There are still spots available in the following new course:
HIST 3907A: Transnational Topic – “The Black Atlantic Before 1900”
Fall 2023
Instructor: Dr. Mary Owusu
Introduction:
This course offers a deeper understanding of how the slave trade from Africa led to the dispersal of Africans in the Atlantic World, and how this phenomenon has impacted our world. Besides exploring the dispersion of Africans, the course examines ways and routes of African dispersals, the struggles and survival of free and unfree Africans in the Diaspora, the phenomenon and importance of return journeys by Diasporans, and the cultural and intellectual contributions of Africans in dispersion. Other units of analysis include medical exchanges, environmental impacts, Islamisation, and Christianisation. Students will conceptualise the pre-1900 era and its experiences from a Black/African perspective by exploring the creation of the Black Atlantic as a cultural and intellectual project with Black Africans as the focus.
Class Format: We meet once / week in a three-hour block. The normal distribution of time will be split between lectures (mostly) and class discussions based on the examination of course readings, historical documents, images, and films.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Trace the broader historical context of the creation of the pre-1900 Black Atlantic World.
- Demonstrate mastery of the key facts about the cultural and intellectual impact of human, material, and intellectual migrations in the Black Atlantic.
- Appreciate the struggle of historians to better grasp the story of the making of the Black Atlantic as we develop a more complete and balanced view of the pre-1900 era.
- Identify key paradigms in the legal regimes and political environments of the African Diaspora.
- Assess how a reckoning with enslavement and race/racism connects to new forms of community in the Atlantic World.
Course Evaluation: Assessment for this course combines written and oral assignments in the form of take-home assignments/exams and reflection posts. All assignments require you to analyse and synthesise material from class lectures and discussions and are designed to build specific research and communication skills.
Course Readings:
Readings are listed in the course schedule and will be available via the ARES online library system. (https://reserves.library.carleton.ca/ares/) The texts used for this course will include articles and documents.
Questions? Please email me at: maryowusu@cunet.carleton.ca