Introduction to Africana Philosophy (222-0-20)
Instructors
Corey Barnes
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
Philosopher Lucious Outlaw understands Africana philosophy as a "gathering notion used to cover collectively particular articulations, and traditions of particular articulations, of persons African and African-descended that are to be regarded as instances of philosophizing." Broadly, Africana philosophy considers work from diverse areas in Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Central questions discussed herein include very common philosophical questions such as: "What does it mean to be a human being?"; "how do we account for the past (or time, more generally)?"; and "how is knowledge about ourselves—as thinking subjects—possible?" However, what makes these questions unique to Africana philosophy is their being asked in light of Western modernity, colonialism, and slavery by or about African-descended people. This is so since, as Louis Gordon tells us, "there was no reason for the people of the African continent to have considered themselves as Africans until that identity was imposed upon them through conquest and colonization." So the question: "What does it mean to be a human being?" is raised in light of the humanity of African descended peoples that was called into question beginning with Western modernity, colonialism, and slavery. This course introduces students to philosophical work done by African and African descended people on a plethora of issues, many of which are intersecting. In so doing, it highlights the impact of racialized and racist conditions, historical and present social and political structures, and linguistic and cultural formations of African-descended groups throughout the world.
Learning Objectives
Identify and define issues and problems, analyzing them critically and systematically by asking relevant questions, and where appropriate, using the language and techniques of formal logic to articulate and assess argumentation. Attain the conceptual tools needed to recognize and understand prescriptive issues, questions and claims, and distinguish them from descriptive issues, questions, and claims. Construct clear, rigorous arguments for well-delineated theses. Critically reflect on and accurately describe experiences of privilege and oppression through the lenses of themes related to peoples of the African Diaspora. In this way you should come to appreciate the insights available in diverse intellectual or cultural traditions. Describe struggles of peoples of the African Diaspora against forces such as racism, sexism, and classism to attain equitable outcomes. As such you will engage with scholarship describing the historical and contemporary structures, processes, and practices that shape global and intercultural relations among and deriving from cultural traditions of the African Diaspora, with an emphasis on global phenomena. Critically and accurately examine the intersections of categories such as race, class, and gender in a global context of unequal power relationships and social justice. Generate the knowledge and develop the skills necessary to grapple with key issues. You will think through concepts such as colonialism, diaspora, diplomacy, ethnicity, exploration, migration, nationality, cultural reception, and war. Analyze how these and other terms intersect and overlap, with attention to the dynamism and variety of experiences and expressions. Reflect upon your own answers to evaluative questions, the presuppositions informing them, and the reasons supporting them.
Class Materials (Required)
Class materials must be purchased.
I Am Because We Are: Readings in Africana Philosophy, Revised Edition. Freed Lee Hord (Mzee Lasana Okpara) and Jonathan Scott Lee, editors (ISBN: 978-1-62534-176-1)
Class Notes
Final Exam - In Class
Class Attributes
Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Ethics & Values Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Philosophy students.