African Literature
This course seeks to use African literature, autobiography, memoir, film, library and on-line sources to begin to understand the complexity of contemporary Africa, the challenges facing the continent, and the many common issues Africans and Americans confront. Those common issues include the climate crisis, authoritarianim, economic inequality, racism/Black Lives Matter, government corruption and challenges to democracy, educational opportunity, religious extremism, women's rights, refugees, and more. A cornerstone of this course is the idea that we can make a difference through collaboration and mutual respect.
Africa is young and growing quickly; half of the population of Africa is under 20 years old. More than 70% of the world's population growth in this century will take place in Africa. Much of our reading will be about young people, many college age, their life experiences and how they are addressing issues and creating new possibilities.
Learning about Africa often reflects back to a learning about the United States and the rest of the world. We need to challenge the stereotypes that media and popular culture present to us about Africa - for example:
And we need to learn that there is more than a single story:
As the students in this class immerse themselves in learning about Africa, they will participate in developing collaboration and making a difference in Africa and America through a Collaboration Project.
Investigations of African literature, film, music, daily life, history, religion, news, politics, etc. will help students learn more about the the rich and diverse cultures of contemporary Africa.
Clearly, in this class students need to be informed about the world, especially Africa. Students are expected to read regularly the New York Times and other news sources, including African news sources. WMU provides a free NYT subscription. The Guardian Africa and the BBC. Africa are free. African news sources such as All Africa.com, Africa News, African News Links, African News Websites.
This course will follow WMU procedures regarding academic honesty. Controversy and difference of opinion are vital to our understanding and welcomed.
Since the class is conducted as a discussion-based seminar, attendance and preparation are essential. Every student is expected to come to class every day having finished the reading and ready to discuss it. Missing any classes will affect your learning! Missing three classes will lower your final grade and missing five or more classes may lead to failing the course. Carefully study the discussion, preparation, participation, attendance, grading, and learning expectations for this class.
Dr. Webb's office is 723 Sprau Tower, 387-2605, and his office hours are after class, and by appointment and email at allen.webb@wmich.edu.
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Electronic Syllabus
Jan 7: Tuesday Introductions
1. Class phone message system?
Jan 9: Thursday Google Earth, Africa Background
1. Study the syllabus and bring questions to class.
2. Spend (at least) an hour on Google Earth learning everything you can about Africa.
3. Bring a list of at least 20 things you learn about Africa from Google Earth.
4. Find 2 news articles about Africa you find interesting from the news sources listed above, and write a paragraph about what you learned from each one.
5. Study the map of Africa and try to learn the location of African countries.
Jan 14: Tuesday Postcolonial Transition
1. Read: Unbowed Chapters 1-6.
2. Due: 1st Investigation DUE.
Jan 16: Thursday Postcolonial Transition Con't
1. Read: Unbowed Chap 7-10.
Jan 20: Monday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Attend MLK Events!
Jan 21: Tuesday Postcolonial Transition Con't
1. Read: Finish Unbowed.
2. Write: 3 pages of Activist Analysis Paper.
Jan 23: Thursday Collaboration Project
1. Write a list of at least 3 possible collaboration ideas, and engage in online research about your favorite idea to 1) learn more about that issue in Africa; 2) to find organizations in America and Africa that address the issue.
Jan 28: Tuesday Neocolonialism
1. Read: Xala to page 68.
2. Activist Analysis Paper DUE.
Jan 30: Thursday
1. Read: Finish Xala.
Jan 31: Friday: Second Investigation Due.
Feb 4: Tuesday Apartheid
1. Read: Born a Crime Chapters 1-10.
Feb 6: Thursday Apartheid
1. Read: Born a Crime Chapters 11-14.
2. Investigation DUE
Feb 11: Tuesday Apartheid
1. Read: Finish Born a Crime.
Feb 13: Thursday Collaboration Project Planning Day
1. Investigation DUE
Feb 18: Tuesday Oil and the Niger Delta
Feb 20: Thursday Environmental Crisis1) Read: Niger Delta Background
2) View Sweet Crude promotion reel:
Also: this video about the Coltan trade in Congo Coltan trade, scramble for African oil, scramble for African iron ore, this student presentation on Oil Companies in the Niger Delta, and other sites, films or resources you can find via Google looking under "new scramble for Africa".
3) Read: Start Oil on Water!
1. Read: Oil on WaterChapters 1-8.
2. Write: 4 Discussion Questions.
Feb 25: Tuesday Environmental Crisis
1. Read: Oil on Water Chapters 9-14.
2. Write: 4 Discussion Questions.
3. Investigation DUE
Feb 27: Thursday Environmental Crisis
1. Read: Finish Oil on Water.
2. Write: 4 Discussion Questions.
Mar 3-7 Spring Break
Mar 11: Tuesday African Futurism
1. Read: Lagoon Act I, Prologue, Chapters 1-25
2. Investigation DUE
Mar 13: Thursday Collaboration Project Planning Day
Mar 18: Tuesday African Futurism
1. Read: Lagoon Act II, Prologue, Chapters 26 to 43
Mar 20: Thursday African Futurism
1. Read: Lagoon Act III, Finish the novel
Mar 25: Tuesday Climate Crisis in Africa
1. Watch: Dr. Karowe's lecture on Climate Change in Africa. Part I & Part II. (If you have an issue viewing, try a different browser.)
2. Pick at least 3 slides from each part of the lecture (Part I & Part II), and write one question or comment about each slide.
Mar 27: Thursday Work Session on I-Search Paper
1. Do online research on 3 possible topics for your I-Search Paper.
2. Investigation DUE.
Apr 1: Tuesday African Refugees
1. Read: Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits "The Trip" & Part I: Before
Apr 3: Thursday Global Refugee Crisis
1. Watch Human Flow Alert: the documentary is 2 hours 20 minutes. If you have Amazon Prime you can watch for free, or you can watch on YouTube and other sources for $3.
2. Come to class with a list of 8 or more scenes from different parts of Human Flow that you found interesting and 1-2 sentences about each scene and why it interested you.
Apr 8: Tuesday African Refugees Con't
1. Read: Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits Part II: After
2. Write: 2 questions for the Final Exam
Apr 10: Thursday Collaboration Project Planning Day
Apr 15: Tuesday Preparation for Final Exam and Presentation of I-Search Papers
I-Search Paper and short Google Slide Summary DUE, include 4 slides: 1. Source of idea/references to reading; 2. How you researched; 3. What you learned; and, 4. What else you would like to learn on this topic.
Apr 17: Thursday Exam and I-Search Papers Con't
Apr 21-24: Finals Week
Apr 21: Monday 2:45-4:45 Final Exam
Bring 2-3 page summary of your contribution to Collaboration Project and propose a grade.