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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Undergraduate courses in African and African American Studies

In this section:

AFRICAAM 12. Presidential Politics: Race, Class, Faith, and Gender in the 2008 Election

AFRICAAM 40. The Muse, Musings, and Music

AFRICAAM 75. Black Cinema

AFRICAAM 101. African American Lecture Series: Race and Faith

AFRICAAM 105. Introduction to African and African American Studies

AFRICAAM 123. Great Works of the African American Tradition

AFRICAAM 144. African Women Writers

AFRICAAM 145. Writing Race, Writing Faith: The Poetics and Politics of Spirituality in Black Literature

AFRICAAM 152. W.E.B. DuBois as Writer and Philosopher

AFRICAAM 190. Directed Reading

AFRICAAM 199. Honors Project

Up one level:

African and African American Studies (AFRICAAM) Courses

AFRICAAM 12. Presidential Politics: Race, Class, Faith, and Gender in the 2008 Election

(Same as CSRE 12.) From the 2008 nomination process to the election between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama.The complexities of identity and its role in uniting and dividing the electorate. Panels covering the media, political participation, and group affiliation.

1-3 units, Aut (Elam, M; Snipp, C)

AFRICAAM 40. The Muse, Musings, and Music

Internal and external sources of inspiration and the practice of applying them through creative expression. Creativity as an act of manifestation in daily life. Writing exercises, improvisation games. Students perform their poetry, music, and visual art. Final class project.

3-5 units, Aut (Staff), given once only

AFRICAAM 75. Black Cinema

How filmmakers represent historical and cultural issues in Black cinema.

2 units, Spr (Barker-Alexander, J)

AFRICAAM 101. African American Lecture Series: Race and Faith

Weekly lectures on African or African American artistic expression, culture, history, language, literature, music, politics, religion and society. One unit for attendance at lecture reading and submission of brief response papers. Additional units require participation in discussion sections, readings, and the opportunity to conduct and record interviews with speakers in the lecture series for the AAAS archives. May be repeated for credit.

1-3 units, Spr (Staff)

AFRICAAM 105. Introduction to African and African American Studies

(Same as ENGLISH 143E, HISTORY 255B.) Interdisciplinary. Central themes in African American culture and history related to race as a definitive American phenomenon. African survivals and interpretations of slavery in the New World, contrasting interpretations of the Black family, African American literature, and art. Possible readings: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Alice Walker, and bell hooks. Focus may vary each year. GER:DB-Hum, EC-AmerCul

5 units, Win (Elam, M; Carson, C)

AFRICAAM 123. Great Works of the African American Tradition

Foundational African and African American scholarly figures and their work from the 19th century to the present. Historical, political, and scholarly context. Dialogues distinctive to African American culture. May be repeated for credit.

5 units, not given this year

AFRICAAM 144. African Women Writers

The intricacy and diversity of contemporary African women's writings. Focusis on fiction from various regions of Africa. Authors include Dangarembga, Ba, Okunit, Vera, Head, Aidoo, and El Saadawi. Theoretical readings locate the writings within historical, philosophical, and aesthetic traditions.

5 units, Spr (Powell, P), given once only

AFRICAAM 145. Writing Race, Writing Faith: The Poetics and Politics of Spirituality in Black Literature

How spirituality functions thematically and aesthetically in black literature; how different spiritual practices are articulated in black diasporic communities. Theoretical readings locate the writings within the historical, philosophical and aesthetic traditions of the literature. Authors include DuBois, Marshall, Walker, Phillips, Brodber, and Johnson.

5 units, Win (Staff), given once only

AFRICAAM 152. W.E.B. DuBois as Writer and Philosopher

(Same as ENGLISH 152D, PHIL 194L.) Capstone seminar for Philosophy and Literature programs. Preference to majors in English, Philosophy, African and African American Studies, or the Philosophy and Literature programs. Life, career, thought, and writings of DuBois. Focus on the first half of his career, interactions among his early philosophical perfectionism, his work in social theory/social science, and his literary ambitions as an essayist and novelist. Sources include Souls of Black Folk, as well as his books on history and sociology, scholarly essays, and novels. GER:DB-Hum

5 units, Spr (Elam, M; Anderson, L)

AFRICAAM 190. Directed Reading

May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

1-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

AFRICAAM 199. Honors Project

May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

1-5 units, Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

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