AFRICAN STUDIES

AFRICAN STUDIES
(AS) {AFST}

Undergraduate Courses

SM 018. (ANTH018) Popular Culture in Africa. (C) Barnes. Freshman Seminar.

This course concentrates on popular culture in sub-Saharan Africa. It examines the way people reflect on and represent various aspects and issues in their daily lives, in public media, and through a diverse range of performative and creative outlets. It explores the way cultural traditions are created, promulgated, and perpetuated. It looks at the way popular culture deals with pleasure and pain; identitity, difference, and diversity; wealth and power; modernity and history; gender relations; suppression, resistance, and violence; and local versus global processes. In short, popular culture will serve as a window through which to observe contemporary life.

050. (AFRC050, ANTH022, FOLK022, MUSC050) World Musics and Cultures. (C) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Muller.

Draws on repertories of various societies from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to examine relations between aesthetic productions and social processes. We investigate musical sounds, cultural logics informing those sounds, and social strategies of performance. Topics may include indigenous music theories, music and social organization, symbolic expressions and musical meaning, gender, religion, and social change.

062. (NELC062) Land of the Pharaohs. (M) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. Silverman/Wegner.

This course provides an introduction to the society, culture and history of ancient Egypt. The objective of the course is to provide an understanding of how ancient Egypt emerged as one of the most successful and long-lived civilizations in world history.

071. (AFRC071, ENGL071) Literatures of Africa and the African Diaspora. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only.

This course will serve as an introduction to a particularly rich arena of literature in English. It will also help students to begin to understand many of the racial subtexts underlying the culture wars in America, where too often, in the full glare of cameras, an anguished voice informs the audience that "as an African, I cannot expect justice in this America." One of the things at work here is the assumption of a common African diasporic identity -- understood as an excluded, marginalized subtext of identity in the new world. But why is Africa being invoked here? What does "Africa" mean in this new world context? What is the larger global context of these assumptions about "Africa" and what is its history? Does the term "Africa" itself have a history? What is "African literature?" This course, therefore, will also help students not only to ask fundamental questions about identity but also to understand identity as a moving and dynamic construct. How, for example does "Africa" travel to South America, to the Caribbean Archipelago, and to Europe?

See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

L/R 075. (AFRC075, HIST075) Africa Before 1800. (B) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. Babou, Cassanelli.

Survey of major themes and issues in African history before 1800. Topics include: early civilizations, African kingdoms and empires, population movements, the spread of Islam, the slave trade era. Also, emphasis on how historians use archaeology, linguistics, and oral traditions to reconstruct Africa's early history.

L/R 076. (AFRC076, HIST076) Africa Since 1800. (A) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. Cassanelli.

Survey of major themes, events, and personalities in African history from the early nineteenth century through the 1990s. Topics include abolition of the slave trade, European imperialism, impact of colonial rule, African religious and cultural movements, rise of nationalism and pan-Africanism, issues of ethnicity and identity in modern Africa.

SM 107. (HIST106) Freshman Seminar: World after 1800. (C) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Babou.

135. (AFRC135, SOCI135) Law & Society. (A) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Fetni.

After introducing students to the major theoretical concepts concerning law and society, significanat controversial societal issues that deal with law and the legal systems both domestically and internationally will be examined. Class discussions will focus on issues involving civil liberties, the organization of courts, legislatures, the legal profession and administrative agencies. Although the focus will be on law in the United States, law and society in other countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America will be covered in a comparative context. Readings include research reports, statutes and cases.

168. (NELC168, GSOC168) Women in Ancient Egypt. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Houser, Wegner.

190. (AFRC190, ANTH190, HIST190) Introduction to Africa. (A) Society Sector. All classes. Barnes.

During the semester we will focus on people and communties of sub-Saharan Africa and on the ways people represent, reflect on, and react to various aspects and issues in their lives and the institutions which dominate their communities. We will focus particularly on the history, contemporary expression, and inter-relationships among politics, religion, and aesthetic practice. Members of Penn's African Studies community will share their expertise with the class and introduce the University's Africa resources. Texts consist of weekly readings, films, and recordings; and class members will be expected to attend several lectures outside of class.

SM 206. (HIST206) Major Seminar of the World after 1800. (C) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

210. (AFRC210, HIST250, RELS210) African Religions. (M) Ofosu-Donkoh.

Religion permeates all aspects of African life and thought. There is no dichotomy between religion and society in Africa. Religion is therefore an essential tool for understanding and appreciating the behavior and lifestyle of African peoples. In this course, we will survey some of the indigenous religions of Africa and examine their nature and their philosophical foundations. We will examine African systems of beliefs, myths, symbols, and rituals, as developed by African societies to express their distinctive worldviews. We will also raise a few general questions about the interrelationship of religion and culture as well as religion and social change in Africa, and the challenges of modern technologies to African beliefs. We will examine the future of African religions and analyze the extent to which African peoples can hold on to their beliefs in this age of rapid technological and scientific development. Emphasis will be on themes rather than on individual, national, or ethnic religions. Case Studies will be limited to West Africa among the Akan of Ghana, the Yoruba of Nigeria, and the Mende of Sierra Leone. Questions are provided (a) to guide and direct reading (b) to form the basis for discussions (c) as exercises and (d) for examinations.

213. (AFRC203, FOLK203) Introduction to Afro-American Folklore. (C) May be counted as a General Requirement Course in History & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

An overview of the major forms of expressive culture developed by Afro-Americans. The course focuses on the continuous development of black cultural expression from slavery to present, emphasizing the socio-historical context in which they are to be understood and interpreted.

SM 214. (AFRC214, ANTH214) Societies and Cultures of Africa. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kopytoff.

An introduction to the peoples and cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa, including cultural history, vocabularies, traditional social and political structures, and traditional religion.

225. (AFRC225) African Languages and Culture. (C) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Mbeje.

The aim of the course is to provide a general perspective on African languages and African linguistics. No background in linguistics is necessary. Students will be introduced to theoretical linguistics-its concepts, theories, ways of argumentation, data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation. The focus will be on the languages and linguistics of Africa to provide you with the knowledge and skills required to handle the language and language-related issues typical of African conditions. We will cover topics related to formal linguistics (phonology/phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics), aspects of pragmatics as well as the general socio-linguistic character of African countries. We will also cover language in context, language and culture, borrowing, multilingualism, and cross-cultural communication in Africa.

SM 230. (AFRC230) Law in Africa. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Fetni.

This course will deal with law and society in Africa. After surveying the various legal systems in Africa, the focus will be on how and to what extent the countries of Africa "re-Africanized" their legal systems by reconciling their indigenous law with western law and other legal traditions to create unified legal systems that are used as instruments of social change and development. Toward this end, the experiences of various African countries covering the various legal traditions will be included. Specific focus will be on laws covering both economic and social relations. This emphasis includes laws of contracts and civil wrongs, land law, law of succession, marriage and divorce and Africa's laws of International Relations, among other laws. Throughout this course a comparative analysis with non-African countries will be stressed.

SM 231. (AFRC231, CINE248, FREN231) Francophone African Cinema. (M) Moudileno.

This course will introduce students to recent films by major directors from Francophone Africa. While attention will be given to aesthetic aspects and individual creativity, the viewing and discussions will be mostly organized arounda variety of (overlapping) themes: History; Tradition/modernity; Urban Life; Gender and sexuality; Politics. Class conducted in French.

233. (FOLK233) Tradition and Modernity. (M) Staff.

"Despite the overwhelming reality of economic decline; despite unimaginable poverty; despite wars, malnutrition, disease and political instability, African cultural productivity grows apace: popular literatures, oral narrative and poetry, dance, drama, and visual art all thrive."-- Kwame Anthony Appiah from In My Father's House

What role(s) does folklore play in the lives of Africans today? How has folklore adapted to the realities of contemporary, urban Africa? This course will investigate the continuation of traditional elements produced in diverse media and circumstances in a modern, largely urban, Africa. Although traditional African culture has been transformed and changed in the face of rapid urbanization and modernity, it continues to provide a means through which people enjoy themselves and comment on a wide range of issues affecting their lives. Issues such as identity, difference, and diversity; tradition and history; modernity and development; wealth and power; politics and political change; and gender relations.

235. Africans Abroad: Emigrants, Refugees, and Citizens in the New African Diaspora. (M) Cassanelli.

This seminar will examine the experiences of recent emigrants and refugees from Africa, including many now living in the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding region. In addition to reading some of the historical and comparative literature on migration, ethnic diasporas, and transnationalism, students will have the opportunity to conduct research on specific African communities in Philadelphia or elsewhere in North America, Europe, or the Middle East. African emigres' relations with both their home and host societies will be explored and compared with the experience of other immigrant groups over the past century. Topics include reasons for leaving Africa, patterns of economic and educational adaptation abroad, changes in gender and generational roles, issues of cultural and political identity, and the impact of national immigration policies.

253. (AFRC253, FOLK253, GSOC253, MUSC253) Music and Performance of Africa. (M) Muller. Prerequisite(s): Completion of MUSC 050 is recommended.

This class provides an overview of the most popular musical styles, and discussion of the cultural and political contexts in which they emerged in contemporary Africa. We will cover sub-Saharan and North Africa with a strong focus on southern Africa. Learning to perform a limited range of African music/dance will be a part of this course. No prior performance experience required,though completion of Music 050 is recommended.

257. (AFRC257, PSCI210) Contemporary African Politics. (C) Callaghy.

This course will consist of an analytic survey of post-colonial politics in the states of Sub-Saharan Africa. It will focus on the complex relationships between state, society, economy, and external actors and will offer a conceptual framework, which takes into account forms of politics that are often highly fluid, personalized, and authoritarian in character. Particular attention will be paid this term to Africa's pervasive economic crisis, internal and external efforts to cope with it, and its relationship to recent moves back toward forms of democratic politics. A special focus this term will be the political economy and violence of failing states.

268. (GSOC268) Women and Human Rights in Africa. (A) Kadende-Kaiser.

292. (AFRC260, RELS211) African Religous Culture in Nigeria and in the African Diaspora. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

This survey course focuses on African Religous culture in Nigeria and in the African Diaspora. Students will be introduced to the ritual and philosophical foundations of Yoruba religion and culture. This course emphasizes the incorporative nature and heterogeneity of problematize essentialisms and stereotypes about these religious systems by paying close attention to the ethnographic details, historical contexts, philosophical underpinnings, and political developments of each religion in their region. Traditions we will be exploring are: Ifa Divination in Nigeria and Benin; Santeria and Regla de Ocha in Cuba and the United States; Vodoun in Haiti; Shango in Trinidad; Candomble and Umbanda in Brazil; and the American Yoruba Movement in the United States. Course readings will provide a theoretical and informative basis for dealing with the concepts of syncretism, creolization, and ethnicity.

SM 301. (AFRC301) Africa and the African Diaspora. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Nwadiora.

This course will take the form of an introductory seminar designed to provide undergraduate students an overview of significant themes and issues focusing on the historical, political and cultural relationships between Africans and their descendants abroad. It will encompass: a review of different historical periods and geographical locations, from Ancient Egypt to modern American, Caribbean and African states; a critical evaluation of social movements and theories that have developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries among scholars of different origins in their attempt to reconstruct Africa as a center and the Diaspora as a specific cultural space; and, an exploration of representations of Africa and the Diaspora in canonical literary works and other forms of fiction like the visual arts.

SM 354. (ARTH354) African Art & Culture. (A) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Blakely.

African art is a rich and varied field of study encompassing visual arts and architecture of ancient cultures, regional artistic traditions of diverse peoples in more recent precolonial and colonial times, and contemporary artists, both self-taught and formally trained. The principal goals of this course are to help students to appreciate the scope of this field while also gaining in-depth understanding of particular African artistic traditions, artists, and artworks within specific historical and cultural contexts. Topics to be considered include persistent misconceptions about African art; indigenous African aesthetics; semiotics of African visual signs and sign systems; roles of "traditional artists" in African societies; gender issues in art production, representation, and performance; historical contacts and cultural interaction; spiritual, therapeutic, and political uses of art; and interrelations of visual art with verbal and kinesthetic expression.

SM 390. (AFRC391, FREN390) Survey Francophone Lit. (M) Moudileno.

This class will explore the African city as a site of colonial and postcolonial exchanges by way of twentieth-century European and African representations. We will examine, on the one hand, the status of the urban located in Africa in European works from the colonial period (fiction and non-ficiton including Gide, Leiris, Londres). On the other hand, we will study Africans, focusing on the dreams and transformations involved in the passage from the village to the city to the metropole. Essays from history, sociology, urban studies and postcolonial theory will supplement the study of the primary texts. All readings, class discussions and written assignments in French.

SM 393. (ENGL393) Topics in Literature & Society: South African Literature. (C) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Barnard.

467. (NELC467) Introduction to Egyptian Culture and Archaeology. (B) Wegner.

Covers principal aspects of ancient Egyptian culture (enviornment, urbanisma, religion, technology, etc.) with special focus on archaeological data; includes study of University Museum artifacts.

484. (AFST590) Aspects of Kiswahili Language, History, and Culture. (M) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Completion of Advanced Swahili I & II.

This course taught in Kiswahili will focus on reading/writing skills and speaking/listening skills as well as structural and cultural information. The course will be structured around three thematic units: History, Politics, and Education. The course will provide resources for the Swahili speaking world: Who are first language speakers and the varieties they speak? How did Swahili spread from the coast to other Swahili speaking areas as far inland as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo. Swahili is a lingua franca and its importance in the spread of religion and in trade movements. Influence of other languages on Swahili and influence of Swahili on local languages will be discussed. Political and educational systems will be discussed as well.

SM 489. (AFRC488, HIST489) Africans Abroad: Emigrants, Refugees, and Citizens in the New African Diaspora. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Cassanelli.

Graduate Courses

SM 511. (HIST511) African Cultural History. (C) Feierman.

This seminar will investigate the cultural history of Africa, with a special emphasis on concepts and methods. Topics include the history of religion before and during the colonial period, the social context of knowledge transmitted orally or through literate means, the circulation of ideas, images, and practices, the changing nature and significance of popular culture and the cultural significance of popular social movements. Examples will be drawn from the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

514. (AFRC514, ANTH514) Anthropology of Africa. (M) Kopytoff.

African culture history, as inferred from archaeology, linguistic relationships and ethnology. Culture areas of Africa and representative societies; common themes and differences; significance for anthropological concerns.

SM 572. (AFRC572, COML575, ENGL586) Topics in African Literature. (M) Barnard.

This course is concerned with the context, and an aspect of the content and form, of African Literature. It is based on a selection of representative text written in English, as well as a few texts in English translation. It involves first, a study of themes relating to social change and the persistence of cultural traditions, followed by an attempt at sketching the emergence of literary tradition by identifying some of the formal conventions established b the writers in their use of old forms and experiments with new.

SM 593. (AFRC593, FREN593) Studies-Francophone Literature. (M) Moudileno.

Topics will vary. Seminar will focus on one area, author, or "problematique" in Francophone studies. Examples of area-focused seminar: The African Contemporary novel or Francophone Caribbean writers. Example of single-author seminar: "The Poetry and Drama of Aime Cesaire. Examples of thematic approach: writing and national identity; postcolonial conditions, autobiography.

SM 620. (ENVS620) Topics on African Environmental Issues. (B) Fonjweng.

Africa is a land of great contrasts and possesses a rich mix of scenic beauty, impressive biodiversity, many cultures, economies and interesting history. Almost completely encircled by water and home to a network of some of the world's largest and longest rivers, Africa is also home to two vast and expanding hot deserts. While Africa contains enormous amounts of mineral wealth, it also has fifteen of the world's least developed countries. Its climate ranges from the harsh extremes in hot deserts to the Arctic Current dominated temperate climate of the southern tip of Africa and the pleasant Mediterranean climate of North Africa.

Africa's remarkable ecological diversity is unique and is an expression of the varied climates in the continent, with camels in Egypt, Goliath frogs (the largest frogs in the world) in Cameroon and the African penguins in Namibia and South Africa. Africa has extensive fertile grasslands and lush equatorial forests, yet many of its people suffer from hunger and starvation. Despite possessing some of the most scenic and pristine landscapes in the world, poor resource management has resulted in serious environmental problems in various parts of Africa, including air and water pollution, deforestation, loss of soil & soil fertility and a dramatic decline in biodiversity through out the continent.

This course aims to explore Africa's natural environment and the impact of human activities on it. Each semester the course will offer an overview of Africa's environment as it relates to one of the following two topics 1) Water issues; 2)Environmental impact of development projects, natural resource extraction and consumption. Each semester, in addition to analyzing one of the above topics, we will pick a couple of case studies from within the US that can be used to show parallels between some of the issues discussed in the African case studies. The students will be asked to conduct research on a relevant topic in any region in Africa for a paper due at the end of the semester.

SM 628. (HIST628) Africa in the Wider World: Connections, Contexts, Comparisons. (A) Cassanelli.

This seminar is aimed at students of history, culture, literature, and the arts in the Americas, Europe, or Asia, who need to know something about African history and culture for their own research or studies. It is intended to help students identify, analyze, and incorporate selected scholarship on Africa into their particular area or disciplinary specializations. Topics covered include slavery and slave societies; diasporas and migrations, linguistic, religious and cultural transfers and survivals; and issues of identity, assimilation, nationalism, and pan-Africanism. we want to ask: how much African history, culture, language, and social structure do Americanists or other non-specialists need to know to do sound scholarship? What comparative questions should we be asking about Africa, and how can we find and utilize data that is reliable and relevant to our our own work.

SM 630. (HIST630, HSSC630) African History: Core Issues of Social Process. (C) Feierman.

This graduate seminar explores the literature of African history while trying to find ways to understand history which happens on unfamiliar social and cultural terrain. The terrain is unfamiliar because the words professional historians use, and the underlying assumptions about social process, show the marks of many generations of writing about Europe. The standard histories, then, are torn between describing events in terms of European social process, in which case they do violence to the history, or finding a historical language which is closer to being locally grounded but unfamiliar to a western audience. In this course we study a number of core issues of social process. Each one is meant to direct attention to a complex of local social forms, and each is at the heart of a major body of writings of African history. A tentative list of topics includes the following: Oral tradition; knowledge and identity; ecology and ethnicity; forms of local authority and state power; ritual, conquest, and the transformation of political authority; political economy; gender and personal dependency; the ecological history of disease; popular associations and the state; the local bases of nationalism.

SM 701. (AFRC701, ANTH701, ENVS701, HIST701) Graduate Seminar in African Studies. (B) Staff.

Topics vary. Please consult The African Studies Center for details.

SM 705. (AFRC705, ANTH705, FOLK715, MUSC705, GSOC705) Seminar in Ethnomusicology. (A) Muller.

Seminar on selected topics in Ethnomusicology.

SM 775. (ENGL775) South African Literature. (M) Barnard.

An advanced seminar in anglophone African literature, possibly including a few works in translation.

African Language Courses

170. (AFRC170, AFST517) Elementary Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The Elementary Yoruba I course can be taken to fulfill a language requirement, or for linguistic preparation to do research on Nigeria and the diaspora/Africa-related topics. The course emphasizes communicative competence to enable the students to acquire linguistic and extra-linguistic skills in Yoruba. The content of the course is selected from various everyday life situations to enable the students to communicate in predictable common daily settings. Culture, as it relates to language use, is also part of the course content.

Students will acquire the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills at the mid-high novice level, based on the ACTFL scale. The mid-high novice level proficiency skills that the students will acquire constitute threshold capabilibilities of the second semester range of proficiency to prepare students for Elementary Yoruba II course materials.

171. (AFRC171, AFST518) Elementary Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Prerequisite(s): Completion of Elementary Yoruba I, or permission of instructor. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The main objective of this course is to further sharpen the Yoruba linquistic knowledge that the student acquired in level I. By the end of the course, the student should be able to (1) read, write, and understand simple to moderately complex sentences in Yoruba; and, (2) advance in the knowledge of the Yoruba culture.

180. (AFRC180, AFST580) Elementary Swahili I. (A) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The elementary Swahili I course can be taken to fulfill a language requirement, or for linguistic preparation to do research on East Africa/Africa-related topics. The course emphasizes communicative compentence to enable the students to acquire linguistic and extra-linguistic skills in Swahili. The content of the course is selected from various everyday life situations to enable the students to communicate in predictable common daily settings. Culture, as it relates to language use, is also part of the course content.

Students will acquire the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills at the mid-high novice level, based on the ACTFL scale. The mid-high level proficiency skills that the students will acquire constitute threshold capabilities of the second semester range of proficiency to prepare students for Elementary Swahili II course materials.

181. (AFRC181, AFST581) Elementary Swahili II. (B) Mshomba. Prerequisite(s): Completion of Elementary Swahili I, or permission of instructor. Offered through Penn Language Center.

This course continues to introduce basic grammar, vocabulary, and the reading and writing of Swahili to new speakers. During this term, folktales, other texts, and film selections are used to help introduce important aspects of Swahili culture and the use of the language in wide areas of Africa.

185. (AFRC185, AFST585) Elementary Swahili: Accelerated. (C) Staff. Offered through the Penn Language Center.

240. (AFRC240, AFRC540, AFST540, NELC481) Elementary Amharic I. (A) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The Elementary Amharic I course can be taken to fulfill a language requirement, or for linguistic preparation to do research on Ethiopia/Africa-related topics. The course emphasizes communicative competence to enable the students to acquire linguistic and extra-linguistic skills in Amharic. The content of the course is selected from various everyday life situations to enable the students to communicate in predictable common daily settings. Culture, as it relates to language use, is also part of the course content.

Students will acquire the speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills at the mid-high novice level, based on the ACTFL scale. The mid-high novice level proficiency skills that the students will acquire constitute threshold capabilities of the second semester range of proficiency to prepare students for Elementary Amharic II course materials.

241. (AFRC241, AFRC541, AFST541, NELC482) Elementary Amharic II. (B) Wogayehu. Prerequisite(s): Completion of Elementary Amharic I, or permission of the instructor. Offered through Penn Language Center.

Continuation of Elementary Amharic I.

242. (AFRC242, AFRC543, AFST543, NELC483) Intermediate Amharic I. (A) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

243. (AFRC243, AFRC544, AFST544, NELC484) Intermediate Amharic II. (B) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

245. (AFST545) Intensive Elementary Amharic I and II. (M) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

247. (AFRC247, AFRC548, AFST547, NELC583) Advanced Amharic. (C) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

An advanced Amharic course that will further sharpen the students' knowledge of the Amharic language and the culture of the Amharas. The learners communicative skills will be further developed through listening, speaking, reading and writing. There will also be discussions on cultural and political issues.

270. (AFRC270, AFST529) Intermediate Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

271. (AFRC271, AFST532) Intermediate Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

280. (AFRC280, AFST582) Intermediate Swahili I. (A) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

281. (AFRC282, AFST583) Intermediate Swahili II. (B) Mshomba. Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Swahili I, or permission of instructor. Offered through the Penn Language Center.

284. (AFRC284, AFST584) Advanced Swahili I. (A) Mshomba. Prerequisite(s): AFST 280, LING 280, AFAM 280 or permission of instructor. Offered through Penn Language Center.

This is an advanced Kiswahili course which will engage learners in extended spoken and written discourse. Advanced learners of Kiswahili will listen to, read about, write and speak on authentic video materials, contemporary novels, and newspapers. They will also participate in various discussions on cultural and political issues.

285. (AFRC285, AFST586) Advanced Swahili II. (B) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

370. (AFST587) Advanced Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

371. (AFST588) Advanced Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

399. Independent Study: Language. (C) Staff. Offered through Penn Language Center.

486. Yoruba Language & Culture I. (M) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

490. African Language Tutorial I. (C) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Undergraduates must have permission of Language Coordinator. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The main objective of this course is to allow students to study an African language of their choice, depending on the availability of the instructor. The course will provide students with linquistics tools which will facilitate their research work in the target country. Cultural aspects of the speakers of the language will be introduced and reinforced.

491. African Language Tutorial II. (C) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Undergraduates must have permission of Language Coordinator. Offered through Penn Language Center.

Continuation of AFST 490

492. African Language Tutorial III. (A) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department. Offered through Penn Language Center.

493. African Language Tutorial IV. (B) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department. Offered through Penn Language Center.

494. African Language Tutorial: Advanced I. (L) Staff. Offered through Penn Language Center.

517. (AFRC170, AFST170) Elementary Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

This is an introductory course in Yoruba whose goals are to introduce students to the history, geographical location of the people who speak Yoruba, their culture, customs, and traditions; and, to enable students to develop communicative skills through listening, speaking, reading and writing.

518. (AFRC171, AFST171) Elementary Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

The main objective of this course is to further sharpen the Yoruba linquistic knowledge that the student acquired in level I. By the end of the course, the student should be able to (1) read, write, and understand simple to moderately complex sentences in Yoruba; and (2) advance in the knowledge of the Yoruba culture.

529. (AFRC270, AFST270) Intermediate Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

532. (AFRC271, AFST271) Intermediate Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

540. (AFRC240, AFRC540, AFST240, NELC481) Elementary Amharic I. (A) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

An introductory course for students with no previous knowledge of Amharic. Amharic belongs to the southern branch of Hemeto-Semitic languages which is also referred to as "Afrasian." Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia and is spoken by 14 million native Amharas and by approximately 18 million of the other ethic groups in Ethiopia. The goals of this course are to introduce students to the culture, customs, and traditions of the Amharas. Students will develop communicative skills through listening, speaking, reading and writing.

541. (AFRC241, AFRC541, AFST241, NELC482) Elementary Amharic II. (B) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

Continuation of Elementary Amharic I.

543. (AFRC242, AFRC543, AFST242, NELC483) Intermediate Amharic I. (A) Wogayehu.

Offered through Penn Language Center

544. (AFRC243, AFRC544, AFST243, NELC484) Intermediate Amharic I. (B) Wogayehu.

Offered through Penn Language Center

545. (AFST245) Intensive Elementary Amharic: I & II. (C) Wogayehu.

Offered through Penn Language Center

546. Intensive Intermediate Amharic I & II. (L) Wogayehu.

Offered through Penn Language Center

547. (AFRC247, AFRC548, AFST247, NELC583) Advanced Amharic. (C) Wogayehu. Offered through Penn Language Center.

An advanced Amharic course that will further sharpen the students' knowledge of the Amharic language and the culture of the Amharas. The learners communicative skills will be further developed through listening, speaking, reading and wwriting. There will also be discussions on cultural and political issues.

563. (ANEL563) Old Egyptian. (C) Silverman.

This course is an introduction to the language of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. The grammar of the period will be introduced during the early part of the semester, using Ededl's ALTAGYPTISCHE GRAMMATIK as the basic reference. Other grammatical studies to be utilized will include works by Allen, Baier, Polotsky, Satzinger, Gilula, Doret, and Silverman. The majority of the time in the course will be devoted to reading varied textual material: the unpublished inscriptions in the tomb of the Old Kingdom official Kapure--on view in the collection of the University Museum; several autobiographical inscriptions as recorded by Sethe in URKUNDEN I; and a letter in hieratic (Baer, ZAS 03. 1077. 1-9).

580. (AFRC180, AFST180) Elementary Swahili I. (A) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

Beginning level of Swahili which provides training and practice in speaking, reading and writing with initial emphasis on speaking and listening. Basic grammar, vocabulary and cultural skills learned gradually with priority on the spoken language. Especially during the second term, folktales, other texts and films will be used to help introduce important aspects of Swahili culture.

581. (AFRC181, AFST181) Elementary Swahili II. (B) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

582. (AFRC280, AFST280) Intermediate Swahili I. (A) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

583. (AFRC282, AFST281) Intermediate Swahili II. (B) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

584. (AFRC284, AFST284) Advanced Swahili I. (C) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

586. (AFRC285, AFST285) Advanced Swahili II. (C) Mshomba. Offered through Penn Language Center.

587. (AFST370) Advanced Yoruba I. (A) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.

588. (AFST371) Advanced Yoruba II. (B) Awoyale. Offered through Penn Language Center.