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African American and African Studies Program
AAS 1010 Introduction to African American and African Studies
TuTh 12:30-1:45pm -- Minor Hall 125
This introductory course surveys the histories of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean from approximately the Middle Ages to the 1880s. Emphases include the Atlantic slave trade and its complex relationship to Africa; the economic systems, cultures, and communities of Africans and African-Americans in the New World, in slavery and in freedom; the rise of anti-slavery movements; and the socio-economic systems that replaced slavery in the late 19th century.
Fulfills: 1010
AAS 2224-001 Black Femininities and Masculinities in the US Media
Professor Lisa Shutt
Tu 3:30-6:00pm -- New Cabell Hall 032
This course, taught as a lower-level seminar, will address the role the media has played in creating images and understandings of 'Blackness' in the United States, particularly where it converges with popular ideologies about gender.
Fulfills: Race and Politics in the US; Humanities
AAS 2224-002 Black Femininities and Masculinities in the US Media
Professor Lisa Shutt
We 2:00-4:30 -- New Cabell Hall 315
This course, taught as a lower-level seminar, will address the role the media has played in creating images and understandings of 'Blackness' in the United States, particularly where it converges with popular ideologies about gender.
Fulfills: Race and Politics in the US; Humanities
AAS 2559-001: The Souls of Black Folk
Professor Sabrina Pendergrass
TuTh 9:30-10:45am -- New Cabell Hall 068
In this course, we will examine the social organization of African American communities. Some of the intellectual framing for the issues we will study come from writings by the pioneering sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois. We will discuss African Americans’ social status and experiences at the intersections of class, color, gender, and sexuality. We also will study institutions within the community, and we will consider social issues that African Americans will face in the future.
AAS 2559-003 The Global Color Line
Professor Robert Vinson
TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm -- New Cabell Hall 032
The 20th century was marked by European colonialism in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, as well as Jim Crow segregationist regimes in the US. Tracing the transnational flows of people, cultures, institutions and ideologies across the black world, this course includes discussion of the Pan-Africanism of W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, internationalist black women like Claudia Jones and Eslanda Robeson, African, Asian and Caribbean decolonization movements, the centrality of women and gender in the US Civil Rights and Black Power eras, and the global solidarities that ended South African apartheid. In doing so, this course illuminates global visions of black self-determination and transnational solidarities among people of color that continue to inform contemporary movements for political, socio-economic and social justice.
Fulfills: Africa Course Requirement
AAS 2559-004 The Racial Life of Covid-19
Professor Tony Perry
TuTh 9:30-10:45am -- Web-Based Course
Although Black Americans account for only 13% of the U.S. population, they make up roughly 25% of those who have died from Covid-19. This statistic is only the latest in the long history of racialized disparities in American public health. This course is dedicated to examining the social, institutional, and environmental determinants of health and illness in the U. S. We will also consider the relationship between race and disease in Africa, the Caribbean, and across the Black diaspora. We will give particular attention to the factors producing the racial fault lines and inequalities the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed, placing them in long historical context. As an interdisciplinary course, this class will also feature guest lecturers from a variety of disciplines, schools, and institutions. Together they will help us understand, not only the historic relationship between race and disease, but also the specific impact of Covid-19 on black life and health worldwide.
AAS 2657 Routes, Writing, Reggae
Professor Njelle Hamilton
Tu 3:30-6:00pm -- The Rotunda Room 150
(ENGL 2599)
When most people think of reggae music, they think of lazing out on a Caribbean beach with a marijuana spliff and nodding to the music of Bob Marley. But what is the history of the music of which Marley is the most visible ambassador? How did the music of a small Caribbean island become a worldwide phenomenon, with the song “One Love” and the album Exodus named among the top songs and albums of the 20th century? This course traces the history of reggae music and its influence on Jamaican literature. Framed by readings on Jamaican history, Marcus Garvey’s teachings, and Rastafari philosophy, at the heart of the course is an intensive study of Marley’s lyrics and the literary devices, musical structures, and social contexts of reggae. Armed with these tools, we will apply the ‘reggae aesthetic’ to Jamaican poetry, fiction and film, including The Harder They Come and the Booker Prize novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings. Assignments such as album reviews, ‘diss’ tracks, and critical essays will allow you to engage topical and controversial issues such as: misogyny and homophobia in reggae and dancehall; the place of religion and spirituality (and yes, marijuana) in reggae; reggae’s critique of oppression and racial injustice; cultural appropriation and the global marketplace; and the connections between reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, EDM, and reggaetón.
Fulfills: Humanities
AAS 3000 Women and Religion in Africa
Professor Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton
TuTh 12:30-1:45pm -- New Cabell Hall 411
This course examines women's religious activities, traditions and spirituality in a number of different African contexts. Drawing on ethnographic, historical, literary, and religious studies scholarship, we will explore a variety of themes and debates that have emerged in the study of gender and religion in Africa. Topics will include gendered images of sacred power; the construction of gender through ritual; sexuality and fertility; and women.
Fulfills: Africa; Humanities
AAS 3500-001 Black Women and Mass Incarceration
Professor Talitha LeFlouria
We 3:30-6:00pm -- New Cabell Hall 111
Fulfills: Race and Politics in the US; Social Science or History
AAS 3500-002 Race, Medicine and Incarceration in America
Professor Talitha LeFlouria
Th 3:30-6:00pm -- New Cabell Hall 111
Fulfills: Race and Politics in the US; Social Science or History
AAS 3500-003 Black Environmental Thought
Professor Tony Perry
TuTh 9:30-10:45am -- New Cabell Hall 315
Fulfills: Social Science or History
AAS 3500-004 Black and Womanist Religious Thought
From the period of enslavement onwards, black people have had a unique relationship to the environment. Despite there existing a rich written and artistic record of black people in North America engaging the environment, these perspectives have been largely under-explored in contemporary studies of American environmental thought. Thus, drawing on a range of sources including slave narratives, oral history, music, fiction, film, poetry, and visual art, this class will explore black perspectives on the environment across American history to the present. In doing so, we will study how black people's relationship to the environment has changed over time and how this relationship might inform contemporary environmental problems concerning and beyond matters of justice.
Professor Ashon Crawley
Mo 3:30-6:00pm -- Gibson Hall 141
Fulfills: Humanities
AAS 3500-005 Black Philosophy and Black Religion
Professor Ashon Crawley
We 3:30-6:00pm -- New Cabell 187
Fulfills: Humanities
AAS 3500-006 Race, Class, Politics and the Environment
Professor Kimberly Fields
We 3:30-6:00pm -- New Cabell Hall 027
This course explores the relationships between 'race', socio-economic status, interest group politics and environmental policy. We will address and contend with debates surrounding the claims that racialized and poor communities disproportionately shoulder society's negative environmental burdens. Particular regard will be paid to the political and decision-making processes through which environmental issues are channeled, evaluated and addressed. Through selected case studies, we will examine a number of topics and questions. Some key topics to be considered include: theories of racism and justice, the conceptual history and definitions of environmental racism, the historical development and goals of the environmental justice movement, the social, political, economic and environmental advantages and drawbacks of current systems of production and consumption, stakeholder responses to environmental inequities, the impact of environmental justice policies on environmental inequities as well as their impact on subsequent political behavior, pollution in developing nations and, indigenous peoples. Additionally, the possible causes for patterns of injustice will be examined. Recent proposals to address the problem of environmental racism and injustice will be discussed and analyzed.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
AAS 3500-009 Environmental Justice in the Mid-Atlantic
Professor Kimberly Fields
We 6:30-9:00pm -- New Cabell 107
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
AAS 3671 History of the Civil Rights Movement
Professor Kevin Gaines
TuTh 11:00am -12:15pm
AAS 3710 African Worlds though Life Stories
Professor Lisa Shutt
Th 2:00-4:30pm -- Dell 2 101
Fulfills: Africa; Humanities
AAS 3810 Race, Culture and Inequality
Professor Sabrina Pendergrass
Th 2:00-3:15pm -- New Cabell Hall 207
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
AAS 3853 From Redlined to Subprime: Race and Real Estate in the U.S.
Professor Andrew Kahrl
MoWe 10:00-10:50am -- Minor Hall 125
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
AAS 4501 Religion and the Struggle for Black Equality
Professor Kevin Gaines
MoWe 2:00-3:15pm -- New Cabell Hall 036
Fulfills: 4000-level seminar
AAS 4570-001 Modern Caribbean
Professor Marlene Daut
Tu 2:00-4:30
The Caribbean is often located in the popular imaginary as a tropical paradise of palm trees replete with resorts designed for tourist consumption. Modern Caribbean Studies helps to refocus understandings of the West Indies beyond this stereotype by highlighting it as a place with myriad and complex histories, cultures, and forms of thinking. The Caribbean, for example, is comprised of a distinctly heterogeneous population, which is the result of contact between Europeans, indigenous Americans, Africans, and Asians. Colonialism, slavery, indentured servitude, and other forms of forced migration and unfree labor were largely responsible for producing the diverse societies we continue to see in the greater Caribbean region today. This introductory course on Caribbean Studies will comparatively situate the geographical and sociocultural aspects of the Caribbean beginning with an overview of the region’s history. The course encourages students to understand the modern Caribbean through a variety of topics, such as gender and sexuality; migration and diaspora; the legacies of slavery and colonialism; globalization and inequality; race and racism; and tourism. The course will also introduces a variety of artistic, intellectual, and religious traditions found in the Caribbean today, including the musical styles of calypso, konpa, zouk, reggae, merengue, and salsa. Literature, film, philosophy, social movements, and politics may also be primary features of the course
SWAHILI
SWAH 1010-001 Introductory Swahili I
Professor Anne Rotich
MoWeFr 10:00-10:50am -- Brooks Hall 103
Swahili is the most widely-spoken language in eastern Africa. SWAH 1010 provides a foundation for listening, speaking and writing basic Swahili grammatical structures and vocabulary. By the end of this course you will be able to construct simple Swahili sentences, identify with various cultural aspects and customs of Swahili speakers, and have a basic level of oral proficiency. We will have fun learning the language as we engage in dialogues, group activities and perform some cultural skits.
SWAH 1010-002 Introductory Swahili I
Professor Anne Rotich
MoWeFr 11:00-11:50am -- Brooks Hall 103
Swahili is the most widely-spoken language in eastern Africa. SWAH 1010 provides a foundation for listening, speaking and writing basic Swahili grammatical structures and vocabulary. By the end of this course you will be able to construct simple Swahili sentences, identify with various cultural aspects and customs of Swahili speakers, and have a basic level of oral proficiency. We will have fun learning the language as we engage in dialogues, group activities and perform some cultural skits.
SWAH 2010 Intermediate Swahili I
Professor Anne Rotich
MoWeFr 12:00-12:50pm -- Brooks Hall 103
This second year Swahili course is intended to equip you with more language skills in speaking, reading, writing, listening and cultures. It’s an opportunity for you to enhance your language skills. At the end of this course you will have increased your Swahili vocabulary, speak Swahili with more ease and less errors, understand and interact with Swahili speakers. You will be able to write and analyze texts and essays in Swahili on different topics and appreciate more the cultures of the Swahili people. You will also be able to express yourself, your everyday activities, discuss politics or current events in Swahili. To achieve this we will utilize multi-media resources, the internet, literary texts, magazines, and news broadcast stations to enhance your learning.
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMST Slavery and Its Legacies
Professor Kirt von Daacke
MoWe 2:00-3:15pm
This course examines the history of slavery and its legacy at UVA and in the central Virginia region. The course aims to recover the experiences of enslaved individuals and their roles in building and maintaining the university, and to contextualize those experiences within Southern history.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
DRAMA
DRAM 3070 African-American Theatre
Professor Theresa Davis
TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Presents a comprehensive study of 'Black Theatre' as the African-American contribution to the theatre. Explores the historical, cultural, and socio-political underpinnings of this theatre as an artistic form in American and world culture. Students gain a broader understanding of the relationship and contributions of this theatre to theatre arts, business, education, lore, and humanity. A practical theatrical experience is a part of the course offering. Prerequisite: Instructor permission
Fulfills: Humanities
ENGLISH
ENGL 2572 Black Women Writers
Professor Lisa Woolfork
TuTh 8:00am - 9:15am
Topics in African-American writing in the US from its beginning in vernacular culture to the present day; topics vary from year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.
Fulfills: Humanities
ENGL 3570 Jim Crow America
Professor K. Ian Grandison + Marlon Ross
TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Fulfills: Humanities; Race and Politics in the US
ENGL 3572 African American Rhetorical Traditions
Professor Tamika Carey
TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm
This course examines the distinct communication and argumentative strategies African Americans have created and modified in pursuit of full humanity since the enslavement era as a specific rhetorical tradition. Students will learn rhetorical theory from such scholars as Geneva Smitherman, Molefi Asante, Keith Gilyard, Elaine Richardson, Jacqueline Jones Royster, Adam Banks, and more and they will use these frameworks to investigate and assess the techniques within speeches, essays, book-length primary sources, and critical works by such figures as David Walker, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Carter G. Woodson, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, Gil Scott Heron, Audre Lorde, the Crunk Feminist Collective, and others. Through this work, we will determine how African Americans use rhetoric as a techne, or art, to meet their needs and how rhetoric can provide an analytical tool to critique and evaluate arguments. Assignments may include: short essays, an oral presentation, a hybrid exam, and a multi-part digital project.
Fulfills: Humanities
ENGL 3572 Multimedia Harlem Renaissance
Professor Marlon Ross
TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm
Intensive study of African-American writers and cultural figures in a diversity of genres. Includes artists from across the African diaspora in comparative American perspective. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.
Fulfills: Humanities
ENGL 4570 Reading the Black College Campus
Professor K. Ian Grandison
Tu 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Fulfills: 4000-level seminar; Race and Politics in the US
ENGL 5700 Contemporary African-American Literature
Professor Lisa Woolfork
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
This course for advanced undergraduates and master's-level graduate students surveys African-American literature today. Assignments include works by Evreett, Edward Jones, Tayari Jones, Evans, Ward, Rabateau, and Morrison
Fulfills: Humanities
FRENCH
FREN 3585 Slave Narratives from the Francophone World (Antilles, Haïti, Mauritius)
Professor Nicolas Lombart
TuTh 3:30pm - 4:45pm
The slave narrative is originally a type of literary genre involving the (written) autobiographical accounts of enslaved Africans in Great Britain and its colonies (the later United States, Canada, and Caribbean nations), from the end of 18th century to the early 1920s. The genre is still vivid through the “neo-slave narrative”, a modern fictional work set in the slavery era by contemporary authors (Toni Morrison, Edward P. Jones, Marie-Elena Jones, etc.). This course will examine how Francophone writers deal with this Anglophone literary tradition to “think” the postcolonial situation and “shape” the postcolonial subject from the slave perspective in the Francophone contemporary World (Antilles, Haïti,
Mauritius). We will more particularly study: Maryse Condé, Moi, Tituba, sorcière… Noire de Salem (1988) [Guadeloupe]; Patrick Chamoiseau, L’esclave vieil homme et le molosse (1999) [Martinique]; Evelyne Trouillot, Rosalie l’infâme (2003) [Haïti]; and Natacha Appanah, Les rochers de poudre d’or (2006) [Île Maurice].
Requirements include: 1) regular reading and active participation in class discussion, 2) an oral presentation on a particular aspect of the Francophone contemporary slave narrative, 3) a series of short commentaries from the four novels, 4) and a final paper. Prerequisites: FREN 3032. Course conducted in French.
Fulfills: Humanities
FREN 4811 Francophone Literature of Africa
Professor Kandioura Drame
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Surveys the literary tradition in French, emphasizing post-World War II poets, novelists, and playwrights. Examines the role of cultural reviews in the development of this literary tradition. Prerequisite: FREN 3032 and at least one FREN course numbered 3041 to 3043 (or instructor permission).
Fulfills: Humanities
HISTORY
HIAF 1501 Africa and Virginia
Professor James LaFleur
Th 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, and writing about different historical topics and periods, and emphasize the enhancement of critical and communication skills. Several seminars are offered each term. Not more than two Introductory Seminars may be counted toward the major in history.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Africa
HIAF 3021 History of Southern Africa
Professor John Mason
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
Studies the history of Africa generally south of the Zambezi River. Emphasizes African institutions, creation of ethnic and racial identities, industrialization, and rural poverty, from the early formation of historical communities to recent times.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Africa
HIAF 3051 West African History
Professor James LeFleur
TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm
History of West Africans in the wider context of the global past, from West Africans' first attempts to make a living in ancient environments through the slave trades (domestic, trans-Saharan, and Atlantic), colonial overrule by outsiders, political independence, and ever-increasing globalization.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Africa
HIUS 2559 African-American Women's History
Professor Justene Hill Edwards
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
HIUS 3490 From Motown to Hip-Hop
Professor Claudrena Harold
TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm
This survey traces the history of African American popular music from the late 1950s to the current era. It examines the major sonic innovations in the genres of soul, funk, and hip-hop over the course of the semester, students will examine how musical expression has provided black women and men with an outlet for individual expression, community building, sexual pleasure, political organizing, economic uplift, and interracial interaction
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
HIUS 3671 African American Freedom Movement, c 1945-Present
Professor Kevin Gaines
TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm
This course examines the history and legacy of the African American struggle for civil rights in twentieth century America. It provides students with a broad overview of the civil rights movement -- the key issues, significant people and organizations, and pivotal events -- as well as a deeper understanding of its scope, influence, legacy, and lessons for today
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
HIUS 4501 American Capitalism, American Slavery
Professor Justene Hill Edwards
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
The major seminar is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. The work of the seminar results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Fulfills: 4000-level seminar; Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
MUSIC
MUSI 2120 History of Jazz Music
Professor Scott DeVeaux
MoWe 4:00pm - 4:50pm
Survey of jazz music from before 1900 through the stylistic changes and trends of the twentieth century; important instrumental performers, composers, arrangers, and vocalists. No previous knowledge of music required.
Fulfills: Humanities
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC 4870 The Minority Family: A Psychological Inquiry
Professor Melvin Wilson
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
Examines the current state of research on minority families, focusing on the black family. Emphasizes comparing 'deficit' and 'strength' research paradigms. Prerequisite: PSYC 3006 and at least one course from each of the following groups: PSYC 2100, 2150 or 2300, and PSYC 2400, 2700 or 2600, and students in the Afro-American and African studies or studies in women and gender programs.
Fulfills: Social Science or History
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
RELA 3073 Religion and Society in Nigeria
Professor Oludamini Ogunnaike
Tu 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Not only is Nigeria home to uniquely dynamic, diverse, and globally influential religious traditions, but these traditions have profoundly shaped the history, culture, and politics of the nation-state of Nigeria and its diaspora. This course examines the historical development of religious traditions in Nigeria and their interactions.
Fulfills: Humanities; Africa
RELA 3559 Religion, Witchcraft, and Modernity in Africa and Diaspora
Professor Julie Jenkins
Tu 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Fulfills: humanities; Africa
RELA 3730 Religious Themes in African Literature and Film
Professor Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton
Mo 3:30pm - 6:00pm
An exploration of religious concepts, practices and issues as addressed in African literature and film. We will examine how various African authors and filmmakers weave aspects of Muslim, Christian and/or traditional religious cultures into the stories they tell. Course materials will be drawn from novels, memoirs, short stories, creation myths, poetry, feature-length movies, documentaries and short films.
Fulfills: Humanities; Africa
RELA 5073 Religion and Society in Nigeria
Professor Oludamini Ogunnaike
Tu 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Not only is Nigeria home to uniquely dynamic, diverse, and globally influential religious traditions, but these traditions have profoundly shaped the history, culture, and politics of the nation-state of Nigeria and its diaspora. This course examines the historical development of religious traditions in Nigeria and their interactions
Fulfills: Humanities; Africa
RELG 2559 Ballots, Bullets, Bibles: On Black Liberation
Professor Kai Parker
MoWe 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Fulfills: Humanities; Race and Politics in the US
RELG 3405 Introduction to Black and Womanist Religious Thought
Professor Ashon Crawley
Mo 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Is thought always already racialized, gendered, sexed? This Introduction to Black and Womanist Thought course argues that thought does not have to submit itself to modern regimes of knowledge production, that there are alternative ways to think and practice and be in the world with one another. An introduction to major thinkers in both religious thought and traditions with attention to theology, philosophy, and history.
Fulfills: Humanities
RELG 3559 Introduction to Black Philosophy and Religion
Professor Ashon Crawley
We 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Fulfills: Humanities
RELG 3559 Black Music, Black Faith
Professor Kai Parker
We 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Fulfills: Humanities; Race and Politics in the US
RELG 5225 The Civil Rights Movement Religious Perspectives
Professor Charles Marsh
We 3:30pm - 6:00pm
The seminar considers the American Civil Rights Movement in religious and theological perspective. While interdisciplinary in scope, the seminar will explore the movement's religious influences and theological sources and ask how differing images of God and doctrinal commitments shaped particular ways of interpreting and engaging the social order.
Fulfills: Humanities; Race and Politics in the US
SOCIOLOGY
SOC 3410 Race and Ethnic Relations
Professor Rose Buckelew
MoWe 1:00pm - 1:50pm
Introduces the study of race and ethnic relations, including the social and economic conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, and segregation. Examines contemporary American conditions, and historical and international materials.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
SOC 4750 Racism
Professor Rose Buckelew
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Racism, the disparagement and victimization of individuals and groups because of a belief that their ancestry renders them intrinsically different and inferior, is a problem in many societies. In this course we will examine the problem of racism by investigating the workings of these sociological processes theoretically, historically, and contemporaneously.
Fulfills: Social Science or History; Race and Politics in the US
Women and Gender Studies
WGS 4620 Black Feminist Theory
Professor Lanice Avery
Th 4:00pm - 6:30pm
This course critically examines key ideas, issues, and debates in contemporary Black feminist thought. With a particular focus on Black feminist understandings of intersectionality and womanism, the course examines how Black feminist thinkers interrogate specific concepts including Black womanhood, sexual mythologies and vulnerabilities, class distinctions, colorism, leadership, crime and punishment, and popular culture.
Fulfills: Social Science or History