Summer 2021
Online
June 14-July 11
Majula Swareh
3 credits
Fulfills Comm B, Humanities, Elementary
This course will analyze the ways that the African migrant experience is portrayed and understood through literature and media. We will use media (to include film, television and photography) and literature to explore the nuances of the migrant experience, ranging from migration to the West (The U.S and Europe) and Inter-African migration, whilst grounding ourselves in theories of borders, citizenship, neocolonialism, identity and Pan Africanism. The course will also ask the following questions:
What are the limitations of binary frameworks that are used to analyze the African migrant experience? How is the written word both sufficient and insufficient to describe the complexities of experience? How do we do language?
Students will submit responses to books and media and write a series of short blog posts, which will help build the foundation for a creative final project.
Some of the readings and media we will explore are included below.
Texts:
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. (Novel)
Selasi, Taiye. Ghana Must Go. London: Penguin, 2014. (Novel)
Films:
Atlantics. Dir. Mati Diop. (Film)
End. Dir. Lara Sousa. (Cinepoem)
An African City. Dir. Nicole Amarteifio. (Television show)