The anthropology course I am taking this quarter focuses entirely on the continent of Africa, where my heart tells me my work is and whose culture, history and anthropological heartbeat I realize I (as I'd venture to say the majority of Americans) know less than I should. So I'm looking forward to the course. Here's the description:
This 4-unit course is a survey of Africa through the study of cultural anthropology. Issues addressed include: the historical development of Africa; popular American (mis)perceptions and portrayals of Africa and Africans; patterns of social organization, family, and kinship; political organization; traditional subsistence patterns; present economic conditions and ties to the global economy; conceptual systems; health and disease; popular culture; and social change. The course draws upon classic and contemporary anthropological research, research from other disciplines, ethnographies, and literature by African writers. A case study approach will be used for some topics allowing in-depth analysis of particular African societies.
Here's the reading list:
Understanding Contemporary Africa, 3rd edition by April and Donald Gordon.
2001. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
2002. Seattle: Seal Press.
The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy by Camara Laye
1954. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Singing Away the Hunger by Mpho Matsepo Nthunya
1996. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
...and DVD list:
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. 2002. Director: Lee Hirsch.
Ghosts of Rwanda. 2004. Frontline.
Sometimes in April. 2005. Director: Raoul Peck.
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