This course exposes and explores the ways in which dominant discourses about Africa are the products of historical forces that reflect a Western, Eurocentric bias. This course offers an overview of the study of Africa from the perspectives of African knowledge producers, as it looks at the continent and its peoples through various disciplinary angles.

Over the course of six weeks, participants will learn to identify key time-periods, societies, political institutions, and movements in Africa that existed prior to European colonization. Module topics will examine literature, art, music, scientific knowledge, politics, and popular culture through African scholarship and primary sources.

This course has been designed with the generous support of the African Studies Center (ASC) at Boston University.

Sample Topics

• Where and Why There: (Re)drawing Space, Contesting Place
• The Trouble with Maps & Why Does Size Matter
• Africans Telling Themselves: Centering African Voices in the Study of Africa