Introduction to the Arts of West Africa



THE ARTS OF AFRICA 600:159

T/TH 8:00-9:15 am

270 KAB

Dr. Elizabeth Sutton

Email: elizabeth.sutton@uni.edu

Telephone: 273-6260

Office: 224 KAB; Office Hours: T/TH 10:00 am -11:00 am

Course Website:

Course Description and Objectives:

A Roman historian once wrote, “There is always something new out of Africa.” This ancient observation is as true today as it was in the first century CE. Visual culture is a rich resource we can use to examine the varieties of social, religious, and political experience on the continent. This course provides a survey of the visual culture of African peoples. We will examine the historical and contemporary visual culture produced by peoples from the countries of Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Angola, and The Democratic Republic of Congo, and examine continuities and disparities reflected in the Diaspora. Sculpture, pottery, textiles, architecture, painting, and performance will be considered from the perspective of their production and function within the social context. The course will include a variety of in-class activities and opportunities for experiential learning. Students will demonstrate mastery of the material surveyed through the thoughtful and thorough completion of assignments designed to assess visual literacy and analysis, growth in writing skill, research ability, and awareness of diverse cultural contexts.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

▪ Identify major object types and styles, functions, and the African peoples who produced them

▪ Explain the significance of these works in their cultural context

▪ Analyze the visual material using relevant terminology

▪ Explain key themes African visual culture

▪ Evaluate selections of written primary and secondary historical sources

▪ Synthesize key themes in research and collaborative projects

Required Text and Resources:

▪ Visoná, Monica, et al. Survey of the History of African Art. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

▪

▪ Additional readings will be available via e-reserve and elearning.

Blackboard Elearning: Assignments, and Announcements

I use the Blackboard/elearning course management system and will expect everyone in the class to stay up-to-date by accessing the course website via . Image powerpoints, and assignment sheets will be available on the course website. Check the website periodically for timely announcements.

Course Requirements:

Attendance, Participation, and In-class Activities

It is imperative you come to every class. You are responsible for all material presented in class. In addition, some classes will include quizzes, activities, or short writing assignments for points. If you cannot attend a class meeting, you are responsible for obtaining the information presented from a peer or by making an appointment with me. I will not re-teach a missed class for you via email. You will be allowed one missed quiz.

• Weekly Quizzes (50%--100 points, 10 pts each)

o Weekly quizzes will help you gradually process and retain content. Quizzes may take many forms; they may ask for your questions, they may be written analysis of readings, they may ask for term definitions, and/or they may be ID-based.

o ID quizzes will contain images for which you will identify what the object is, what African culture made it, and how it is used/why it is important. Some IDs may be from prior weeks’ quizzes to help you review.

o Questions may be based on content from lecture, the textbook, and readings.

o Quiz review images will be updated weekly and available on elearning. Quizzes must be taken in class; a missed quiz is a ‘0’ for that quiz. Each student will be able to “drop” one quiz score.

• Poster for West African Percussion Ensemble Performance (20%, 40 pts)

Two class meetings are dedicated to learning West African drumming and dancing, which are integral components to West African masquerades. Students will be required to present a research poster at one of the performances of the West African Percussion Ensemble’s performances on March 3rd or April 21st. A detailed assignment sheet can be found on elearning.

• Museum Paper (10%, 20 pts)

You will visit either the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Waterloo Center for the Arts, or Stanley Collection at the University of Iowa and write a 1-2 page critical review of the African art exhibited. A detailed assignment sheet can be found on elearning. You are encouraged to attend all field trip opportunities. Due in class by April 13.

• Group Masking Project (20%- 10% individual, 10% group—40 pts total)

Unlike Halloween masks, African masks are not only performative, but transformative when used in a ritual context. This assignment is designed to help you think about rituals and masks through your own transformative and creative experience with them. In groups, you will create a ritual that is relevant to your lives. This ritual may be meant to be performed in the future, or it may be something meant to mark a past event. You will then each make a mask that will be used in that ritual. Each individual will write a reflection after the masquerade performance. A detailed assignment sheet can be found on elearning.

Etiquette and Expectations:

I expect each student to respect the class learning environment. That means:

▪ No electronic devices that interfere with class. Cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, PDAs, etc. MUST be off and stored before class begins. No texting.

▪ Misuse of cell phones will result in you being asked to leave.

▪ If you take notes on a laptop, be responsible. If anyone misuses their laptop privileges (ie: websurfing, IMing, etc) laptops will forthwith be prohibited.

▪ Show up to class prepared and on time

▪ Turn in assignments on time

▪ Participate consistently and actively in class

▪ Do your best on creating thoughtful and meaningful work

SDS:

If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with me soon. Please request that a Student Disability Services (SDS) staff send a SAAR form verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you will need. SDS is located at 103 Student Health Center, (319) 273-2676.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes plagiarism and cheating. See Academic Ethics and Discipline in the student handbook available at . Ask me if you have questions.

Academic Learning Center Resources:

I encourage you to use the Academic Learning Center’s free assistance with writing, reading, and learning stratigies. UNI’s Academic Learning Center is located in 008 ITTC. The Writing Center offers one-on-one writing assistance and the Reading and Learning Center provides consultations on reading, note-taking, and other academic success strategies. . Phone 319-273-2361 for more information.

Study and Testing:

Images from class will be posted on the course website, and various helpful handouts and image lists will be available on the website. You should review material frequently and consistently.

Grading Scale:

94-100% A 90-93% A- 88-89% B+ 84-87% B 80-83% B-

78-79% C+ 74-77% C 70-73% C- 68-69% D+ 64-67% D

Schedule of Classes, Readings, and Assignments

|Week 1. |Introductions, assess prior knowledge and assumptions. |

|1/12 |Reading and Assignment: Miner, “Body Ritual of the Nacirema” link on elearning |

|1/14 |Early Modern European interaction with West Africa |

| |Reading Due: |

| |Overview of African history, found online at: |

| | |

| |Visoná pp. 14-19; 169-173 |

|Week 2. Mali |Intro to Early African art (Jenné, Tellem, Dogon) |

|1/19 |Reading Due: |

| |Chapter on “Key Moments In Life” found online at |

| | |

| |Visoná pp. 130-143 |

|1/21 Guinea Bissau, Coastal West Africa |Bidyogo, Bamana (Mande) |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 105-123; 173-180 |

|Week 3. Sierra Leone |Mende |

|1/26 |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 179-183 |

|1/28 Ghana |Akan I—Asante |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 196-207 |

|Week 4. Ghana |Akan II (+dvd and Fante) |

|2/2 |Reading due: Visoná pp. 208-218 |

|2/4 Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire |Akan III—Fante and Baule |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 218-226 |

| |Assignment: 1st group Presentation Prospectus due in class |

|Week 5. Ghana—Going into Darkness; Extreme Canvas |Contemporary Ghanaian Art |

|2/9 |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 226 and “The Radiance of the King,” by Donald Cosentino, |

| |African Arts (2009) 1-8. Available on elearning |

|2/11 (2/12 meet 8 am PAC) |MEET FRIDAY 8 AM @ DAVIS HALL, PAC |

|Week 6. Burkina Faso |Bwa (+dvd) |

|2/16 |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 156-158; 324, AND Cole, “Introduction,” in I Am Not Myself, |

| |(1985) 15-27. Available on elearning |

|2/18 (2/19 meet at 8 am PAC) |MEET FRIDAY 8 AM @ DAVIS HALL, PAC |

|Week 7. 2/23 Burkina Faso |Mossi and Koma-Bulsa terracottas |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 159-162 |

|2/25 Nigeria |Ile-Ife (dvd?) |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 228-238 |

|Week 8. Nigeria |Yoruba I |

|3/2 |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 238-271 |

| |Assignment due: 1st group bibliographies due |

| |1st Group Poster Projects DUE for 3/3 performance |

|3/4Nigeria |Yoruba II |

|Week 9. 3/9 Nigeria |Kingdom of Benin |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 272-287 |

|3/11 |Igbo I |

| |Reading Due: Suzanne Preston Blier “Imaging Otherness in Ivory: African Portrayals of |

| |the Portuguese ca. 1492” available on elearning. Discussion |

SPRING BREAK

|Week 11. 3/23 |Igbo II |

| |Review masking, assignments, Form Mask Groups |

| |Visoná pp. 287-302 AND Henry Drewal “Mami Wata Shrines: Exotica and the Construction of|

| |Self” in African Material Culture, ed. Mary Jo Arnoldi (IUP, 1996), 308-333. Available |

| |on elearning |

|3/25 Congo |Kongo, Kuba |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp.350-363; 381-392 |

| |2nd Group Poster Prospectus due in class |

|Week 12. 3/30 Diaspora—Haiti |Intro Haitian art; review Orisha |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 532-537 |

| |AND Karen McCarthy Brown, “Mama Lola and the Ezili: Theme of Mothering and Loving in |

| |Haitian Vodou,” in Unspoken Worlds, ed. Nancy Auer Falk (Wadsworth, 1989), 235-45. |

| |Available on elearning |

|4/1 |Shannon Karol on Vodou |

Friday, 4/2 Optional FIELD TRIP to Minneapolis Institute of Art and Walker Art Center. iAfrica exhibition at MIA: (1)

|Week 13. 4/6 |Waterloo Center for the Arts Field Trip—meet at Circle Drive, 9:30 am |

|4/8 Diaspora |Diaspora: Elmina, Cape Coast castle, Euro-African Art |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 500-504; 512-514; AND “Yinka Shonibare: Hedonism, masquerade, |

| |carnivalesque and power” in Looking Both Ways, (2003), 162-177 |

|Week 14. 4/13 Diaspora |African American Art |

| |Reading Due: Visoná pp. 516-532; 537-541 |

| |Assignment: Museum Reviews DUE in class |

|4/15 |Bronx Princess; Discussion |

| |Assignment: 2nd Group bibliographies due; |

| |2nd group Poster Presentations due for April 21 performance |

|Week 15. 4/20 |Begin Mask Presentations |

|4/22 |Mask Presentations |

|Week 16. 4/27 |Mask Presentations |

|4/29 |Mask Presentations |

Useful WEBSITES







................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download