Ghana: Origins of African Identity

Coursework

Courses in the Ghana/Benin: African Diasporas in Global Perspective program stress the sociocultural impacts of forced migration on Ghana, Benin, and areas elsewhere in West Africa, with other parts of the world. The multifaceted courses examine topics ranging from the international Pan-African movement, to traditional Ghanaian religions and healing practices, to the global manifestations of artistic and cultural expressions in the African diaspora. Students apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout the semester to complete their Independent Study Project (ISP) during the final month of the program.

The program includes the following courses. The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.

History and Cultures of the African Diaspora – syllabus (PDF)
(HIST 3000 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
An interdisciplinary course conducted in English exploring several closely interrelated topics, issues, geographic spaces, and processes in order to help students gain a deeper understanding of the global dispersions of peoples and cultures of African ancestry, including their contributions to world economies, politics of ethnicity and belonging, aesthetic and material cultures. This course examines subject matter through audiovisual presentations, lectures, archival sources, and field excursions.

Narratives of Identity in the African Diaspora - syllabus (PDF)
(AFRS 3000 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
Drawing on interdisciplinary analytical tools from performance and cultural studies, students examine the nature of self-presentation, representation, and the performance of individual and collective identities from within Africa and the diaspora in artistic forms of expression. Through investigating multimedia examples, relevant historic-biographical texts, scholarly essays, festivals, celebrations, and/or contemporary performance traditions, students engage with issues of identity formation through the lens of media and the arts.

Intensive Language Study: Fante - syllabus (PDF)
(FANT 1000 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
Emphasis on beginning speaking and comprehension skills through classroom and field instruction. Formal instruction is augmented by language practice with host families during the homestay.

Reading the African Diaspora: Methods and Approaches - syllabus (PDF)
(ANTH 3500 / 3 credits / 45 class hours)
A course reviewing and examining emerging research ideas, discourses, methods, techniques, analytical tools, and research models in Africa diaspora studies. Introduction to the Independent Study Project. Material includes cross-cultural adaptation and skills building; project selection and refinement; appropriate methodologies; field study ethics and the World Learning/SIT Human Subjects Review Policy; developing skills in observation and interviewing; gathering, organizing, and communicating data; and maintaining a field journal.

Independent Study Project - syllabus (PDF)
(ISPR 3000 / 4 credits / 120 class hours)
Conducted in Cape Coast, Accra, or in another approved location appropriate to the project. Sample topic areas: historical consequences within Ghanaian communities of the human trade; historical preservation of castles and forts; sociocultural influence of diaspora communities returning to Ghana; legacy of Pan-Africanist philosophy in Ghana today; African American religious movements in Ghana; themes in modern Pan-Africanist literature; contribution of Pan-Africanist scholars to postindependence nation building; European influence in African traditional medicine; role of women in family life; role of West African economic influence in Ghana; importance of oral history in Ghana.