Fall 2019  |  AFRO 3601W Section 001: African Literature (32974)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Discussion
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/03/2019 - 12/11/2019
Tue, Thu 11:15AM - 12:30PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 335
Enrollment Status:
Open (27 of 30 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
The globalized present has witnessed increased mobility as economic, political, and social unrest intensify, forcing mass migration of populations across scorching deserts, treacherous mountains and perilous seas. In the United States and in Western Europe specifically, the consequence of this mobility - immigration - remains the single most cross-cutting issue and the most vexed political challenge of the day. Defined as threatening and intrusive, frequently criminalized in discourse and in action, immigrants have become scapegoats for a wide range of problems that bedevil every aspect of life in every country. Blamed for everything from taking jobs from locals to rising crime and the spread of communicable diseases, immigrants have become victims of xenophobic violence and repositories for the routine fear-mongering prevalent in post-9/11 global terror and counter-terror climate. This course addresses the keys issues that arise in contemporary immigration and global security debates. Throughout the course of the semester, we will interrogate the literary and audio-visual arts as a mirror of the times, reflecting socio-political conditions. In a bid to place the current "crisis" in a historical perspective, we will examine select works by African writers, filmmakers and artists, which provide examples that enable us to move beyond stereotypes and common assumptions.
Class Description:
Welcome to AFRO 3601W: In this writing intensive class, students will be provided the opportunity to acquire both a specific and general view of the diversity of literatures from the African continent. We will read texts written in English or translated from African or Western languages, including some recorded from the oral tradition. The authors and narrators come from different parts of Africa (East, West, Central, North, South) and they have composed their work in a variety of forms (novel, drama, epic, poetry). In discussing this variety of literatures from a comparative context, we will assess the similarities and the differences apparent in the cultures from which they emerge. Through regular written assignments that encourage critical thinking and sequenced assignments, students will broaden and deepen their appreciation of literary themes and techniques and refine their communication skills, as they learn about African societies and their place in the larger world.

Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/32974/1199
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
25 September 2015

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