Course Description
The peoples of Africa and the process of researching and writing ethnography. Part one reviews classic/canonical ethnographic readings and concepts from the colonial period. Part two involves ethnography of colonialism. Part three details the post-colonial experience.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Students will complete additional readings and take different
exams. The additional readings compliment the theoretical
discussions. The essay-based take-home exams emphasize broader
points.
Athena Title
African Ethnography
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
I. Critical thinking and moral reasoning objectives: A. The course being based on discussion of assigned readings covering the canon of African ethnography, students will be trained to critically read, assimilate, and analyze the content of published empirical studies and theoretical arguments, as well as popular media stories from the African continent. B. Students will be trained to be critical of colonialism and colonialist discourses of race and progress, to understand how these ideas unfortunately still bias how Westerners view cultural diversity sources for racism and prejudice). C. Students will be trained to be critical of the dubious roll that some anthropologists and anthropological theory played in justifying colonialism and racism, thus exploring researcher's ethical and social responsibilities. D. Students will learn to apply anthropological theory to explain the diversity of African cultures, thus eradicating societal stereotypes and prejudices (this is the main mission of all cultural anthropology). E. In classroom discussions and organized debates, students will communicate scholarly concepts, engage opposing points of view, and support a consistent purpose. F. Crosscutting most of the lecture/discussion material are the themes of fairness, social cohesion, social justice, and social elfare, to challenge students to consider the role of ethics and justice in decision-making. II. Written and oral communication and computer literacy objectives: A. Students will have the opportunity to practice academic research and writing with guidance and feedback from the instructor, in the form of a 7 to 10 page research paper and preliminary assignments including an annotated bibliography and full-sentence outline. This will involve assimilating and analyzing published peer-reviewed information from different disciplines (anthropology, sociology, economics, history), expressing the students' own intellectual interpretations of this material, and composing effective written argument suitable for publication in a professional social science journal. This assignment will require students to use the library, the world wide web, and a word processor. B. Students will practice oral presentation in the form of a 15-minute research talk in the style of professional academic conferences. This will require use of presentation software.
Topical Outline
Part 1: Colonialism and colonialist representations a. The canonic overview of African geography & history, or the limits of a categorical approach (questions race, counters prejudice) b. History and objectives in the European colonization of Africa c. Colonial strategies for control and domination-- economic and military d. Colonial strategies for control and domination-- ideological e. The race myth in Africa (questions race, counters prejudice) f. The myth of tribe in Africa (questions race, counters prejudice) g. The development myth in Africa (moral/ethical reasoning) Part 2: Colonial period ethnography a. Unilineal descent: family as government (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) b. ancestors and elders (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) c. Segmentary opposition (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) d. Marriage (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) e. Witchcraft as social control (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) f. French structural-functionalist perspectives, Marcel Griaule g. Market spheres among Tiv h. The so-called pygmies (explains diversity, social cohesion/fairness) Part 3: Post-colonial ethnography a. Hunter-gatherer history, ex. the kalahari (contemporary social justice issues, ethical reasoning) b. Warfare and violence, ex. East African herders (contemporary social justice issues, ethical reasoning) c. Market integration, ex. East African herders (contemporary social justice issues, ethical reasoning) d. Development, ex. Lesotho (contemporary social justice issues, ethical reasoning) e. Conservation, ex. Kenya (contemporary social justice issues, ethical reasoning) f. Migration, ex. Nuer, Somali Part 4: Student presentations
Syllabus