African 202: Representations of Africans in the Diaspora

In this course, you will consider representations of people of African descent within and beyond Africa. You will discuss and write about identity and identification, race and ethnicity, mobility and access, home and away, as well as current issues such as migration and xenophobia. The overall purpose of this course is to explore plural and diverse portrayals of diasporic Africans; consider how scholars in various disciplines (e.g. literature, anthropology, history) make sense of these accounts and represent people of African descent; and to think about how the issues these writers take up relate to your own lives (e.g. your personal experiences, issues in your own society, etc.). Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to keep a “flash” reflection journal. You will also be expected to write two short essays, based on library research. As part of your final project, you will also be asked to select one of these essays to present on in class, and, with the help of your peers’ feedback, revise, expand upon, and resubmit it.