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A study of African folk­lore on the African con­ti­nent and the African Di­as­pora. As a “bridge course,” Africana Folk­lore is specif­i­cally de­signed for stu­dents who are not CUNY read­ing and writ­ing pro­fi­cient. Pre­req­ui­site: None This course ex­plores the oral, cus­tom­ary and ma­te­r­ial folk­lore of Africans and their de­scen­dants in the Amer­i­cas and the Caribbean. We will use read­ings and films to ex­am­ine var­i­ous ways West African folk­lore was trans­mit­ted to and sur­vived in the New World, and how Africans in the Amer­i­cas cre­ated new oral, cus­tom­ary and ma­te­r­ial tra­di­tions. The sur­vival and main­te­nance of African lore and the cre­ation of new tra­di­tions through com­bi­na­tion with Na­tive and Eu­ro­pean tra­di­tions func­tioned as sur­vival mech­a­nisms for the all the peo­ples in the Amer­i­cas and in­flu­enced global cul­ture. We will com­pare and con­trast fic­tional and his­tor­i­cal folk char­ac­ters from Africa, the North­ern and South­ern Amer­i­can hemi­spheres, with a spe­cial focus on the Eng­lish, Span­ish and French-speak­ing Caribbean. We will ex­am­ine some of the cus­toms and prac­tices that con­tinue to exist in those re­gions and how all have con­tributed to global cul­ture. In ad­di­tion to re­quired read­ings, there will also be weekly writ­ing ex­er­cises. This course is de­signed to help pre­pare the stu­dent for fur­ther aca­d­e­mic study in gen­eral, and African, African-Amer­i­can and Caribbean stud­ies, specif­i­cally. It will in­tro­duce the stu­dent to the var­i­ous dis­ci­plines that in­form the study of peo­ple of African de­scent world­wide.

A study of African folklore on the African continent and the African Diaspora. As a “bridge course,” Africana Folklore is specifically designed for students who are not CUNY reading and writing proficient. Prerequisite: None This course explores the oral, customary and material folklore of Africans and their descendants in the Americas and the Caribbean. We will use readings and films to examine various ways West African folklore was transmitted to and survived in the New World, and how Africans in the Americas created new oral, customary and material traditions. The survival and maintenance of African lore and the creation of new traditions through combination with Native and European traditions functioned as survival mechanisms for the all the peoples in the Americas and influenced global culture. We will compare and contrast fictional and historical folk characters from Africa, the Northern and Southern American hemispheres, with a special focus on the English, Spanish and French-speaking Caribbean. We will examine some of the customs and practices that continue to exist in those regions and how all have contributed to global culture. In addition to required readings, there will also be weekly writing exercises. This course is designed to help prepare the student for further academic study in general, and African, African-American and Caribbean studies, specifically. It will introduce the student to the various disciplines that inform the study of people of African descent worldwide.

Top­ics cov­ered in­clude sam­ple spaces and prob­a­bil­i­ties, dis­crete prob­a­bil­ity dis­tri­b­u­tions (Bi­no­mial, Hy­per­ge­o­met­ric), ex­pec­ta­tion and vari­ance, con­tin­u­ous prob­a­bil­ity dis­tri­b­u­tions (Nor­mal, Stu­dent, Chi-Square), con­fi­dence in­ter­vals, hy­poth­e­sis test­ing, and cor­re­la­tion and re­gres­sion. Spread­sheets are used through­out the se­mes­ter.

Topics covered include sample spaces and probabilities, discrete probability distributions (Binomial, Hypergeometric), expectation and variance, continuous probability distributions (Normal, Student, Chi-Square), confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and correlation and regression. Spreadsheets are used throughout the semester.

A study of African Amer­i­can dra­matic lit­er­a­ture to ex­plore the com­plex ways in which the black ex­pe­ri­ence is con­structed and pre­sented by play­wrights. Stu­dents may have an op­por­tu­nity to ex­pe­ri­ence a the­atri­cal pro­duc­tion in New York City. More specif­i­cally, this course is di­vided into dis­tinct sec­tions. It in­cludes a his­tor­i­cal overview of early Black the­atre through­out the di­as­pora. It con­sid­ers how mid-twen­ti­eth cen­tury play­wrights like Lor­raine Hans­berry, James Bald­win, Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, and Ntozake Shange shape the aes­thet­ics and dis­courses within Black the­atre, and in doing so, cre­ate tra­jec­to­ries for con­tem­po­rary Black play­wrights, who also ex­plore the so­cial, po­lit­i­cal and cul­tural ex­pe­ri­ences of Africana peo­ple.

A study of African American dramatic literature to explore the complex ways in which the black experience is constructed and presented by playwrights. Students may have an opportunity to experience a theatrical production in New York City. More specifically, this course is divided into distinct sections. It includes a historical overview of early Black theatre throughout the diaspora. It considers how mid-twentieth century playwrights like Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, and Ntozake Shange shape the aesthetics and discourses within Black theatre, and in doing so, create trajectories for contemporary Black playwrights, who also explore the social, political and cultural experiences of Africana people.