African 100: Introduction to African Cultural Expression

African 100 introduces undergraduates to methods of studying African and African-diaspora cultural expression that are employed in the Department of African Cultural Studies (ACS). The course features lectures by ACS faculty and advanced graduate students, who present introductory portraits of their respective research areas and the subdisciplines to which they are attached. Topics range from literary and visual culture analysis to the study of African languages and discourse, contemporary media (e.g., film, television, cartooning, journalism, internet platforms) to performance genres (music, hip-hop, theater). Students will gain an overview of the diverse methods used by scholars in this field (textual analysis, film criticism, ethnomusicology, discourse analysis, ethnography) and to the cultural diversity of Africa and its diasporic cultures.