Proseminar in Africana Studies

Offering a topical exploration of key research themes and topics, the course is an introduction to contemporary historical, ethnographic, cultural and political discourses in Africana studies. The course frames Africana studies within an Atlantic prism as well as exploring other ‘hemispheric’ approaches to examining Africa and its diasporas by examining the various intersecting modernities within which Africana is constructed and contested. Each class will be in three sections. The first part will be lecture based by leading or guest professor, the second will be an open student discussion, while the third returns to the lecturer contextualizing debates within the larger academic remit of the course.