Fall 2007
Below are the graduate courses for Fall 2007. All courses are subject to cancellation due to low enrollment.
500 Level
A500 Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies Part I (3 cr.)
Representative readings in interdisciplinary and comparative scholarship; the origins and development of African American and African Diaspora Studies; current issues and trends.
A552 History of the Education of Black Americans (3 cr.)
Education of black Americans and its relationship to the
Afro-American experience. Trends and patterns in the education of
black Americans as they relate to the notions of education "for
whom and for what."
A579 Early Black American Writing (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
African American writing before World War II, with emphasis on critical reactions and analyses. Includes slave narratives, autobiographies, rhetoric, fiction, and poetry. This class is open to both undergraduate (A379) and graduate students. Graduate students will perform additional course work.
A580 Contemporary Black American Writing (3 cr.)
The black experience in America as it has been reflected since World War II in the works of outstanding Afro-American writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
600 Level
A602 Variations on Blackness, Part I
This yearlong, interdisciplinary graduate seminar is devoted to
analyzing the global and comparative study of race making and
blackness. The first semester of the course is an intense survey of
the literature in this field, to be followed by a semester-long
workshop geared towards the production of a well-written, deeply
researched original essay. During the first part of the seminar,
students will discuss the methodology of and rationale for important
genres in academia: the project proposal, conference abstract, book
review, and syllabus. Students will be required to submit portions
of their work to official conference announcements and refereed
publications as part of their learning process. We will discuss
pedagogy in as much as it affects the theory and practice of
teaching an interdisciplinary course on the topic of contemporary
Race making and blackness, as well as the feasibility for making such
a course attractive to a department. We will also analyze how each
participant's disciplinary background informs his or her interpretation
of the assigned texts. Finally, we will explore how the interaction
between faculty fellows and graduate students working on the same
topic opens up new avenues for the creation of knowledge.
A620 Transforming Divided Communities and Societies (3 cr.)
Histories, theories, policies, and citizen, state, corporate, nonprofit sector models of transforming past and present societies divided by race, ethnicity, gender, class, caste, tribe, and religion through restorative and distributive justice movements and policies such as civil rights, affirmative action, reparations, and reconciliation tribunals.
A669 Independent Project in Black Social Issues (3 cr.)
Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for research on a chosen topic and by encouraging nontraditional approaches or settings in the application of concepts developed in formal classes.
A686 Graduate Internship in Afro-American Studies (4 cr.)
Directed readings, work experience, journal, oral presentation. Most
research experiences will require research skills. P: Graduate status with 12 credit hours of African American and African Diaspora Studies credit and project approved by instructor/graduate advisor.
A689 Independent Project in Black Literature (3 cr.)
Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for research on a chosen topic and by encouraging nontraditional approaches or settings in the application of concepts developed in formal classes.
A690 Core Readings in African American and African Diaspora Studies (4 cr.)
Preparation for the comprehensive master's examination. Colloquium in which students will read and critically examine, both in oral presentations and in written assignments, core texts that reflect the complexity and pluralism of African American and African Diaspora Studies.
A692 Writings and Literature in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.)
This pro-seminar on writings and literatures in AAADS introduces graduate students to interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the diaspora and the Americas. Course also introduces graduate students to the history, canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal-thinker biographies of the field.
A693 Pro-seminar on Social and Behavioral Sciences in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.)
Interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the Americas and the Diaspora, as well as the history canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal-thinker biographies of the field.
A698 Field Study Seminar (4 cr.)
Development of the final master's project. A critical paper, a thesis-length documentation of a field study, or a substantial record of creative activity is required.
A699 Independent Project in Black Music (3 cr.)
Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for in-depth research on a chosen topic and by providing settings for the creative and practical application of concepts developed in formal class settings.