The dispersal of black people from their homes in the continent of Africa all around the world is one of the biggest sagas of world history. The great majority of Africans of the diaspora are in the western hemisphere where some, like the Afro-Cubans, are part of the Spanish-speaking world; some, like the Afro-Brazilians, are native speakers of Portuguese; and still others, like Haitains, are French-speaking. English-speaking blacks like Jamaicans, black Britons, black Canadians, and black Americans form the largest single group of the diaspora.

This course will explore the history of these scattered children of Africa: their dispersal to various regions of the world, especially the western hemisphere; the circumstances and institutions which shaped the evolution of diasporic communities; and the continuing physical and emotional ties to Africa and Africans.

TEXTS:

Marita Golden, Migrations of the Heart.

Aubrey Bonnett and Watson, Emerging Perspectives on the Black Diaspora.

Vincent B. Thompson, The Making of the African Diaspora.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance is mandatory. I will only accept well-substantiated excuses for absences. I will be checking an attendance book at every class. Frequent absences will be reported to Dean White and will affect a studentís final grade as attendance will constitute a specific portion of the final grade.

2. Participation in Class

Students must do assigned readings and come to class prepared to join in discussions. Participation is not confined to answering questions. Asking questions and making observations and suggestions are also forms of participation. Class participation, like attendance, is worth specific points.

3. Written requirements

a. Midterm test on topics covered up to the middle of the semester.

b. Final exam on topics covered after the fall break.

c. Term paper:

Your term paper will take the form of an analytical and interpretive report
on Migrations of the Heart.

You need to comprehend the book. At the very onset of your report, make
sure you demonstrate this comprehension in your introduction by indicating what the book is all about. Look for the major themes which emerge from Goldenís account. What do you like about the book(strengths)? What donít you like (weaknesses)? Are there issues that you were hoping to see that were absent? Or conversely, do you see issues that you think are significant tackled satisfactorily by the author? What significance does this book have for the study of the African Diaspora? Does it help shed light on any specific topics covered in the course? Who would you recommend it to?

The above should not be viewed as an exhaustive list of guidelines. Please bring in additional ideas of your own into your report. Your report should be 8-10 pages long, typewritten and double-spaced. Please leave ample margins on both sides for my comments. Do not forget to indicate direct quotes either by indenting them (if they are more than three sentences) or by putting them in quotation marks. Clearly acknowledge your sources by including a bibliography.

GRADING

Term paper 40%
Midterm 20%
Final Exam 30%
Attendance and participation 10%

Each written work will be evaluated using the following scale:

A 93-100 C+ 77-79
A- 90-92 C 73-76
B+ 87-89 C- 70-72
B 83-86 D 60-69
B- 80-82 F 59 and below


CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS


Thursday 8/31 Introduction
Tuesday 9/5 Defining the African Diaspora
Thursday 9/7 Catalysts of Dispersal: Wealth, Power, the New World and the Atlantic Slave Trade.
READING: Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 2, pp. 22-61
LAC # 1 Introducción y la lectura: "La negra esclavitud"

Tuesday 9/12 The Role of Africans in the Slave Trade: A Critical Assessment
READING: Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 3, pp. 62-106.
Thursday 9/14 African Women and the Slave Trade.
VIDEO: Gorée Island.
LAC # 2 Leyenda popular: "El negrito del pastoreo"

Tuesday 9/19 New Homes in the Americas: A General Discussion
Thursday 9/21 Strategies of "breaking in" and subduing slaves
READING: Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 7, pp. 192-217.
LAC # 3 "La esclavitud africana en América Latina y el Caribe"

Tuesday 9/26 The Complex Role of Christianity in Black Communities of Slave Societies in The Americas
READING: Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 8, pp. 218-238.
Thursday 9/28 The Persistence of African Religious Forms
READING: Making of the Diaspora, pp. 239-254.
LAC # 4 "Lugar de origen: Lucumí"

Tuesday 10/3
VIDEO: Candomble In Brazil.
Thursday 10/5 Strategies of Protest Against Slavery in Black Societies in the Americas.
READING: The Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 9, pp. 255-272
LAC # 5 "Historia Yoruba"

Tuesday 10/10 Beyond the Americas in the Era of Slavery: Blacks in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
READING: Emerging Perspectives, ch. 1, pp. 23-38
Thursday 10/12 Blacks in Canada
READING: Emerging Perspectives, ch. 4
LAC # 6 "El vudú como elemento de cohesión sociocultural entre los esclavos"

Tuesday 10/17 MIDTERM TEST
Thursday 10/19 FALL BREAK
Tuesday 10/24 Maroon Communities in the West Indies and South America.
READING: The Making of the Diaspora, pp. 273-300; Report on the Americas, Vol. XXV, pp. 34-37 (on reserve in McCain Library)
Thursday 10/26 The Haitian Revolution
READING: The Making of the Diaspora, pp. 339-395
LAC # 7 "Wifredo Lam:Arte contempor·neo cubano"

Tuesday 10/31 Black Abolitionists inEurope, Canada and the U. S.
READING: The Making of the Diaspora, Ch. 12, pp. 396-404
Thursday 11/2 Race and Racism: Hallmarks of Societies of the Diaspora
READING: Report on the Americas, Vol. XXV, pp. 16-22.
" LAC # 8 "Los afroindoamericanos de Belice: La cultura garífuna""

Tuesday 11/7 Contrasting Concepts of Race, Color and Ethnicity in Diasporic Societies of the Western Hemisphere.
READING: Emerging Perspectives, Ch. 5, pp. 125-148
VIDEO: Mirrors of the Heart.
Thursday 11/9 The Plight of Black Workers in the Panama Canal Zone in the first half of the 20th century.
READING: Emerging Perspectives, Ch. 10, pp. 215-237
LAC # 9 "Visión contemporánea de Toussaint Louverture"

Tuesday 11/14 "Mestizaje": A Denial of the African Diaspora in Colombia?
READING: Report on the Americas, pp. 28-31.
Thursday 11/16 Racial Democracy in Latin America: The Case of Brazil
READING: The Americas, Vol. 5, July 1953, pp. 3-5, pp. 30-31; Abdias and Elisa Nascimento, Africans in Brazil, pp. 87-102. (Both on reserve in McCain).
LAC # 10 "El caso Scottsboro"

Tuesday 11/21 Race Relations Beyond the Americas: The Case of Britain.
VIDEO: Black Britannica
Wednesday 11/22 to 11/26 THANKSGIVING BREAK
LAC #11 "Poesía de Nicolás Guillén"

Tuesday 11/28 Physical and Psychological Links with Africa: The Example of Ethiopianism.
READING: William Scott, The Sons of Shebaís Race, Ch. 2, pp. 12-22 (On reserve in McCain)
Thursday 11/30 Cultural Expressions of Pan-Africanism
READING: Emerging Perspectives, Ch. 12 and 15.
LAC # 12 "Música Afro-cubana"

Tuesday 12/5 The Diaspora Continues: Voluntary Migration of Africans on the Continent and of the Diaspora.
READING; Emerging Perspectives, Ch. 11, pp. 239-256
Thursday 12/7 REVIEW
LAC # 13 "Música Afro-cubana"

Tuesday 12/12 Last Day for Submitting Book Report
Thursday 12/14

LAC #14 Evaluaciones
Tuesday 12/19 SELF-SCHEDULED FINAL EXAMINATION

If you have any questions, please send mail to Language Across the Curriculum