Fall 2024
Colonial and Postcolonial Africa (HA) Subject associations HIS 315 / AFS 316 / URB 315 / AAS 315
This course is an examination of the major political and economic trends in twentieth-century African history. It offers an interpretation of modern African history and the sources of its present predicament. In particular, we study the foundations of the colonial state, the legacy of the late colonial state (the period before independence), the rise and problems of resistance and nationalism, the immediate challenges of the independent states (such as bureaucracy and democracy), the more recent crises (such as debt and civil wars) on the continent, and the latest attempts to address these challenges from within the continent.
Instructor Jacob S. Dlamini
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
History of Coffee in Africa and the Middle East (CD or HA) Subject associations HIS 461 / NES 461 / AFS 461 / AAS 462
Every morning around the world, millions of people wake up and, in some form or another, pour heated water over dark brown soil-like grounds to brew coffee. Yet how many people are aware of the historical processes that spread coffee from the forests of Southwest Ethiopia across the globe? Focusing primarily on Ethiopia and its national and regional networks, this course explores the rise of coffee as a commodity with significant global intersections. During Fall Break, students in this course will travel to Ethiopia and examine the cultural history of coffee in the context of the development of the coffee industry.
Instructor Lacy N. Feigh
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 Agustin Fuentes
Illegal Gatherings Act - South African Protest Theatre (HA or LA) Subject associations THR 355 / AAS 399 / AFS 353
The South African Anti-Apartheid movement saw mass resistance against the government's racial segregationist policies. Students will learn about the conditions that gave rise to Apartheid and the Anti-Apartheid movement, taking a look at the instrumental role that the performing arts and protest theatre played in dismantling the unjust system. Participants will develop performance work of their own based in South African protest theatre, encouraging a rejection of excess and on seeing obstacles as opportunities. Students will craft original protest theatre works that address sociopolitical concerns of their choosing.
Instructor Shariffa Ali
Indigenous North Africa: Amazigh Communities (CD or HA)Subject associations NES 251 / AFS 251 / ANT 374
This course exposes students to the historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural factors that have shaped Indigenous Amazigh communities in Tamazgha (North Africa) and its diasporas. It examines the role that Amazigh communities have played in revitalizing their cultures in contemporary Tamazgha and makes visible the acknowledgement the Amazighity of lands in North Africa and complexities of language, cultural identity, and colonialism in the region. Many resources in the source will be taken from the instructor's talks with family members, other Indigenous scholars, and activists in the community.
Instructor Mounia Mnouer
Introduction to African Art (CD or LA) Subject associations ART 260 / AAS 260 / AFS 260
An introduction to African art and architecture from prehistory to the 20th century. Beginning with Paleolithic rock art of northern and southern Africa, we will cover ancient Nubia and Meroe; Neolithic cultures such as Nok, Djenne and Ife; African kingdoms, including Benin, Asante, Bamun, Kongo, Kuba, Great Zimbabwe, and the Zulu; Christian Ethiopia and the Islamic Swahili coast; and other societies, such as the Sherbro, Igbo, and the Maasai. By combining Africa's cultural history and developments in artistic forms we establish a long historical view of the stunning diversity of the continent's indigenous arts and architecture.
Instructor Chika O. Okeke-Agulu
Introduction to African Literature and Film (CD or LA) Subject associations AAS 239 / COM 239 / AFS 239 / HUM 239 / TRA 239
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
Landmarks of French Culture: Aimé Césaire: Postcolonial Poetry, Theatre, Critique (LA) Subject associations FRE 330 / AFS 330
This course will study a selection of the writings of Aimé Césaire, a towering figure of the 20th century in poetry, theatre, and postcolonial critique and politics. Césaire's poetry is arguably the most accomplished oeuvre of any anticolonial poet of the century, and a pinnacle of modernist French poetry tout court. Similarly, Césaire's theatrical works are outstanding moments in the creation of a theatre of decolonization, while his celebrated critical pieces, such as the "Discours sur le colonialisme", articulate the ethical and political grounds for the struggle to end colonialism.
Instructor F. Nick Nesbitt
Languages of Africa (CD or EC) Subject associations LIN 260 / AFS 262
About 2000 of the world's 6000 to 7000 languages are spoken in Africa. The diversity that characterizes these languages is exceptional, but very little is known to non-specialists. In this course, we will learn about the languages of Africa: the diversity of their linguistic structures (including famous features that are found nowhere else, e.g. click consonants), their history and the history of their speakers (from ca 10,000 BP to the (post) colonial period), and their cultural contexts, among other topics. This course has no prerequisites, and is open to anyone with an interest in African languages or the African continent.
Instructor Nicholas Revett Rolle
Music in the Mediterranean (LA) Subject associations MUS 243 / HLS 246 / AFS 243 / NES 243
This course examines musical culture at the geographical juncture of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The busy exchange of people, goods, and ideas across the sea uniting these regions is reflected in the musical heterogeneity of the Mediterranean littoral. We consider how social and cultural forces and conditions within the Mediterranean - diaspora and migration; cosmopolitanism, commerce, and exchange; ethnic, religious, and linguistic difference - have historically shaped its music and musical communities.
Instructor Jamie L. Reuland
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
The Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East and Egypt (LA) Subject associations ART 200 / NES 205 / AFS 202
The focus will be on the rise of complex societies and the attendant development of architectural and artistic forms that express the needs and aspirations of these societies. Occasional readings in original texts in translation will supplement the study of art and architecture.
Instructor Breton Langendorfer
Elementary Ge'ez 1 GEZ 101
Ge'ez is an ancient African language of world-historical significance. With a history spanning centuries, its writings offer a unique vantage point on the interconnected histories of African, Middle Eastern, and Indian Ocean societies. It lives on in the cultural and religious life of many East African communities, and their global diasporas, and through its many linguistic descendants, including Amharic with 57 million speakers. This course will teach you how to read, understand, and translate Ge'ez texts, including from manuscripts housed at Princeton, one of the largest collections in the world. There are no prerequisites.
Instructor Hamza M. Zafer
The Ge'ez Bible GEZ 105
The objective of this course is to develop students proficiency in Classical Ethiopic prose, to build vocabulary, and improve grammatical and syntactic understanding. Students will become acquainted with the stylistics of Ge'ez translation, and its relationship with Hebrew, Greek, as well Arabic writings. Students will read and translate passages from the Ge'ez Pentateuch, the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Enoch, as well as selections from Hagiographical writings.
Instructor Hamza M. Zafer
Elementary Swahili I SWA 101
An introduction to Kiswahili language and culture for students who have no prior knowledge of the language. The course is taught in Kiswahili and focuses on acquiring novice-level skills to perform basic communication functions in the culture of Swahili speakers. Instruction is through performance of cultural themes and experiential activities that enhance the four components of speaking, writing, listening, and reading. At the end of the course, students are expected to acquire simple grammatical skills to perform day-to-day interactions in the language and gain some insight into the culture of East Africa.
Instructor Mahiri Mwita
Intermediate Swahili I SWA105
This second year Swahili course focuses on enhancing the communicative skills acquired in the first year. Instruction is done through reading, writing, speaking and listening activities on cultural content that review and consolidate already acquired language skills. The course infuses cultural and socio-political aspects of life in East Africa with more complex grammatical concepts such as the subjunctive, grammar infixes, and relative clauses. Students are also introduced to intermediate-level reading and writing in Kiswahili.
Instructor Mahiri Mwita
Elementary Twi I TWI 101
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.
Instructor Hannah Essien
Intermediate Twi I TWI 105
This course is a continuation of TWI 102. It builds on the basic Twi structures acquired in TWI 101 and TWI 102 through oral and listening activities. Students will continue to build on their vocabulary through readings of short stories. It continues to focus on communicative skills and cultural awareness. By the end of the course, learners are expected to reach proficiency level ranging between Intermediate Low and Intermediate Mid.