SPRING 2025

African Islam - Transcripts of Resistance (CD or HA) 

This course explores African Islam as a set of interconnected cultural continuums, religion-political movements, & interpretive identities. Lectures will cover significant moments in the burgeoning of African Muslim thought and identities through an array of literary sources. Students will examine writings from different spheres of African Islam on the continent & in African diasporas, from the 6th to the 21st century with literature from the centers in East, North, West, & Sub-Saharan Africa, students will engage with African Muslim diasporic writings from the Near East, the Indian Subcontinent, the Atlantic World, & the Americas.

Instructor Hamza M. Zafer

Contemporary African Politics and Society: Ethnographic Reading, Thinking and Writing (CD) Subject associations AFS 322 / POL 463 / ANT 222 / AAS 334

How can we read, write, and critically think (imagine) about African politics and society? The course presents contemporary ethnography on African politics and society during the postcolonial era, emphasizing the multiplicity, complexities, and diversity of African ideas, imaginations, practices, and experiences, in along with the variety of national and international factors that either influence or are impacted by them. Upon completing the course, students will have the essential critical thinking abilities and analytical tools required to recognize and challenge reductionist and biased narratives concerning Africa.

Instructor Melusi Nkomo 

African Technologies and Technofutures  (CD or HA) Subject associations AFS 331 / ART 314

Taking a cue from Afrofuturists, this interdisciplinary course frames Africa as a site of technological innovation. We will learn both about the historical context of major technological advancements in Africa and how literature and art have imagined the relationship between Blackness and technology. Drawing on cutting-edge findings in history, archaeology, and other fields, we will explore the development of major technologies in Africa's past, from metallurgy to urban engineering. We will also study how African societies have adopted new technologies in response to enslavement, environmental change, and colonial rule.

Instructor Colin Bos

African Mythology, Creation Narratives, & Origin Stories (LA or SA) AFS 343

An interdisciplinary navigation into the field of narratology the structure of (hi)stories centering creation myths and origin stories. African mythogenesis paves our primary path of investigation, but we also consider the universality of myth, and students will write to their interests and experiences. This creative nonfiction class combines ethnographic research, critical reading, and literary hybridity. A polished 10-page piece presents an original, research-intensive mythscape alongside informed analysis and careful contextualization. Every person has a story we should hear. This unconventional class equips Tigers to tell theirs.

Instructor Mary-Alice Daniel 

Human Evolution (EC) Subject associations ANT 206 / AFS 206

Humans have a deep history, one that informs our contemporary reality. Understanding our evolutionary history is understanding both what we have in common with other primates and other hominins, and what happened over the last 7 to 10 million years since our divergence from the other African ape lineages. More specifically, the story of the human is centered in what happened in the ~2.5 million year history of our own genus (Homo). This class outlines the history of our lineage and offers an anthropological and evolutionary explanation for what this all means for humans today, and why we should care.

Instructor Andrea L. DiGiorgio

Kongo Art (CD or LA) Subject associations ART 473 / AAS 473 / AFS 473

Easily recognized as among the most important examples of canonical African art, Kongo sculpture, textiles, and ritual design are famous for their conceptual density, stylistic variety and rigorous abstraction. The course examines the role of art in the life of the Kongo Kingdom and related peoples, from the arrival of Spanish explorers and missionaries in the 15th century, through the era of Belgian colonization from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries, to the period since political independence in 1960. The seminar coincides with and will explore the Kongo Across the Waters exhibition at the Princeton University Museum.

Instructor Chika O. Okeke-Agulu 

History of Slavery in Africa and the Middle East (CD or HA) Subject associations HIS 453 / AFS 451 / NES 453 / AAS 453

History of Slavery in Africa and the Middle East focuses on the experiences of enslaved individuals and the powerful social, legal, and political regimes that attempted to define their subjection. Attention will be concentrated on the themes of race, gender, class, and diaspora to examine how these histories both differ from and are informed by histories of slavery globally. This course will analyze the relationship between abolitionist discourses and imperialism, underpinning the ongoing transition from slavery to freedom. Students will engage with literature to understand how historical production has distorted and silenced enslaved lives.

Instructor Lacy Feigh

Humans as Prey: An Environmental History of Human-Animal Relations (HA) Subject associations HIS 473 / AFS 472 / ENV 473

This course is about human-animal relations in history, specifically the management of predator attacks on human beings. The course examines the idea, common among conservationists around the world, that predators that attack humans are "problem animals" by definition and must be killed. The course draws on a range of primary and secondary to challenge the claim that predators that attack humans acquire a taste for human flesh and must, therefore, be killed lest they become a danger to all humans.

Instructor Jacob S. Dlamini

Topics in Contemporary Italian Civilization: Africa in Italian Imagination (CD or LA) Subject associations ITA 309 / AFS 309 / ECS 310

This course explores the colonial experience discussed by Italian writers who were in contact with Northern Africa between the 19th and the 20th centuries. This association between Italy and Africa has not been extensively developed neither within Italy or abroad, and it will be the primary focus of this course. The newly unified Italy (1861) looked at Africa as a colonial opportunity to expand its might and wealth. Writers soon embarked to places such as Alexandria and shared a unique perspective on Africa: they understood the continent not as a space to conquer and colonize, but rather as a surprisingly tolerant society in which to live.

Instructor Pietro Frassica

Healing & Justice: The Virgin Mary in African Literature & Art (CD or LA) Subject associations AAS 314 / COM 398 / AFS 321

African literature and films have been a vital (but often unacknowledged) stream in and stimulant to the global traffic in invention. Nigerian literature is one of the great literatures of the twentieth century. Ethiopian literature is one of the oldest literatures in the world. Senegalese films include some of the finest films ever made. In this course, we will study the richness and diversity of foundational African texts (some in translation), while foregrounding questions of aesthetics, style, humor, epistemology.

Instructor Wendy Laura Belcher 

Dundun Projects (LA)  Subject associations MUS 246 / AFS 246

A performance course in West African contemporary bass drumming technique with a focus on Dundun drumming. Taught by composer and master drummer Olivier Tarpaga, the course provides hands-on experience on Manding traditional and contemporary bass drumming rhythm. Students will acquire performance experience, skills and techniques on the Kenkeni, Sangban and Dundumba drums. Students will learn about the culture of the griots and the history of the ancient Manding/Mali empire.

Instructor Olivier P. Tarpaga

Politics in Africa (CD or SA) Subject associations POL 366 / AFS 366

This course introduces the study of African politics. The lectures briefly review the social and historical context of contemporary political life. They then profile some of the changes of the early post-Independence period, the authoritarian turn of the 1970s and 80s, and the second liberation of the 1990s and 2000s, before turning to some contemporary challenges (e.g., conflict resolution, land tenure, natural resource management, public goods provision, climate resilience, health, urbanization). Each session introduces a major analytical debate, theories, and African views. Broadly comparative; some special attention to selected countries.

Instructor Jennifer A. Widner 

Everyday Urbanism and Food Systems in Contemporary Africa (CD or SA) Subject associations URB 340 / AFS 344

Africa is urbanizing faster than any region of the world. This course analyzes socio-spatial dynamics that create urban life in Africa and generate inequalities arising from urbanization. Students will investigate the links between urbanization, infrastructure systems and informality, and how these shape and connect to food systems and impact the food security of urban residents. Upon completing the course, students will be able to recognize and challenge reductionist narratives concerning contemporary urbanism and explore possibilities for intervention, re-design and change.

Instructor Blessings Masuku

Languages

Elementary Ge'ez II GEZ 102

Accurately read, transcribe, and transliterate from manuscripts and inscriptions. Comprehend the grammar and syntax of complex clauses. Translate short passages comprising multiple sentences. Problem-solve complex queries, and uncertainties. Explore the historical contexts of Ge'ez writing in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.

Prerequisites and Restrictions: Successful completion of Elementary Ge'ez I (GEZ 101) or permission of the instructor.

Instructor Hamza M. Zafer 

Elementary Swahili II SWA 102

This course is a continuation of Swahili 101. It enhances communicative skills with emphasis on writing, reading, comprehension and conversation. Class activities review and enhance already introduced skills in speaking, writing, listening and reading; all embedded in authentic and contemporary East African cultural content. Cultural themes include the basics of daily life such as relationships, food, physical features and other aspects of material culture of East Africa. Learners are expected to perform functions related to basic services, comprehension of basic spoken and written texts and writing of a 1-page essay in Kiswahili.

Prerequisites and Restrictions: Only those who have taken Elementary Swahili I (SWA 101) should enroll.

Instructor Mahiri Mwita

Intermediate Swahili II SWA107

This course emphasizes conversational fluency and increased facility in reading and writing skills while introducing students to simple Swahili literary texts. These texts form the basis for a survey on cultural aspects and more advanced grammar. Students will be able to understand and analyze the main ideas and significant details of materials in Swahili such as media articles, short stories, poetry, and videos, illustrative of East African cultural issues. Covers intermediate-level Swahili grammar, as well as the development of expository writing skills.

Prerequisites and Restrictions: Intermediate Swahili I (SWA 105) or the equivalent level of proficiency.

Instructor Mahiri Mwita

Elementary Twi I TWI 102

An introduction to Twi language and culture of the Akan-Twi-speaking people of West Africa. The course is taught in Twi and focuses on acquiring novice-level skills to perform basic communication functions in the culture of Akan-Twi speakers of West Africa. Students will be introduced to basic grammar, communicative skills and cultural activities that will be reinforced through role plays, conversations, dialogues and songs. By the end of the course, students will have acquired basic grammar competence to perform in everyday situations with an understanding and appreciation of the culture of the Akan people in Ghana, West Africa.

Prerequisites and Restrictions: TWI 101

Instructor Hannah Essien

Intermediate Twi II TWI 107

This course expands on the language skills acquired from TWI 105 and continues to focus on the communicative approach to studying the language. It includes specific socio-cultural settings and events. Speaking, reading, writing and listening continue to form an integral part of the course and students will build on their grammatical skills. By the end of the course, learners are expected to reach proficiency level ranging between Novice High and Intermediate Low.

Prerequisites and Restrictions: TWI 105

Instructor Hannah Essien