Critical Social Inquiry 0181 - West African Dance

This course will combine West African dance classes, conducted with the help of musicians who will provide live drumming for each class, and discussion based classes on the cultural and social history of Guinea. Students will explore West African aesthetics as represented in the music and dance traditions of Guinea by engaging in the dance, watching films of performances and celebrations, and reading recent scholarship on the role that national dance companies, such as Les Ballets Africains, played in the anti-colonial, revolutionary nationalist politics of Guinea. The literature will include broader social histories of the struggle for independence and as well as cultural analysis of recurring themes such as authenticity and modernity. We will discuss the ways in which dance figured into the forging of national identity during the Independence era and consider how these projects in self-making evolved over time as the challenges of the post-colonial era constrained and informed the possibilities for such a project.

Arts, Design, and Media Power, Community and Social Justice Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing and group assignments.