links between the "history" of slavery and the black family, and the development of social policy. (cross listed HIS 340W, HIS 440, WST 350) |
Hudson, L. | T | 14:00-16:40 RRL 362 |
| 10344 | 380 | Senior SeminarStudents will draw upon their exposure to the theory methods of AAS to produce an interdisciplinary research paper on a topic of their own choosing. Open only to senior majors. Permission of Department required. |
Kemedjio, C. | TR | 11:05-12:20 Morey 302 |
Spring course schedule may change, so be sure to go to
https://cdcs.ur.rochester.edu/, for the most recent information.
