Africana Studies
Website: http://aas.cas.lehigh.edu/
The purpose of the Africana Studies Program is to engender in Lehigh students an intellectual appreciation of the life and culture of peoples of sub-Saharan Africa and the worldwide diaspora, especially in the Americas (the United States and Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America), thereby enriching the Lehigh curriculum and increasing its relevance to a culturally diverse society and world. In the best tradition of a liberal arts education, Africana Studies expands Lehigh students’ critical understanding of their own heritage in interaction with other cultures.
The major and minor in Africana Studies constitute an interdepartmental and comparative program of study for undergraduates who wish to integrate the insights and methods of several disciplines to understand the history, culture, social, and political experience of people of African descent globally.
With the breadth and depth of the curriculum, the Africana Studies Program prepares students for a diverse range of careers. Alumni of the Africana Studies Program have advanced to careers in the arts, law, politics, and academia, among others, and with foci on immigration, mass incarceration, and activism. We encourage majors and minors to speak with the program director and/or their advisors to learn more about the applicability of Africana Studies to a wide range of careers.
Emeritus Faculty
Edward P. Morgan (1976, 1989), university distinguished professor of political science. B.A., Oberlin,1968; M.A., Brandeis, 1973; Ph.D., 1975.
The Major
The major in Africana Studies consists of a minimum of ten (10) courses, constituting a minimum of 32 credit hours with no more than 12 transfer credits permitted. The major is designed to familiarize students with a range of disciplinary approaches to Africana Studies. It entails training across disciplinary lines as well as the option to focus on a particular area of concentration.
| Introductory Course | 4 | |
| Introduction to Africana Studies | ||
| Breadth Courses 1 | 9-12 | |
Select one course from each concentration below. | ||
Social & Behavioral Sciences | ||
History, Religion, or Philosophy | ||
Visual & Performing Arts or Literature | ||
| Elective Coursework 1,2 | 15-20 | |
Select five elective courses (see list below). | ||
| Senior Seminar | 4 | |
| Seminar in Africana Studies | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
Africana Studies majors are required to satisfactorily participate in experiential learning. This requires the approval of the director and may take the form of long- or short-term study abroad, internship with or without academic credit, service learning, or community engagement. The program director and faculty will offer guidance to assist you in the completion of this requirement. | ||
| Total Credits | 32-40 | |
- 1
In consult with the Africana Studies advisor, students can choose from a wide variety of Africana Studies courses each semester, including but not limited to the electives within each Breadth.
- 2
Majors have the option to declare a major concentration in a chosen field of Africana Studies by completing a minimum of nine credits of elective coursework in one of the fields; including, Arts, Culture, and Science; Gender and Sexuality; Social and Political Movements; Race, Ethnicity, and Class; or self-designed concentration that is developed with faculty advisor or director. A major concentration allows students to develop expertise on a particular subject matter and may be self-designed with the approval of the student's advisor or direction. Students are advised to plan their course of study in consultation with the director and/or designated faculty advisor.
Departmental Honors
Africana Studies majors who attain a 3.5 grade point average in the major and a 3.2 grade point average overall may apply for departmental honors. Students must receive permission from the program director and complete a minimum of 4 credits of AAS 390 Honors Thesis.
The Minor
The minor consists of a minimum of four (4) courses, constituting at least 15 hours of study that includes an introductory course and at least one course at the 200-level or above.
| Introductory Course | 4 | |
| Introduction to Africana Studies | ||
| Elective Coursework and/or Breadth Courses 1,2 | 11-12 | |
Social & Behavioral Sciences | ||
History, Religion, or Philosophy | ||
Visual & Performance Arts or Literature | ||
| Total Credits | 15-16 | |
- 1
In consult with the Africana Studies advisor, students can choose from a variety of Africana Studies courses each semester, including but not limited to the electives within each Breadth.
- 2
Must include at least one course at the 200-level or above.
Core and Elective Courses
Core courses concentrate on subject material directly relevant to the study of past and present experiences of people of African descent. Each semester, a complete list of Africana Studies course offerings can be found on the Africana Studies website or in the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs, Maginnes Hall, Suite 280. In addition, students are encouraged to pursue independent study opportunities to enhance their knowledge of specific aspects of Africana Studies.
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
| AAS/SOC 103 | Race and Ethnicity in the Contemporary U.S. | 4 |
| AAS/LAS/SOC 106 | Race and Ethnicity in the Americas | 4 |
| AAS/SOC/LAS 155 | Afro-Latino Social Movements in Latin America & the Caribbean | 4 |
| AAS/SOC 166 | Wealth and Poverty in the United States | 4 |
| AAS/POLS 205 | The Political Development of American Race Relations | 4 |
| AAS/POLS/WGSS 210 | Revolution on Campus | 4 |
| AAS/POLS 230 | Social Movements From the 1960s to Present | 4 |
| AAS 278 | Race, Sports, Media and Social Activism | 4 |
| AAS 305 | Residential Segregation: Policies and Practices | 4 |
| AAS 314 | Infections and Inequalities: HIV, TB and Malaria in the Global South | 4 |
| AAS/ANTH/GS 317 | So You Want to Save the World: Anthropological Encounters with Humanitarianism and Development | 4 |
| AAS/JOUR 333 | Reporting the Crises: Identity, Journalism and Power | 4 |
| AAS/ASIA/GS/POLS 343 | Global Politics of Race: Asia and Africa | 4 |
| AAS/COMM 375 | Global Media and Culture | 4 |
| AAS/SOC 379 | Race and Class in America | 4 |
| History, Religion, Philosophy | ||
| AAS/HIST 005 | African Civilization | 4 |
| AAS/PHIL 117 | Race, Racism, and Philosophy | 4 |
| AAS/HIST/WGSS 126 | How Black Women Made Modern America | 4 |
| AAS/HIST 130 | African American History | 4 |
| AAS/HIST/GS/WGSS 131 | Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies | 4 |
| AAS/HIST 134 | History and Cultures of Ghana | 4 |
| AAS/GS/HIST/HMS 176 | Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness | 4 |
| AAS/GS/HIST 178 | Globalization and Health in Ghana | 3 |
| AAS/HIST 179 | Black Political Thought in America | 4 |
| AAS/HIST/WGSS 322 | African Women, Voices and Lives | 4 |
| AAS/HIST 330 | Africans and the Atlantic World | 4 |
| AAS/HIST 331 | United States and Africa | 4 |
| AAS/HIST 332 | Slavery and the American South | 4 |
| AAS/GS/HIST 341 | Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | 4 |
| Visual & Performing Arts and Literature | ||
| AAS 038 | Introduction to African Literature | 3 |
| AAS/THTR 066 | Hip Hop Dance | 2 |
| AAS/THTR 076 | Hip Hop Dance II | 2 |
| AAS/ENGL/JST/REL 102 | Promised Lands: Jewish and African American Children's Literature | 4 |
| AAS/ENGL 121 | Topics in African-American Literature | 4 |
| AAS/ART/GS 124 | Arts of the Black World 16th-20th Centuries | 4 |
| AAS/ART/GS 125 | Art and Architecture of Africa from Colonial to Contemporary Times | 4 |
| AAS/MUS 128 | Jazz History I | 3 |
| AAS/MUS 129 | Jazz History II | 3 |
| AAS/THTR 132 | Hip Hop Theatre | 4 |
| AAS/ENGL 138 | Introduction to African American Literature | 4 |
| AAS/THTR 140 | African American Theatre | 4 |
| AAS/FREN 312 | Modernity in the Maghreb | 4 |
| AAS/ENGL 318 | Topics in African American Literature and Culture | 4 |
| AAS/ENGL 320 | Imagining Freedom: 19th-Century African American Literature and Politics | 4 |
| AAS/ENGL 325 | The Harlem Renaissance: Early 20th-Century African American Literature, Art and Politics | 4 |
| ENGL 366 | Topics in British Eighteenth-Century Literature | 4 |
Graduate certificate IN Africana studies
A Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences. Candidates for the certificate must complete 12 credit hours (4 courses) at the 300-level or above, with no more than 6 credits at the 300-level.
The Graduate Certificate in AAS is designed as a complement to a graduate program (e.g. English, History, Sociology, American Studies, Political Science) or as a standalone post-baccalaureate course of study. The Certificate is a small, flexible program that provides students with breadth and the challenge of working outside their home discipline in concentrated interdisciplinary study of Africana Studies. In recognition of contemporary educational and employment contexts that are increasingly diverse and international, the AAS Program offers the graduate certificate as a means to enrich academic, personal, and employment horizons.
| 4 courses from the list below at the 300-level or above | 12 | |
| with no more than 6 credits at the 300-level | ||
COURSES
Additional courses may be chosen in consultation with the program director.
AAS/SOC/WGSS 310 | ||
| Modernity in the Maghreb | ||
AAS/SOC 313 | ||
| Infections and Inequalities: HIV, TB and Malaria in the Global South | ||
| Topics in African American Literature and Culture | ||
AAS/ANTH/GS 324 | ||
| Africans and the Atlantic World | ||
| United States and Africa | ||
| Slavery and the American South | ||
AAS/HIST 335 | ||
AAS 339 | ||
| Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | ||
| Global Politics of Race: Asia and Africa | ||
| Colonialism and the Black Radical Tradition | ||
| Global Media and Culture | ||
AAS/COMM/WGSS 376 | ||
AAS 376/SOC 379 | ||
| Seminar on a topic in Africana Studies | ||
| Special Topics in Africana Studies | ||
| Rise and Fall of the Old South | ||
| Social Movements From the 1960s to Present | ||
| Global Politics of Race: Asia and Africa | ||
SOC/WGSS 365/SOC 465/WGSS 465 | ||
| Social Stratification: Race, Class, Gender | ||
SOC 443 |
Courses
AAS 003 Introduction to Africana Studies 4 Credits
An interdisciplinary examination of the roots, culture, and politics of the modern black world through study of classic works in Africana Studies with emphasis on the continuities among African peoples worldwide and the social forces that have shaped contemporary black life in Africa and the Americas.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
AAS 005 (HIST 005) African Civilization 4 Credits
Sub-Saharan Africa through the millennia of the ancient world to the present. Human origins, state and non-state systems, the external slave trade; colonialism, resistance to European rule; independence movements; neocolonialism.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 025 (REL 025) Introduction to Black Religions and Hip-Hop 4 Credits
Rapper KRS ONE once stated that, “Rap is something you do and Hip-Hop is something you live.” This course thinks through the global evolution of Hip-Hop culture and the public and academic study of Black Religions as responses to structural and historical inequality and the search for meaning in culture by considering themes of resistance, constraint, power, the body, deviance, and morality over and against race, class, gender, and sexuality from a range of academic and cultural sources.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
AAS 038 (ENGL 038) Introduction to African Literature 3 Credits
Sub-Saharan African literary themes and styles, historical and social contexts, African folk tales, oral poetry, colonial protest literature, postcolonial writing, films on contemporary Africa.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
AAS 066 (THTR 066) Hip Hop Dance 2 Credits
Techniques, vocabulary, and history behind the various elements of the Hip Hop Movement. Focus upon the cultural influence of Hip Hop dance styles, and the overall social influence of the Hip Hop Movement.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, HU
AAS 076 (THTR 076) Hip Hop Dance II 2 Credits
Students familiar with the music genres and basic dance tropes of the Hip Hop movement will explore, develop, and apply them in combinations that weave the various elements of Hip Hop culture into a high energy dance. Focus on Hip Hop dance as it influences the contemporary world view and global aesthetics.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Prerequisites: THTR 066 or AAS 066
Attribute/Distribution: AL, HU
AAS 091 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Study of a subject or issue in Africana Studies not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit as subtitle varies.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, CC, HE, HU, SS, SW, W
AAS 095 1-4 Credits
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
AAS 102 (ENGL 102, JST 102, REL 102) Promised Lands: Jewish and African American Children's Literature 4 Credits
In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 137 asks, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” For Jews, blacks, and black Jews, this was and is a poignant question. This course examines how these two rich, often overlapping and interacting groups tell their stories in literature for children and young adults, with a particular focus on the mediation of traumatic pasts. What does it mean to imagine promised lands beyond such pasts—and can they be reached?
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 103 (SOC 103) Race and Ethnicity in the Contemporary U.S. 4 Credits
Examines race and ethnicity from a sociological perspective. Focus on the role of the major racial and ethnic communities in modern American society. Explores the roles of race and ethnicity in identity, social relations, and social inequality. Topics include racial and ethnic communities, minority/majority groups, assimilation, prejudice/discrimination, identity and the social construction of the concept of “race.”
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 106 (LAS 106, SOC 106) Race and Ethnicity in the Americas 4 Credits
How is it possible that someone who is officially considered black in the United States can embody different racial identities throughout current Latin America? Even more, how is it possible that people considered white nowadays were not officially so in early twentieth-century US (although they were viewed as white in the Latin American context at the same time period)? This course offers a historical comparative analysis of the nature and dynamics of race between the United States and Latin America.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
AAS 117 (PHIL 117) Race, Racism, and Philosophy 4 Credits
An introduction to the philosophy born of struggle against racism and white supremacy. We will read the work of philosophers, mostly European, who quietly made modern racism possible by inventing the category of race, but we will concentrate on the work of philosophers, mostly of African descent, who for 200 years have struggled to force a philosophical critique of the category of race and the practice of white supremacy.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 121 (ENGL 121) Topics in African-American Literature 4 Credits
Selected works of African American literature and/or the literatures of the African Diaspora. Must have completed six hours of first-year English. Cannot be taken pass/fail.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
AAS 124 (ART 124, GS 124) Arts of the Black World 16th-20th Centuries 4 Credits
This course covers artistic practices originating in Africa that subsequently influenced countless world cultures. The material covers artistic production and theory of arts of the enslaved populations in the AnteBellum South, early African American painting through the Harlem Renaissance, the religious arts of Haiti (Vodou) and Cuba (Santería), and contemporary production from Black Brazilian, American and European artists. Students should be prepared to attend Museums/galleries during the semester.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
AAS 125 (ART 125, GS 125) Art and Architecture of Africa from Colonial to Contemporary Times 4 Credits
This course is structured around case studies of art and architecture from early traditions up through the present. The focus is on cultural production, religious art and architecture (local as well as Christian and Muslim traditions), craftsmanship, style, materials, trade, and international exhibition of art objects in Museums. The literature draws from art historical, anthropological, and historical analyses as well as museum studies. Students should be prepared to attend Museums/galleries during the semester.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
AAS 126 (HIST 126, WGSS 126) How Black Women Made Modern America 4 Credits
This course introduces students to the significant themes and events that have shaped the African American women’s historical experience from slavery to the present. We examine the social, political, and economic meaning of freedom for women of African descent.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
AAS 128 (MUS 128) Jazz History I 3 Credits
A study of the roots of jazz. Starting in West Africa, the course traces the synthesis of African and European elements to 1945. Musicians covered are Gottshalk, Bolden, Morton, Armstrong, Hawkins, Basie, Ellington, and others.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
AAS 129 (MUS 129) Jazz History II 3 Credits
A survey of modern jazz from 1945 to present. Musicians covered include Parker, Gillespie, Monk, Davis, Coltrane, Hancock, and Coleman. Can be taken independently of Jazz History I, but the first course would be helpful.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
AAS 130 (HIST 130) African American History 4 Credits
Blacks in America from the first importation of Africans to the implementation of civil rights laws. West African origins, slave trade, slavery, free blacks and emancipation and study of Reconstruction, segregation, urbanization, and the struggle for racial equality.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
AAS 131 (GS 131, HIST 131, WGSS 131) Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies 4 Credits
This course explores the various ways in which womanhood, gender, sexuality and race are defined, constructed and articulated in African societies. The interdisciplinary course draws from historical writings, novels, biography, anthropology, political science, health and other fields to examine diverse activities and contributions of African women from the pre-colonial period to the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 132 (THTR 132) Hip Hop Theatre 4 Credits
Introduction to the creation and performance of Hip Hop Theatre. Exploration of the history and culture of Hip Hop through original written material, live performance, music, film, video and web based content. Public Performances. Must have audition. Consent given by instructor.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, CC, HU
AAS 134 (HIST 134) History and Cultures of Ghana 4 Credits
Overview of Ghana's history and cultures from the fifteenth century, examining diversity among various ethnic groups and covering such themes as religion, literature, art, music/dance, gender, family and anti-colonial movements. The course will also explore how slave castles/forts contributed to the transatlantic slave trade, Pan-Africanism and global tourism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 138 (ENGL 138) Introduction to African American Literature 4 Credits
Survey of African American prose narrative and poetry from the 18th century to the present. Features writers from the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the post Black Power era.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
AAS 140 (THTR 140) African American Theatre 4 Credits
Foundations of African theater: historical, literacy, and practical.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
AAS 144 Global Hip Hop and Social Change 4 Credits
Hip Hop has become a global phenomenon. We will analyze how and why socially Conscious Hip Hop, as a tool for social change, has expanded to Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
AAS 147 (COMM 147) Dreams and Nightmares: The Music Industry, Media and Inequality 4 Credits
What were the racial and gendered stakes when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards? How do sexual assaults by famous musicians go under-investigated and under-covered? What are the structures of the music industry that enable inequity? This course addresses these questions and problematic hierarchies within the global popular music industry, situates musical case studies in social, news and entertainment media environments, and highlights the role of music journalism in setting the terms of key debates.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
AAS 155 (LAS 155, SOC 155) Afro-Latino Social Movements in Latin America & the Caribbean 4 Credits
This focuses on Afro-Latinos who make up nearly 70% of the population of the Americas. Despite the large amount of people of African descent living in the Americas, Afro-Latinos are an understudied population who face significant amounts of racial discrimination in their countries. Who are Afro-Latinos? Where do they live? How are they challenging the racism that they face? These are questions we will tackle in this course.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 163 (SOC 163) Sociology of Hip Hop Culture 4 Credits
Hip Hop culture is a complex form of artistic practices reflecting and impacting the environments in which they were produced. Through readings, music and video, this class will uncover the origins of Hip Hop by examining the musical history of the Afro-diaspora in the 20th century. Further study will reveal how the young Bronx, NY underclass in the 1970s fused elements of past musical styles with their own personal and political expression that sparked a worldwide phenomenon and culture industry.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 164 (SOC 164, WGSS 164) Sociology of Black Families 4 Credits
The objective of this course is to help students learn more about Black family experiences within the United States and globally. In approaching the course with an intersectional lens, students will learn about the varied experiences of Black families, and the ways in which these experiences are embedded in empowerment, disempowerment, and self-actualization. Students will leave the course understanding Black families at the intersection of fatherhood, motherhood, marriage, singlehood, childrearing, LGBTQ families, interracial families, transnational families, and aging.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 166 Wealth and Poverty in the United States 4 Credits
Examines the sociology of wealth and poverty affluence and disadvantage, “rags and riches” in American Society. Focus is a critical analysis of the wealth gap, its causes, consequences and social context. We will consider the roles of wealth and poverty in determining life chances and structuring opportunity, as well as their roles in the perpetuation of social inequality across generations. We will address contemporary debates surrounding public policy, tax laws, antipoverty programs and other reform efforts aimed at decreasing the.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
AAS 176 (GS 176, HIST 176, HMS 176) Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness 4 Credits
What are the myths about diseases in Africa and how does the world respond to health crises there? What are the African healing traditions? What is the history of global health in Africa and its implications for illness and wellness? This course explores health interventions and initiatives by Africans and non-Africans including missionaries, colonial officials, and NGOs. Students’ final papers will perform a “post-mortem” on Africa, critically tracing how efforts to control, manage and eradicate diseases have succeeded or failed.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 178 (GS 178, HIST 178) Globalization and Health in Ghana 3 Credits
This 4-week field-based course fosters global engagement by introducing students to the historical, social, cultural, and political factors at the forefront of globalization and health processes in Ghana.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
AAS 179 (HIST 179) Black Political Thought in America 4 Credits
Black leadership, organizations, and philosophy in America from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era; ideas and programs of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
AAS 191 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Study of a subject or issue in Africana Studies not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit as subtitle varies.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, CC, HE, HU, SS, SW, W
AAS 205 (POLS 205) The Political Development of American Race Relations 4 Credits
This course examines the distinctive role race has played in shaping the political history of the United States.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 210 (POLS 210, WGSS 210) Revolution on Campus 4 Credits
Universities are often sites of political protest. Some of these protests are expressive but ineffective, others can spark revolutions and regime change. Why? What distinguishes universities as sites for resistance? What makes students prone to mobilization? The study of politics can seem like an abstract pursuit, one that is not relevant to our lives. This course takes the scholarly literature on social movements and applies it to the university. Students will engage in social activism as part of this course.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 230 (POLS 230) Social Movements From the 1960s to Present 4 Credits
The lessons of U.S. social and political movements from the 1960s and the post-2000 era. Students examine social movements through the lens of intersectionality, with a focus on civil rights, anti-war activism, women’s rights, global justice, and ecology movements, to assess their connection to democracy and citizens’ lives.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 278 Race, Sports, Media and Social Activism 4 Credits
This course investigates the role and use of media in key efforts of social resistance among American athletes of color. Our analysis will include a look at the lives of athletes who engage in these actions; key acts of resistance; media coverage; and the public response both for and against the protests. Students will learn about media literacy, the power of representation, public sphere protest among celebrities and the role of news media in protest.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
AAS 291 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Study of a subject or issue in Africana Studies not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit as subtitle varies.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W
AAS 299 Internship in Africana Studies 1-4 Credits
Work experience with an off-campus organization for practical experience in an Africana Studies-related field. Sophomore standing and program director’s approval required. Course may be repeated for up to four credits.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, W
AAS 305 (EVST 305, POLS 305) Residential Segregation: Policies and Practices 4 Credits
This course is an introductory planning course, with an emphasis on housing and community development policy. It will examine historical and contemporary aspects of urban politics; the economic, demographic, and spatial evolution of American cities; and various urban problems, such as the spatial mismatch between people and jobs, housing quality and affordability, and residential segregation. Finally, the course will review how planners have addressed conditions in cities and regions over time.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 311 (ANTH 311, FILM 311) African Culture on Film 4 Credits
Cinematic representations of Africans and their culture are nearly as old as cinema itself.This course surveys films depicting African peoples, some made by outsiders but mostly by Africans themselves, to explore questions about culture, identity, race, and power. From ethnographic filmmakers like Jean Rouch and pioneers like Ousmane Sembene through today's flourishing Nollywood industry, cinematic depictions of life on the African continent have changed the way the world sees Africans and their place in the world.
Attribute/Distribution: HU, SS
AAS 312 (FREN 312, MLL 312) Modernity in the Maghreb 4 Credits
Emergence of the modern self through a comparative study of textual as well as visual representations of postcolonial subjects by male and female writers and film makers. Study of the way the sociopolitical context of countries such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia informs the constitution of subjectivity within a multicultural and multilingual community. Issues such as patriarchy, nationalism, colonialism, post colonialism, identity, gender, and Islam in North African literature and film from Franco-Arab traditions.
Attribute/Distribution: HU, W
AAS 313 (SOC 313) Keep the Change: Social Movements in Society 4 Credits
Interested in how social change works? Or how to stop it? This seminar provides an introduction to the origins, dynamics, and consequences of historical and contemporary social movements, beginning with the American Civil Rights Movement. Students will discuss and develop their own ideas on these issues through examination of social movement theory and empirical case studies. They will also explore more general questions about the relationship between human agency, social structure, and historical change. More information is available at https://wordpress.lehigh.edu/zim2/soc313/.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 314 (GS 314, HMS 314, SOC 314) Infections and Inequalities: HIV, TB and Malaria in the Global South 4 Credits
This course will explore the social, economic, and environmental causes of HIV, TB, and malaria in developing nations, with a particular focus on the characteristics and causes of these diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. Students will engage theories and perspectives on development, globalization, and social inequality to explain trends in HIV, TB, and malaria and to understand why certain groups are more vulnerable to infection than others. Prerequisite: Junior/senior standing with declared major/minor in SOC, ANTH, SOAN, HMS, GS, or AAS.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
AAS 317 (ANTH 317, GS 317) So You Want to Save the World: Anthropological Encounters with Humanitarianism and Development 4 Credits
We are often motivated by the desire to “give back”-- feed the hungry, heal the sick, and help those less fortunate than ourselves. Anthropological research on humanitarian aid, development projects, and other interventions meant to improve human lives in various contexts shows us why these efforts often go awry. Focusing primarily on settings outside the U.S., students will consider the pitfalls of developmental and humanitarian interventions as well as the crucial role of local knowledge in addressing complex global problems.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
AAS 318 (ENGL 318) Topics in African American Literature and Culture 3-4 Credits
Special Topics in African American culture and/or the cultures of the African diaspora. Topics may be focused by period, genre, thematic interest or interdisciplinary method including, for example, “Nineteenth-century African American Literature and Politics”, “African-American Folklore”, “Black Atlantic Literature”, “The Harlem Renaissance”, “African-American Women Writers”.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 320 (ENGL 320) Imagining Freedom: 19th-Century African American Literature and Politics 3-4 Credits
In the midst of slavery and its violent aftermath, African Americans dreamed of freedom. These imaginings of freedom are among the richest cultural legacies of the American people and a necessary part of any effort to understand our nation’s contradictory history. Students will read slave-narratives, novels, poems, protests against slavery and lynching, demands for political rights and women’s equality, calls for slave rebellion and appeals for inter-racial cooperation. Readings include Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Wilson, Charles Chesnutt.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 322 (HIST 322, WGSS 322) African Women, Voices and Lives 3-4 Credits
This course traces the changing history and status of African women. It positions their voices and biographies at the center of broader narratives that often perceive them as powerless, emerging from a lineage of poverty and oppression, and without agency. What happens when African women speak for themselves? We will explore the intersections of gender, class, race, and power to emphasize how women have been instrumental in shaping African history from the pre-colonial period to the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 325 (ENGL 325) The Harlem Renaissance: Early 20th-Century African American Literature, Art and Politics 3-4 Credits
Explore the extraordinary flowering of African American literary, artistic and political life in the early 20th century. Study masterpieces of African American literature, music, visual art, and political imagination. Consider how artists and activists represented the diversity of Black life in America and reimagined race relations during the Jim Crow era. Learn how works by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Bessie Smith, Aaron Douglas and many others can assist us in realizing the promise of racial justice.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
AAS 330 (HIST 330) Africans and the Atlantic World 4 Credits
This course chronicles the history of Africans and the Atlantic world from the fifteenth century. It explores cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and Europeans and covers major themes including trade, religion, slavery, abolition, identity, colonialism, gender, the "Back-to-Africa" movements and impact of Africans on Atlantic world history.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
AAS 331 (HIST 331) United States and Africa 3,4 Credits
Reciprocal relationships between North America and the African continent from the slave trade in the seventeenth century to the twentieth century Afrocentric movement; impact of Americans on shaping of modern Africa, Pan-African relations; influence of African Americans on U.S. policies toward Africa.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
AAS 332 (HIST 332) Slavery and the American South 3-4 Credits
The emergence and demise of the “peculiar institution” of African American slavery in British North America and the Old South. African background, colonial beginnings, 19th century slave community, the ruling race and proslavery ideology, the death of slavery and its aftermath, slavery and freedom in a comparative context.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
AAS 333 (JOUR 333) Reporting the Crises: Identity, Journalism and Power 4 Credits
This seminar helps students understand the role of journalists, media-makers and citizens at the intersection of identity and inequality in times of crisis. It covers issues of race, class and gender with a specific emphasis on anti-Black racism, showing how media can be consciously or unwittingly used to further discrimination and support ongoing structures and patterns of harm. Ultimately students will explore how new media platforms, organizations and workers might undertake more equitable practices for a more equal media future.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS
AAS 341 (GS 341, HIST 341) Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies 3,4 Credits
This course traces the origins of Aid to Africa, explores various volunteer activities, and investigates the role of NGOs, missionaries, philanthropists, medical practitioners, and global education. It examines the ways that cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and foreigners shaped African societies both positively and negatively.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
AAS 343 (ASIA 343, GS 343, POLS 343) Global Politics of Race: Asia and Africa 4 Credits
An examination of the concept of "race" and its impact on domestic and international politics.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 345 Colonialism and the Black Radical Tradition 4 Credits
Karl Marx was not the only figure who developed an influential theory of social revolution. A cadre of theorists from the Global South have extensively theorized about the issues facing their particular nations, and they have developed social theories that have challenged social and global inequality. This course is a theory based course that will focus on the anti-colonial and post-colonial thought of radical black intellectuals from the Black America, the Caribbean, and West Africa.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 371 Independent Study 1-4 Credits
Independent study in advanced areas of Africana Studies. Independent research with an individual faculty member in the Africana Studies program. Consent of director.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W
AAS 375 (COMM 375) Global Media and Culture 4 Credits
Cultural Studies investigates dominant understandings; issues of identity and experience; and society. A Cultural Studies approach to understanding representations of difference in global media. Focus will center upon the role of media in shaping the contemporary dominant understandings of various groups in a globalized world; introductions to philosophies and theories that function as fundamental texts on the relationship between media, social life and human behavior; and the ways in which media socially construct a new, globalized reality.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, W
AAS 379 (SOC 379) Race and Class in America 4 Credits
This course focuses on the ways in which race and class intersect in the social, economic, and political structures of American society. Through sociological literature, fiction, nonfiction, film, and other media we will explore the place of race and class in American society. We will examine how race and class operate on a personal, "micro" level, while at the same time operating on a large scale, "macro" level.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
AAS 382 Seminar on a topic in Africana Studies 1-4 Credits
Advanced study of a subject or issue in Africana Studies not covered in other courses.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, W
AAS 389 Seminar in Africana Studies 4 Credits
An upper-level seminar in Africana Studies will serve as a Capstone experience for Africana Studies majors. The course is also open to non-majors who want to develop their research skills on topics relevant to Africana Studies. The course will expand on students’ understanding of Africana Studies based on their prior AAS coursework and will guide them through a research project. Consent of department required.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W
AAS 390 Honors Thesis 1-4 Credits
Directed undergraduate research thesis required of Africana Studies majors who apply for and qualify for graduation with program honors. Students must complete a minimum of 4 Honors Thesis credits and attain a 3.5 grade point average in the major and a 3.2 grade point average overall. Permission of the program director required.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, W
AAS 391 Special Topics in Africana Studies 3-4 Credits
A topic, genre, or approach in literature or writing not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W
AAS 393 (WGSS 393) Black Feminist Thought and the Media Industries 4 Credits
From the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom to Lifetime’s investigative series Surviving R.Kelly, recent media highlights injustices faced by black women in the media industries. This course historicizes the place of black women within media, introduces students to Black Feminist Thought, and unpacks concepts such as hypervisibility, intersectionality, and womanism. It explores how race and gender manifest in (and are challenged by) the creative industries. Course fills major and minor requirements in AAS and WGSS.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
AAS 422 (HIST 422, WGSS 422) African Women, Voices and Lives 3 Credits
This course traces the changing history and status of African women. It positions their voices and biographies at the center of broader narratives that often perceive them as powerless, emerging from a lineage of poverty and oppression, and without agency. What happens when African women speak for themselves? We will explore the intersections of gender, class, race, and power to emphasize how women have been instrumental in shaping African history from the pre-colonial period to the present.
AAS 493 (WGSS 493) Black Feminist Thought and the Media Industries 3 Credits
From the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom to Lifetime’s investigative series Surviving R.Kelly, recent media highlights injustices faced by black women in the media industries. This course historicizes the place of black women within media, introduces students to Black Feminist Thought, and unpacks concepts such as hypervisibility, intersectionality, and womanism. It explores how race and gender manifest in (and are challenged by) the creative industries. Course fills major and minor requirements in AAS and WGSS.
