This course examines how France and Francophone West Africa have shaped each other throughout the past three centuries. Beginning with the French Atlantic of the eighteenth century, the course traces Franco-African encounters through informal and formal colonial rule, decolonization, and the postcolonial period. It closes by examining current controversies over race, literature and museum rights engendered by this complex history.

This course provides an introduction to African history over the past three centuries. Venturing beyond the stereotypes, we will explore the complex histories that constitute a diverse continent. Special attention is given to spotlighting the voices of African people through a range of primary and secondary sources, including memoirs, film, music, cartoons, speeches and photography.

This course offers a study of selected Caribbean drama, prose, and poetry. We will read works published since 1970 that explore central themes such as the enduring impact of slavery and colonization, resistance movements, global migration and diasporic experiences, the constructions of gender, and the importance of history and memory. This course also engages deeply with form, particularly the role of orature, performance, and global popular cultures. We will read the literary works of writers such as Dionne Brand, Maryse Conde, Edwidge Danticat, and Marlon James.

This course offers a study of selected Caribbean drama, prose, and poetry. We will read works published since 1970 that explore central themes such as the enduring impact of slavery and colonization, resistance movements, global migration and diasporic experiences, the constructions of gender, and the importance of history and memory. This course also engages deeply with form, particularly the role of orature, performance, and global popular cultures. We will read the literary works of writers such as Dionne Brand, Maryse Conde, Edwidge Danticat, and Marlon James.

This course will examine the work and the centralized black world of the last American Nobel laureate in literature, Toni Morrison. Morrison is the author of eleven novels and multiple other works, including nonfiction and criticism. In a career that has spanned over forty years and has informed countless artists and writers, Morrison's expansive cultural reach can hardly be measured accurately. In this course we will endeavor to critically analyze the arc and the import of many of Morrison's writings.

This course will examine the work and the centralized black world of the last American Nobel laureate in literature, Toni Morrison. Morrison is the author of eleven novels and multiple other works, including nonfiction and criticism. In a career that has spanned over forty years and has informed countless artists and writers, Morrison's expansive cultural reach can hardly be measured accurately. In this course we will endeavor to critically analyze the arc and the import of many of Morrison's writings.

In a time of increasing cross pollination between music and other disciplines, this course explores the work of some of the most active creators and scholars of our time, and some of the myriad influences that continue to impact their work today. E.g. Cerise Jacobs, Librettist and Producer working with animatronics and virtual reality. Structured as a mix of lecture and seminar formats, students will have the opportunity to interact with some of the musicians/artists/scholars featured, and engage in class discussions on the issues raised by the people, readings and works encountered.

This course will be a literary, media-based, and technical exploration of the history and influence of contemporary Hip Hop culture creation. Students will engage in an embodied study of various hip-hop dance techniques and a rigorous investigation of the influence of Hip Hop culture on music, fashion, language, media, and personal style throughout the world. The technical aspect of the course will support their study of history and culture through media, readings, discussion and research.

This course challenges students to consider how and why, following Ralph-Michel Trouillot, certain voices get "silenced" in the historical record. We study how women have both shaped history and been subject to its forces, though often in unexpected ways. This course is unique because we learn about women in 18th, 19th and 20th century West Africa through their own words. Students will encounter more than a dozen real and fictional African women: mighty queens, snide co-wives, shrewd traders, ingenious slaves, brilliant writers, and fierce activists.

This course examines how France and Francophone West Africa have shaped each other throughout the past three centuries. Beginning with the French Atlantic of the eighteenth century, the course traces Franco-African encounters through informal and formal colonial rule, decolonization, and the postcolonial period. It closes by examining current controversies over race, literature and museum rights engendered by this complex history.