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Courses•KU Independent Study

African and African-American Studies

• AAAS 105 Introduction to African History (3).
• AAAS 106 The Black Experience in the Americas (3).
• AAAS 510 Comparative Racial and Ethnic Relations (3).

AAAS 105 Introduction to African History (3). NW

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Online course. An introduction to important historical developments in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara. Topics will include pre-history, empires, kingdoms and city-states, the slave trade, southern Africa, partition and colonialism, the independence era, military and civilian governments, and liberation movements. Approaches will include literature, the visual arts, politics, economics, and geography. (Same as HIST 104.) Nine written assignments; unsupervised midcourse examination; final examination. View the AAAS 105 course preview. Instructor: Elizabeth MacGonagle.

Tuition and Fees Undergraduate resident students pay: 844.50
Undergraduate nonresident students pay: 1,852.50
Graduate resident students pay: 990.30
Graduate nonresident students pay: 2,053.65

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Achebe. Things Fall Apart, Heinemann, 1996.
• Gilbert and Reynolds. Africa in World History: From Prehistory to the Present, Prentice Hall, 2004.
• Gourevitch. We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, Picador, 1998.
• Keim. Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind, Westview, 1999.
• Niane. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali, revised ed., Pearson Longman, 2006.

Students will also be required to rent and view a selection of films on DVD or videotape.

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AAAS 106 The Black Experience in the Americas (3). HT

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An interdisciplinary study of the history of the African peoples of the New World, relating their cultures and institutions to the African background and to their peculiar New World experiences up to and including the nineteenth century. While the main emphasis will be on the U.S.A., attention will also be paid to the Caribbean and Latin America. Approaches will include demography, economics, social and political developments, literature, and music. Required online readings. Optional e-mail assignment submission. Seven written assignments; two book reviews; unsupervised midcourse examination; final examination. View the AAAS 106 course preview. Instructor: Chico Herbison.

Tuition and Fees Undergraduate resident students pay: 804.50
Undergraduate nonresident students pay: 804.50
Graduate resident students pay: 950.30
Graduate nonresident students pay: 950.30

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Chapman, ed. Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature, New American Library, 1968, rpt. 1984.
• Franklin and Moss. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, 8th ed., Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
• West. Race Matters, Vintage Books, 1993.

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AAAS 510 Comparative Racial and Ethnic Relations (3). NW

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An examination of constructions of race and ethnicity around the world. Emphasis is on the social, political, historical, cultural and economic factors that lead to the creation of ethnic and racial identities, ethnic conflict and accommodation, ethnic movements, and ethnic political organization. Racial and ethnic relations in the U.S. are compared with other countries. Major focus is placed on ethnicity in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and/or the Middle East. (Same as AMS 534 and SOC 534.) Required online readings. Optional e-mail assignment submission. Four written assignments; final examination. View the AAAS 510 course preview. Instructor: Uros Petrovic.

Only available for undergraduate credit.

Tuition and Fees Undergraduate resident students pay: 804.50
Undergraduate nonresident students pay: 804.50
Graduate resident students pay: 950.30
Graduate nonresident students pay: 950.30

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Marger. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives, 6th ed., Wadsworth. 2003.

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