Introduction to African Studies (AFST 250A)
Instructor: Dr. Justice Gbolonyo
Cultural, historical, and geographical issues of African Studies.
The Languages of Africa (AFST 308)
Instructor: Dr. Joash Gambarage
Linguistic survey of the languages of Africa, including typological and historical connections between languages, individual and comparative surveys of sound systems, word structures, sentence structures, semantics, and sociolinguistic properties of a representative selection of languages.
Southern Africa (AFST 312)
Instructor: Dr. David Morton
Cross-listed with HIST 312. Pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary, emphasizing South Africa. Credit will be granted for only one of AFST 312 or HIST 312.
Africa from Imperialism to Independence (AFST 313)
Instructor: Dr. David Morton
Cross-listed with HIST 313. The history of Africa in the 19th and 20th Centuries: the growth of Islam and Christianity, the impact of European colonialism, the development of nationalism, and the variety of different political and social outcomes after independence. Credit will be granted for only one of AFST 313 or HIST 313.
Topics in African Studies (AFST 350)
Instructor: Dr. Joash Gambarage
New course offered in 2023W. This course coveres a variety of topics in African languages:
- Did language originate in Africa?
- How gestures are used as language in Africa, etc.
- Engage with themes on African languages and culture.
Literatures and Cultures of Africa and/or the Middle East (AFST 370A)
Instructor: Dr. Suzanne James
Cross-listed with ENGL 370. Literary and cultural works from Africa; some sections include Africa and the Middle East. Multiple perspectives on local, national, and global issues including colonialism, migration, transnationalism, education, art and politics. May include fiction, poetry, drama, digital media, and other forms.
2023W Course Description:
Post-Apartheid South African Literature
“It was easier to write about the past . . . because the past created ready-made stories. There was a very clear demarcation between good and evil . . . Black was good; white was bad. Your conflict was there. There were no gray areas. We no longer have that. In this new situation, black is not necessarily good. There are many black culprits; there are many good white people. We have become normal. It’s very painful to become normal.” (Zakes Mda)
Fifty years of oppression under the South African apartheid system inspired an impressive corpus of protest literature, but how have writers responded to the collapse of the racist regime and its replacement with a democratic constitution? Our study of recent South African writing will include Zakes Mda’s The Heart of Redness, Phaswane Mpe’s Welcome to Our Hillbrow, Kapano Matlawa’s Coconut and Sello Diuker’s Thirteen Cents.
Seminar in African Art (AFST 410)
Instructor: Dr. Nuno Porto
Cross-listed with ARTH 410. This course is an advanced reading seminar centered in the works of contemporary African artists from around the globe. The course follows key exhibitions that, over time and for specific constituencies, have established the notion of Contemporary African Art as a coherent field of art practice. Drawing from a diversified repository of African epistemologies, perspectives, experiences and aesthetics, the seminar focuses, each week, on a theme, a group of artists and one or more exhibitions, exploring works and trajectories that critically address on-going ethical, social, economic and political issues rooted in specific post-colonial histories.
African Diasporic Culture in African Canadian Communities (AFST 450R)
Instructor: Dr. Calisto Mudzingwa
African diasporic culture in Canadian society, fostering dialogue with members of African Canadian communities on cultural values, traditions, memory, adaptation and change.
Beginners Swahili I (SWAH 101)
Instructor: Dr. Joash Gambarage
New course offered in 2023W. Skills in listening to and speaking Swahili, a major language of Africa and one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Emphasizes everyday vocabulary, core grammar, use in context, and connections between the language and African cultures.
Beginners Swahili II (SWAH 102)
Instructor: Dr. Joash Gambarage
New course offered in 2023W. Skills in using Swahili in a range of social contexts. Training in grammar and vocabulary that builds fluency, and in using the language appropriately for meaningful interactions with native speakers.
Prerequisite: SWAH 101 or equivalent.