300-400 level courses are on special topics and are more advanced. They often presuppose some basic knowledge in the field and should be more difficult courses than courses at the 1-199 levels. The department is trying to insure that some 400 level courses, although substantially more difficult, are also small in size; they thus may be suitable for graduate students.
HIST 489 Africans Abroad
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
SEM
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. Class will visit the "Extended Lives: The African Immigrant Experience in Philadelphia" exhibition at the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, and will survey the many diaspora internet sites that have emerged in recent years.
Course Syllabus (PDF)
