THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

AFRICAN STUDIES (AFST) 400 L27

(FULL COURSE): FIELD STUDIES IN AFRICA

SPRING 2008

Instructors: Dr. Caesar Apentiik and Dr. Kodzo Gavua

Office/Phone Number: n/a

Office Hours: n/a

 

Course Description

African Studies 400 is a travel study tour designed to give students a comprehensive overview of the history, politics and modern cultures of Ghana with an intensive introduction to socio-economic development in a contemporary African village.  During the village stay, students will be placed in settings where they can interact closely with informants and other local villagers, and gain a greater appreciation of village life in Ghana.  Students will be expected to take advantage of this exposure to traditional village life by designing and undertaking their own independent research project.  Documentation of this project may take the form of a written ethnographic report, visual photo or illustrated documentation of certain aspects of Ghanaian culture, or visual or sound recordings of Ghanaian life. The village stay will be complemented with exposure to urban life and a tour of important historic and culturally significant sites.  A final presentation of project results will be made to the entire study group toward the end of the overall tour (June 16, 2008)

Objectives of Course

The main objectives of this course are to expose students to traditional village life in a developing country setting, and to introduce them to the complexities of ethnographic and ethnohistoric field research.  This will be achieved through the direct interaction of students with local villagers on a day to day basis, while staying in rural village settings.

Textbooks/Readings

A reading package compiled by the instructors will be made available through Blackboard

Assignments and Evaluation

The primary assignment for the course is to undertake an independent research project on an aspect of traditional village life in Ghana.  Students will be responsible for developing a proposal for the study program (to be worked out in consultation with the Instructors), carrying out the research, and presenting a written report at the end of the study tour.

 Evaluation for the course will be as follows:

 

• Project proposal 15% (Due May 13, 2008)

• It will be evaluated on the basis of literature reviewed and methodology, as well as organization, presentation, grammatical structure and spelling.

•·                   Participation                                                                   45%

•·        the break-down is as follows:

•·        doing the assigned readings and incorporating them into the weekly seminar discussions in the field                                            20%

•·        oral presentations                                         25% (june 15, 2008)

•·                   Research Paper                                                   40%  (Due June 19, 2008)

 

• There will not be any Registrar-scheduled final examination for this course.
• Project participation is considered a key component of the course, and must be carried out for successful completion of the course.
• Active field research carried out with local informants must conform to the ethics guidelines established by the University of Calgary on the study of live human subjects. See: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/COMCUL/Web/research/EthicsPolicy.html
• At the discretion of the instructor, assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (eg: A- to B+) for each day late.

 

PRE-SESSION ASSIGNMENT AND STUDY:

• 1) Students are expected to submit their research proposals by May 13, 2006. The proposal is worth 15% of the final grade.

The proposal should indicate the purpose and mechanisms for achieving your research objectives. This requires the following: a clearly stated research problem that draws from your review of the literature; a well-articulated research question or questions; your objectives; an appropriate methodology; and a preliminary bibliography. It should be a maximum of four pages.

• 2) Read the following country study: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ghtoc.html
• 3) Read about different dimensions of Ghanaian society at:http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/ghana/gh_general.html
• 4) Acquaint yourselves with current developments in the country by reading daily news at:

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/index.php

Click on the various news sources under "Ghanaian Media".

 

ACADEMIC ACCOMODATION

Students with a disability, who require academic accommodation, need to register with the Disability Resource Centre (MC 295, telephone 220-8237).  Academic accommodation letters need to be provided to course instructors no later than fourteen (14) days after the first day of class.  It is a student's responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre and to request academic accommodation.

 

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

AFST 400: SCHEDULE OF READINGS:

WK 1: The country and its people: History, geography and languages.

Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola (2002). Culture and Customs of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Chapter 1.

Roger S. Gocking (2005). The History of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Pp 1-15.

Barbara Meier (2003). Living in the Bush: Representation of Urban Life among Northern Ghanaian Migrants in  Ghana's North: Research on Culture, Religion, and Politics of Societies in Transition, Franz Kroger and Barbara Meier (Eds.). Oxford: Peter Lang.

Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola (2002). Culture and Customs of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Chapter 7.

Coral Lentz  (2001). Local Culture in the National Arena: The Politics of Cultural festivals in Ghana. African Studies Review, Volume 44 (33):47-72.

Wk2: Socio-Culutral, Economic and Political Life

Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola (2002). Culture and Customs of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Chapter 2.

J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyan (2007). ‘On the "Mountain" of the Lord' Healing Pilgrimages in Ghanaian Christianity. Exchange (36):65-86.

Sandra E. Greene (2002). Sacred Sites and Colonial Encounters: A History of Meaning and Memory in Ghana. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Chapter 2.

Bruce T. Grindal (2003). Why the Youth leave home: Witchcraft, Authority, and the Ambiguity of Evil in Sisalaland, in Ghana's North: Research on Culture, Religion, and Politics of Societies in Transition, Franz Kroger and Barbara Meier (Eds.). Oxford: Peter Lang.

WK3: Music, Dance, Art and Literature

Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola (2002). Culture and Customs of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Chapter 8.

Tobias Wendl (2007). Wicked Villagers and the Mysteries of Reproduction: An Exploration of Horror Movies from Ghana and Nigeria, Post Colonial Text Volume 2.

Jennifer Hasty (2006). Performing Power, Composing Culture: The State Press in Ghana. Ethnography 7(1).

Wk4: Gender Roles, Family, Kinship and Marriage

Steven J. Salm and Toyin Falola (2002). Culture and Customs of Ghana. London: Greenwood Press, Chapter 6.

Sandra E. Greene (1996) Gender, Ethnicity and Social Change on the Upper Slave Coast: A History of the Anlo-Ewe. London: James Currry, Chapter 6.

T. C McCaskie (2007) The Life and Afterlife of Yaa Asantewaa, Africa 77(2).

WK 5: General Topics: Current Developments and Ghana's Place in the Globalized world.

PLS NOTE Guest speakers will be invited to speak on some of the specialized topics.