African American Studies (AFAM)

Director, Professor Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar
Office: Wood Hall

For more information

211. Introduction to African American Studies

Either semester. Three credits.

Interdisciplinary overview of African American studies, giving consideration to the artistic, intellectual, political and cultural experiences of black people in the United States. Relies on a wide range of materials and perspectives with particular focus on significant movements, ideas, people and events that have shaped and continue to shape Black America.

222. History of Pre-Colonial Africa

(Also offered as HIST 222.) Either semester. Three credits. Omara-Otunnu

The history of pre-colonial Africa with particular attention to the rise and fall of African Kingdoms, interaction between different ethnic groups, African trade with other continents, and the impact of foreigners on African societies.

223. History of Modern Africa

(Also offered as HIST 223.) Either semester. Three credits. Omara-Otunnu

The history of African perceptions of and responses to the abolition of the slave trade, Western imperialism and colonialism, and the development of nationalism and struggle for independence.

224. History of Pan-Africanism

(Also offered as HIST 224.) Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: At least one of the following,HIST 222, 223, 238, or 246. Omara-Otunnu

The development of ideas of Pan-Africanism, beginning with the proto-Pan-Africanists in the nineteenth century; examination of the linkages between those ideas in Africa and the evolution of Pan-Africanism as a movement in the African Diaspora.

225. Contemporary Africa

(Also offered as ANTH 225.) Either semester. Three credits. Handwerker

Africa since its partition in 1884. Urbanization, social stratification, racial and ethnic conflict.

226. Modern Africa

(Also offered as SOCI 226.) Either semester. Three credits. Gugle r

Cultural patterns, social structure, and political conflict in sub-Saharan Africa.

235. African Americans and Social Protest

(Also offered as HRTS 235 and SOCI 235.) Either semester. Three credits. Cazenave

Social and economic-justice movements, from the beginning of the Civil Rights movement to the present.

236. White Racism

(Also offered as HRTS 236 and SOCI 236.) Either semester. Three credits. Cazenave

The origin, nature, and consequences of white racism as a central and enduring social principle around which the United States and other modern societies are structured and evolve. CA 4.

238. African American History to 1865

(Also offered as HIST 238 and HRTS 238). Either semester. Three credits. Campbell, Ogbar

History of African-American people to 1865, from their West African roots, to their presence in colonial America, through enslavement and emancipation. Adaptation and resistance to their conditions in North America. Contributions by black people to the development of the United States.

239. Politics in Africa

(Also offered as POLS 239.) Either semester. Three credits.

The political systems in contemporary Africa; the background of the slave trade, imperialism, colonialism, and the present concerns of nationalism, independence, economic development and military rule. Emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa.

240. Ethnicity and Race

(Also offered as SOCI 240.) Either semester. Three credits. Villemez

Ethnic groups, their interrelations, assimilation, and pluralism. Culture, and identity that arise from differences in race, religion, nationality, region, and language.

245. Black Leadership and Civil Rights

(Also offered as POLS 245.) Either semester. Three credits. Simien

Black leadership, emphasizing the principles, goals, and strategies used by African-American men and women to secure basic citizenship rights during the civil rights era.

246. African American History Since 1865

(Also offered as HIST 246.) Either semester. Three credits. Ogbar

History of African-American people since the Civil war. Contributions by black people to American development. African-American activity in international arenas.

247. Black Feminist Politics

(Also offered as POLS 247 and WS 247.) Either semester. Three credits. Simien

An introduction to major philosophical and theoretical debates at the core of black feminist thought, emphasizing the ways in which interlocking systems of oppression uphold and sustain each other.

248. African-American Politics

(Also offered as POLS 248.) Either semester. Three credits.

Political behavior, theory, and ideology of African-Americans, with emphasis on contemporary U.S. politics. CA 4.

260. Hip-Hop, Politics and Youth Culture in America

(Also offered as HIST 260.) Either semester. Three credits. Ogbar

History of hip-hop, its musical antecedents and its role in popular culture. Race, class, and gender are examined as well as hip-hop's role in popular political discourse.

* Read an UConn Traditions article about this course: AFAM/HIST 260 . (Photo by Peter Morenus)

270. Black Psychology

(Also offered as PSYC 270.) First semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: PSYC 132 and PSYC 135 or 133.

Empirical and theoretical literature on psychological experiences of African Americans. Impact of race, culture, and ethnicity on psychological development. CA 4.

270W. Black Psychology

(Also offered as PSYC 270W.) Prerequisite: PSYC 132 and PSYC135 or 133; ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. CA 4.

275. Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism

(Also offered as ANTH 275.) Either semester. Three credits.

Popular and scholarly theories of human group identity and diversity, in cross-cultural and historical perspective. Topics include: an overview of ‘race' and ‘ethnicity' in Western thought, ethnic group formation and transformation, political mobilizations of group identity, and systems of inequality. CA 2. CA 4.

276W. Black American Writers I

(Also offered as ENGL 276W.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or 111 or 250 or both 105 and 109. Spencer

Critical and historical examination of the literature of black American writers from Phyllis Wheatley to the present. CA 4.

277W. Black American Writers II

(Also offered as ENGL 277W.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 110 or 111 or 250 or both 105 and 109. Spencer

Extensive readings in the works of four or five contemporary black American writers.

285. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Spanish Caribbean

(Also offered as HIST 285.) Either semester. Three credits. Silvestrini

Discovery and settlement, slavery and plantation economy, recent political and economic developments, and United States relations with the Spanish Caribbean.

298. Special Topics

Either semester. Variable credits. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit.

299. Independent Study

Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor.
Supervised reading and writing on a subject of special interest to the student.