1. Introduction to Africology
You may be asking yourself, what is Africology? Well, this course is your starting point. Here, we will offer a multidimensional and critical discussion of seven core subject areas of the discipline of Africology (aka Black Studies, African American Studies, Africana Studies): history, religion, sociology, politics, economics and creative production.

“We have been agents in our own history and also we have always acted inside our own culture,” said Assistant Professor Kimani Nehusi. “We must locate African people in our own history and culture. Otherwise, you cannot be assured that you're going to get the best results, such as in eurocentric teachings that erase African contributions.”

Join us in a critical search for meaning and truth within history and social reality.

Course: Introduction to Africology (2296, Writing Intensive)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: In-person

2. History of Blacks in Cinema
The groundbreaking, masterfully political Get Out (2017) would not have been possible without a century’s worth of breakthroughs in Hollywood. We will explore Black cinema and the portrayals of persons of African descent in film, stretching from the early 1900s to modern day. Together we’ll explore developments from Hollywood, independent filmmakers and experimental foreign films. We will also examine contemporary trends such as the independent Black film movement in the African Diaspora and the U.S.

Course: History of Blacks in Cinema (2151)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: In-person

3. The Black Woman
What does it mean to be a Black woman? Here is where we explore the inersectionality of Black women from a variety of feminist, psychological and African-centered perspectives.

“I teach the African matriarchy as part of African cultural herstory. African women have always had a great say in every decision, with the men alongside them,” said Assistant Professor Nah Dove.

Every lived experience is unique, and in this course you will examine the challenges faced by Black women and their methods of coping, resistance and survival in legal, educational and social systems steeped in racism, sexism, homophobia and patriarchy.

Course: The Black Woman (3205)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

4. The Black Church
The Black Church has played a great role in creating an African American response to social, political and economic barriers in America. “Black Church” is defined broadly as African-descended communities of spiritual worship, including Christian, Islamic and Indigenous/African-derived religious groups. In this course, you will be introduced to some of the African cosmologies that informed the worldview of people who were forcibly removed from their homelands and dispersed across the globe and enslaved in the Americas.

Course: The Black Church (2044)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

5. Black Politics in America
An intro to the fundamental concepts and principles of American government and politics, with a focus on the ways in which American political institutions have influenced and have been influenced by Black Americans’ quest for political self-determination.

Course: Black Politics in America (2205)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

6. Contemporary Black Poets
An examination of the major works of contemporary poets of African descent. Students are introduced to the writings of poets such as Temple Professor Emeritus Sonia Sanchez. We will also explore the works of Amiri Baraka, Rita Dove, Askia Toure, Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Quincy Troupe, Michael Harper, Atukwei Okai, Haki Madhubuti, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mari Evans and other selected African American poets.

“I’m focusing on these particular poets and grounding them in the politics of the time that they wrote. I’m really focusing on cultural identity because I think if you understand culturally who you are, then everything else can fall into place,” said Dove.

Course: Contemporary Black Poets (3176)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

7. Mass Media and the Black Community
What role does mass media play in the African American community? Ownership, access and image making are just a few of the topics explored in this course. The aim is to develop an awareness of the role of media in shaping opinions. Be sure to check your sources, Owls.

Course: Mass Media and the Black Community (2251)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

8. Introduction to African Aesthetics
Join us in a cultural examination of peoples in Africa, America and the Caribbean in a comprehensive and structurally integrated manner. You will also be introduced to Black aesthetics and the interrelationship of the humanities in African American Studies. Learn the relationships between these cultures and their standards of beauty, art and morality.

Course: Introduction to African Aesthetics (1152)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Mix of In-person and Online

9. African Civilization
African cultures birthed discoveries in math, architecture, medicine, astronomy and numerous other fields. For instance, did you know that Egyptians used moving water to create one of the oldest time-measuring instruments?

Join this course for a survey of Africa’s contributions to world history and civilization from 5000 B.C. to 1800 A.D., while also considering the major issues in African civilization.

Course: African Civilization (2201)
Fulfills: Elective
Credits: 3
Method: Online

—Nick Eiser