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. Staff. 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 Africa diasporic
identity -- understood as an excluded, marginalized subtext of identity in the new world. But why is Africa being involed
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 1960s. Topics include abolition of the slave trade, European imperialism, impact
of colonial rule, African resistance, religious and cultural movements, rise of naturalism and pan-Africanism, issues
of ethnicity and "tribalism" 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. This class will examine the many roles
played by women in ancient Egypt. From goddesses
and queens, to wives and mothers, women were a visible
presence in ancient Egypt. We will study the lives
of famous ancient Egyptian women such as Hatshepsut,
Nefertiti and Cleopatra. More independent than many
of their contemporaries in neighboring areas, Egyptian
women enjoyed greater freedoms in matters of economy
and law. By examining the evidence left to us in
the literature (including literary texts and non-literary
texts such as legal documents, administrative texts
and letters), the art, and the archaeological record,
we will come away with a better understanding of
the position of women in this ancient culture.
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.
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 some questions
about the interrelationship of religion and culture
as well as religion and soical 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 tribal religions.
Case studies, however, 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. (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 the 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
culture history, languages, 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. 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.
SM 233. (FOLK233) African Folklore. (M) Blakely. Chinua Achebe's metaproverb "proverbs are the palm wine with
which words are eaten" highlights the importance
of metaphor in the the sophiticated rhetoric of Igbo
of Nigeria and more widely in Subsaharan Africa.
Study of proverbs and other African folklore oral
genres including folktale, epic, song, praise, poetry,
drama, and oratory provides a privileged lens into
African worldviews and cultural values: from generational
and gender relations to notions of honor, hospitality,
and worldly and spiritual power. The course also
reveals the vibrancy of African folklore in contemporary
life through such topics as editorial poetry in daily
newspapers which Tanzanians read avidly; Ivorian
womens' coding and decoding of proverbs in popular
cloth designs; Lesotho migrant workers' songs of
struggle; and congolese popular theatre portraying
proverbial wisdom in television performances.
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. A survey of politics in Africa focusing on the complex relationships between
state, society, the economy, and external actors. It will cover colonial rule, the independence struggle, authoritarian
and democratic statecraft, military rule, ethnicity, and class, with special attention to the politics of Africa's interrelated
debt, economy, and development crises.
268. (GSOC268) Women and Human Rights in Africa. (A) Staff. Is violence against women a violation of human rights regardless of whether
this occurs in the private or public spheres? Should rape and sexual violence against women and girls in situations
of armed conflict be considered as war crimes? As gender issues have become central to the development dialogue, the
linkages between human rights, gender and development have become increasingly apparent and especially relevant
for the African continent. A primary goal of the course will be to reveal the gendered nature of human rights
issues and the current application of human rights concepts in Africa. It will also illuminate issues affecting women
in all facets of life including rape and forced pregnancy during war time and expanding definitions of torture, freedom
of expression, violence, internal displacement and refugees as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Class assignments will be designed to craft a vision and application of human rights that are truly relevant to
women and men alike.
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) Mshomba. 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. 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.
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) Staff. 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) Bolger. 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) Bolger. 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) Hailu. 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) Hailu. 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) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center.
243.(AFRC243, AFRC544, AFST544, NELC484) Intermediate Amharic II. (B) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center.
245. (AFST545) Intensive Elementary Amharic I and II. (M) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center.
247. (AFRC247, AFRC548, AFST547, NELC583) Advanced Amharic. (C) Hailu. 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) Hailu. 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) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center. Continuation of Elementary Amharic I.
543.(AFRC242, AFRC543, AFST242, NELC483) Intermediate Amharic I. (A) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center
544.(AFRC243, AFRC544, AFST243, NELC484) Intermediate Amharic I. (B) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center
545.(AFST245) Intensive Elementary Amharic: I & II. (C) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center
546. Intensive Intermediate Amharic I & II. (L) Hailu. Offered through Penn Language Center
547.(AFRC247, AFRC548, AFST247, NELC583) Advanced Amharic. (C) Hailu. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. |
