DAY section week 4: Black Studies definitions, founding, and structure

Hank Williams

Image: the sankofa bird, an Adinkra symbol translating into “return and fetch it”, meaning reaching back to the past for wisdom needed to go forward into the future.

NOTE THAT THIS IS THE UPDATE FOR THE DAY SECTION: IF YOU’RE IN THE NIGHT SECTION, SEE THE POST FOR YOUR CLASS

First, a few housekeeping details:

  • Remember that this class doesn’t use Blackboard. Check the course website every week for updates and detailed reading instructions which will appear on this page
  • Get a copy of the required course book–Dr. Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies, 4th edition–if you haven’t done so already. You will need it to do the reading assignments for the rest of the semester.  Details on the books page and it’s also on reserve in Lehman’s library.
  • You might find it helpful to subscribe to new posts for this site: use the e-mail sign-up form on the main page.
  • Please sign up for the class text message service run by Remind(.com) if you haven’t done so yet. Sign up online here or send a text message to 757-337-4602 and type the following as the message: @aas166day.
  • Open discussion hours: (on campus and online): Monday/Wednesday 4-5 PM in Carman 291 or on Zoom

Quick highlights from classes on 9/12, 9/14

  • Website review
  • Reviewed Dr. John  Henrik Clarke’s essay “Africana Studies: A Decade of Change, Challenge, and Conflict”
  • Reviewed Marimaba Ani’s chapter from Let the Circle be Unbroken
  • Music: Sonia Sanchez’s “A Poem for Some Women” (YouTube) Ramsey Lewis’s “Sun Goddess” (YouTube)

What to do for Week 4

Monday September 19:

READ Chapter 1 in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies (pages 1-27)

  • Skim (read quickly and to gain an overview) pp 1-17 on history and development of the discipline.
  • Focus (read carefully and closely) on the following sections: (pp 17-27) 1.3 (Relevance of the Discipline) and 1.4 (Scope of the Discipline) and sections 2.3-2.7 — the different developmental initiatives.

Wednesday September 21:

READ these sections of Chapter 2 in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies

  • Read only pp 39-60 (“Developmental Initiatives”) in chapter 2
  • Pay special attention to section 2.6 (“Classical African Studies”). Focus on pp. 54-57, particularly the section on Cheikh Anta Diop.
    • Know why Diop is a significant figure and his intellectual contributions.
    • Also be able to explain Karenga’s reasons for the importance of Egypt and Nile Valley civilization on pp. 56-57

READ TO UNDERSTAND the questions at the bottom of this post to DISCUSS them with classmates and myself.

General reading strategies:

  • Underline/highlight key points in the text
  • Use the reading questions at the back of chapters to focus you: read those first
  • Try to understand the definitions of the key concepts listed at the back of the chapter
  • Make a note to ask the instructor to clarify anything you don’t understand
  • Note key issues, approaches, and dilemmas/challenges Dr. Karenga outlines
  • Read the chapter outline in the table of contents first, then the key words at the back of the chapter to guide your reading

Goals: understand the following key points from the chapters

  • How does the founding of Black Studies/Africana Studies shape how it operates as an academic discipline (college major)
  • What is worldview?
  • What’s the importance of worldview to the discipline of Africana Studies?
  • How does the origin of the discipline shape the approach?
  • How does the issue of relevance shape the discipline?
  • Why is Cheikh Anta Diop important to Africana Studies?

What’s Next?

Chapter 3 in Introduction to Black Studies: “Black History: African Background”

 

 

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