REL 4660 Africa in the Religious Imagination

The continent that we call “Africa,” was first described as such by explorers and missionaries who lived outside of its borders, and particularly by writers working from within the Christian and Islamic traditions. In contrast, prior to the colonial period, people living on the continent of Africa very rarely thought of themselves as “Africans.” This course will explore this dynamic between insider and outsider accounts of Africa. We will examine the utopian, dystopian, and racialized constructions of “Africa” in religious literature, from Muslim traders, to European explorers, to American missionaries and look at the various ways that people living on the continent have understood their own identities and traditions.

Credits

4 sh

Prerequisite

One course in Religious Studies

Course Types

Civilization, Advanced Studies

1. Students will think critically about the relationship between social, historical, and culture contexts and the development of identity.
2. Students will analyze and critique scholarly arguments presented in secondary literature.
3. Students will craft a coherent and well-supported argument.
4. Students will marshal and and organize evidence in support of that argument from multiple sources.