AAS 100: INTRODUCTION to AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
Tu, Th 2:30-3:45 pm WARREN
Max: 40

Content: This course introduces the field of African American Studies by surveying some of its major areas of development in historical studies, literary studies, social sciences, religious studies and the arts including music and the visual arts. Cutting across these specific disciplines are topics of enduring interest in the field, including the black student movement that birthed Black Studies as an academic program. Other topics fall within the following three categories: (1) Africa and Diaspora-- i.e., the history of ancient African civilizations or the consequences of the transatlantic slave trade; (2) expressive arts and culture-- i.e., the arts of the Black Atlantic world including oral, musical, and literary creativity; and (3) identities, ideologies, and institutions-- i.e., the freedom struggle or gender and class issues within Black religious and social developments. Representing the organization of the major itself, AAS 100 will introduce students to such concepts and topics as the diaspora, the African slave trade, abolitionism, slavery and the literary imagination, womanism, and the black aesthetic. Spanning several centuries and many disciplines, the course will be anchored in such political and cultural movements as abolitionism, the Niagara Movement, the New Negro Movement, Negritude, Black Feminism and the Black Power Movement. While the context and examples reflect the complexity and richness of Americans of African descent, throughout the course we will focus upon the role of ideologies in the creation of black identities and institutions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

* To introduce students to the major disciplines and topics that comprise the field.
* To sharpen the writing and research skills of students as well as their knowledge
of new technologies that enhance the processes of writing and research.
* To provide students with a knowledge of research databases in AAS.
* To provide orientation to AAS faculty and to the institutional resources available at the
university for research projects in the field, particularly for majors and minors.
* To initiate a dialogue centering upon the complex fate of being an American with the
history and culture of African Americans as the chief frame of reference.
* To provide a common academic framework and experience for collaboration and
community building between and among AAS faculty and interested students.

Course Requirements: One-page weekly response essays; a mid-term examination; and a final research paper.

AAS 115: JAZZ ITS EVOLUTION & ESSENCE (Same as Music 115)

Tu, Th 8:30-9:45 am ANDREWS
Max: 120

Content: The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the various styles and genres associated with the music commonly referred to as jazz. Critical issues related to the social and cultural history of African-Americans will be discussed and aligned with corresponding musical development. However, the main challenge in this course is to become familiar with the important formal and stylistic traditions within jazz as well as with its creators. Although no prior musical knowledge is presumed, students will be responsible for the musical terms and concepts presented in class. Jazz musicians studied include Armstrong, Ellington, Parker, Monk, and Miles Davis.

Text: Leroi Jones, Blues People.

Particulars: In addition to lectures and readings, each student is expected to spend considerable time listening to the repertoire under discussion. Prepared tapes are on reserve in Candler Library. There will be a mid-term, final, and two short quizzes.

AAS 190: FRESHMAN SEMINAR: BEYOND CHRISTIANITY BLACK RELIGIONS of PROTEST (Same as REL 190)

Tu, Th 8:30-9:45 am STEWART
Max: 18

Content: This course examines a variety of religious traditions in the African American experience. The course begins with a brief overview of major trajectories in African American religious history and is followed by in-depth study of Black religions that have been typically classified as "sects and cults" in much of the social science literature. Representative traditions include Black Judaic, Islamic, Afrocentric, and African-centered religions such as the Hebrew Israelites, Nation of Islam, Ausar Auset, Rastafari and the Yoruba-Ifa movement. In many ways, a study of these traditions is a study of Black nationalism in America and thus our major aim will be to study how Black nationalism is configured and reconceived in various religious traditions. We will also interrogate their constructions of race and gender as well as their theological beliefs and religious practices.

Texts:
1. Yvonne Chireau and Nathaniel Deutsch, Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism
2. Cornel West and Eddie Glaude, African American Religious Thought: An Anthology
3. Richard Brent Turner, Islam in the African-American Experience
4. Ennis Barrington Edmonds, Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers
5. George Brandon, Santería: From Africa to the New World
6. Ben Ammi, God the Black Man and Truth

Particulars: Assignments: 3 critical reflection papers (2 pages each), 1 class presentation, 1 final paper (8 pages)

AAS 190: FRESHMAN SEMINAR: BEYOND CHRISTIANITY BLACK RELIGIONS of PROTEST (Same as REL 190)

Tu, Th 8:30-9:45 am STEWART
Max: 18

Content: This course examines a variety of religious traditions in the African American experience. The course begins with a brief overview of major trajectories in African American religious history and is followed by in-depth study of Black religions that have been typically classified as "sects and cults" in much of the social science literature. Representative traditions include Black Judaic, Islamic, Afrocentric, and African-centered religions such as the Hebrew Israelites, Nation of Islam, Ausar Auset, Rastafari and the Yoruba-Ifa movement. In many ways, a study of these traditions is a study of Black nationalism in America and thus our major aim will be to study how Black nationalism is configured and reconceived in various religious traditions. We will also interrogate their constructions of race and gender as well as their theological beliefs and religious practices.

Texts:
1. Yvonne Chireau and Nathaniel Deutsch, Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism
2. Cornel West and Eddie Glaude, African American Religious Thought: An Anthology
3. Richard Brent Turner, Islam in the African-American Experience
4. Ennis Barrington Edmonds, Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers
5. George Brandon, Santería: From Africa to the New World
6. Ben Ammi, God the Black Man and Truth

Particulars: Assignments: 3 critical reflection papers (2 pages each), 1 class presentation, 1 final paper (8 pages)_

AAS 190: FRESHMAN SEMINAR: AFRICAN AMERICAN IMAGES in the MEDIA (Same as JRNL 190)

Tu, Th 4:00-5:15 pm MCCALL
Max: 10

Content: Students in this course will study representations of African
Americans in major forms of media including newspapers, radio, television, film
and music. We will review the historical developments over time and trace their
progression up to the present. Students will analyze the impact of negative
portrayals of African Americans in the society at large and assess the effect
of those representations on the conditions and self-images of Blacks in
particular. Moreover, the class will examine ways that Black image-makers have
sought to counteract negative portrayals of African Americans, and we will
predict future trends and propose solutions.

Texts: To be announced

Particulars: Freshman Only. Enrollment processed through Dean Brown's office
only and permission is required prior to enrollment.

AAS 247: RACIAL and ETHNIC RELATIONS (Same as SOC 247)

Tu, Th 8:30-9:45 am CHERRIBI
Max: 40

Content: This course focuses on historical and contemporary examples of race and ethnic relations and ethnic conflict. We discuss the changing ethnic and racial makeup of the US, in the context of theoretical debates in the literature and attention to comparative and historical analyses, and social structure. We also consider examples of ethnic relations and ethnic conflict abroad, focusing on country case studies.

Readings: Electronically available articles and selected books.

Particulars: Attend class and engage in class discussions (10%), Mid-term exam (30%), final exam (30%), 8-10 page research paper (30%)

AAS 270: DIGITAL/NEW MEDIA and RACE (Same as FILM 373 and FILM 573)

M, W 2:00-3:15 pm DANIEL
Max: 15

Content: As we traverse the first decade of the new millennium, how do the new languages and forms of artistic as well as information construction offered by digital media impact the creation of cultural artifacts of identity and "race"? How are artists of various ethnicities taking up these tools to push the boundaries of distinct artistic mediums, and consciously or unconsciously pushing established ideas of cultural identity? What are the major issues framing these discussions? The much-argued "digital divide?" Questions of "Gender Issues in Sepia Space" and/or debates over old-school versus new school ideas of authentic popular musical production and performance evidenced in Kelefa Sanneh's "The Rap Against Rockism"? This course will explore these conversations and others through various digitally-engaged mediums including web-based work, CD-ROM art, digital cinema, sonic arts and multimedia installation/performance. Course readings will include selected germinal writings on the history and theory digital/new media. Some of the artists and their mediums to be examined include the techno critiques of Los Cybrids, the CD-ROMs of pioneer computer artist Lucia Grossberger Morales, the (commercial) digital cinema production of Mike Figgis (Time Code), Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity) Spike Lee (Bamboozled) as well as recent and older documentary iconoclasts Jonathan
Caouette (Tarnation) and Spencer Nakasako (A.K.A. Don Bonus). Digital installation and performance by Haco, Pamela Z, Tony Cokes and X-PRZ, Shu Lea Cheang, James Mallory Jones, and Leah Gilliam among others will also be examined.

Readings will likely include works by: Lev Manovich, Douglas Kahn, Jean-François
Lyotard, Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Nick Montfort, Anna Everett, Erika Muhammad, Chela
Sandoval, Jean Baudrillard, Judy Malloy, Kathy High, Pamela Jennings, Pauline
Oliveros, Pamela Z, and George Landow, among others.

AAS 270 WR: CRITICISM: AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY and CULTURAL (Same as ENG 384)

Tu, Th 10:00-11:15 am AWKWARD
Max: 25

Content: In this course, we will examine theories of Afro-American literature that emerged during, and in response to, five discrete but mutually dependent periods of the 20th century following W. E. B. Du Bois's highly influential notion of black double consciousness: the Harlem Renaissance, the era of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, the Black Arts Movement, the Black Woman's Literary Renaissance, and Black Postmodernism. By studying the debates that emerged during these periods about, among other topics, the constitution of black identity, the significance of intraracial differences, the potential contributions of black literature to sociopolitical struggles for freedom and equality, and the cultural specificity of the literature itself, we will consider if and how notions of literature and the role of literary and cultural criticism have changed over time. Also, we will engage brief examples of the literature produced during these periods, which will enable us to explore to what extent creative writers (some of whom are also producing analyses of the literary traditions in which they are participating) respond to the urgings, perspectives, and formulations of critics and scholars.

Required texts will include: The Harlem Renaissance Reader, Afro-American Literary Studies in the 1990s, and African American Literary Theory, and, perhaps, The Norton Anthology of African American Literature.

Particulars: Weekly one-page responses to the critical and theoretical essays; a brief (5 page) essay comparing three of the critical analyses; a research essay (8-10 pages) that investigates a literary text of your choosing in light of the critical formulations from the period it emerged; and class attendance and active participation.

AAS 270WR: MAJOR FIGURES: THE FICTIONS of JEAN TOOMER, ERNEST GAINES and ALICE WALKER (Same as AMST 385)

Tu, Th 10:00-11:15 am BYRD
Max: 18

Content: Focusing upon the fiction of three writers in the African American literary
tradition, in this seminar we will explore questions related to the formation of the African American literary tradition, the representation of the folk and the uses of folklore in literature, the construction of gender, and the impact of gender and race upon the formation of identity.

Texts: Cane, Catherine Carmier, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Gathering of Old Men, A Lesson Before Dying, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, In Love and Trouble, Meridian, The Color Purple and The Way Forward is Through a Broken Heart.

CANCELLED

AAS 270WR: AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY: THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (Same as ENG 385)

W 12:00-3:00 pm WARREN
Max: 20

Content: In this course students will read the major poets of the Black Arts Movement—Baraka, Brooks, Giovanni, Jordan, Madhabuti—as well as some lesser known poets of the 1960s and 1970s. We will explore the politics and aesthetics of the movement, comparing and contrasting nuances of BAM with the Harlem Renaissance and the current Spoken Word/Slam Poetry/Hip-Hop Movement of today.

Texts: Henderson, Stephen. Understanding the New Black Poetry; Addison Gayle. The Black Aesthetic; Gabbin, Joanne. Furious Flower: African American Poetry From the Black Arts Movement to the Present. Neal, Larry. Visions of a Liberated Future: Black Arts Movement Writings.

Particulars: Students are responsible for writing two short response papers (5-7 pages) a final research paper (10-12 pages) and for making a class presentation. Grades are based on papers, presentation, midterm and final exam.

AAS 270: BLACK MUSIC: CULTURE, COMMERCE, and the RACIAL IMAGINATION (Same as MUSIC 470)

Tu, Th 11:30 am-12:45 pm ANDREWS
Max: 30

Content: This course explores the relationship between two broadly held concepts--black music and race. Through the activities of reading principal texts, listening to representative musical examples, and engaging in intense discussion, the student will discover the dynamics of our racial imagination. Most important, the course will try to penetrate why such formulations as black music exist and the goals it serves.

Required Texts: Leroi Jones Blues People, Frank Kofsky Black Music, White Business
Tommy Lott, ed., The Idea of Race

Particulars: A bibliography project, a final paper and two concert performances are required.

AAS 270SWR: GARVEY and GARVEYISM (Same as HIST 488)

Tu 4:30-6:30 pm DAVIS
Max: 12

Content: This course examines the influence of Marcus Garvey and "Garveyism" in understanding the African American and African Diaspora experience in the 20th century. Garvey, along with his organization the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), is often credited with helping to usher in an unprecedented plan for black political, social/cultural and economic development that attracted the attention of thousands of Blacks in diaspora including the United States. Over time Garvey's ideas attracted the attention of several African and Caribbean elites who would go on to lead their country's anti-colonial struggles. In the United States, Garvey's ideas and program would influence leaders as diverse as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Queen Mother Moore and Dorothy Height of the National Association of Negro Women.

Texts: Will be announced in class.

Particulars: There are no examinations but attendance is mandatory. Students prepare written and oral reports as part of a group project, read approximately 100 pages per week of text, participate in detailed discussions of that text, and prepare a 20-page research paper. This course fulfills General Education Requirement IC (Advanced Seminar). Upon successful completion of the course with a grade of C or better, this course will fulfill the GER post-freshman writing requirement.

AAS 338: HISTORY of AFRICAN AMERICANS to 1865 (Same as HIST 338)

Tu, Th 10:00-11:15 am DAVIS
Max: 35

Content: This course examines the collective experiences of African peoples beginning in Africa around 1500 and follows them to what became the United States to approximately 1877. For a broader view, the course frequently compares North America's "African Americans" with the experiences of other African peoples in the African Diaspora within this time period. In addition to important developments within the U.S. political-economy (including social, intellectual and institutional developments), we examine these experiences always nuanced by issues of class, race, gender, and geography among other considerations.

Texts: Will be announced in class.

Particulars: Requirements include mandatory class attendance, group reports, an in-class midterm, take-home final, and comparative book review.

AAS 379: CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS of the AFRICAN DIASPORA (Same as ARTHIST 379)

Tu, Th 11:30am-12:45 pm CHAMBERS
Max: 20

Content: The class will take a broad look at the work of artists of the African
diaspora of the modern and contemporary period. It will focus on three main international constituencies of practitioners. Diasporic artists of North
America, Diasporic artists of the United Kingdom and expatriate African
artists living and working much of the time in countries beyond the ones in
which these artists were born and raised.

Artists to be considered include: Cheri Samba, Faith Ringgold, David Hammons,
Keith Piper and Sonia Boyce.

AAS 398R: DIRECTED READING
FACULTY TBA

Content: Aspects of African American history and culture are the subject of in depth reading and study for a semester. In collaboration with a faculty member, a student conceptualizes a research project and completes a reading list. The research project will reflect the research and teaching strengths of program faculty, and may be in such disciplines as history, sociology, literature, art history, music, and health.

Particulars: A reading list pertinent to the area of study os approved during the first week of the semester. A schedule of meeting times is developed for continuous discussion and analyses of the selected area of study. STUDENTS MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM PROGRAM DIRECTOR TO ENROLL IN THIS COURSE.