Courses

Course Spotlight: CFA MA 430: R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk

CFA MA 430: R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights Instructor: Victor Coelho Summer 2 (July 6 – August 15) B1 Tues/Thurs. 1 – 4:30 PM Location: FLR 206 Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip-hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B […]

Course Spotlight: CFA MH561 with Dr. Birenbaum Quintero

Associate Professor of Music, Chair of Musicology & Ethnomusicology Department, and affiliated faculty member of AFAMBDS Professor Michael Birenbaum Quintero will be teaching CFA MH561: World Music Ensemble (1 credit) this fall. Learn to perform traditional world music in the context of an ensemble taught by specialists of African, Balinese, Latin American, and many other […]

Fall 2023 Course Spotlight: CAS AA400 – Slavery and the In-Between

Slavery and the In-Between with Professor Andree Cunningham Tues/Thurs 3:30 – 4:45 PM This course examines the space between freedom and enslavement known as recaptivity. Course discussions will focus on historical and social conceptions of freedom, and how these conceptions relate to recaptive status. We will review recaptivity contexts documented in both the historical and […]

Fall 2023 AFAMBDS Courses

CAS AA 103: Introduction to African American Literature—Maryanne Boelcskevy Tues/Thurs 9 am-12:30 pm What is the African American literary tradition? How does it change over time? This course introduces the cultural, political, and historical contexts of the African American experience through readings of literature. Readings include poetry, slave narratives, essays and speeches, tales, short stories, […]

Summer 2023 AFAMBDS Courses

Summer 1: CAS AA 313: The Politics and Policy of HBO’s The Wire—Shauna Shames Tues/Thurs, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm HBO’s television series The Wire is used to explore politics and policy. A number of interdisciplinary topics are covered, including the war on drugs; urban policing and education policy; and race, politics, and poverty. Effective […]

Spring 2023 Course Spotlight: CAS HI 290 B1: Warfare in Africa

CAS HI 290 B1: Warfare in Africa with Professor John Thornton MWF 11:15 am – 12:05 pm Explores antiquity, the Slave Trade, Imperialism, and Insurgency. How Africans have waged war through history, beginning with ancient Egypt and proceeding through the course of the building of states and Empires, to the military culture that underlay the […]

AA207 Featured in List of Terriers’ Favorite BU Courses

At the beginning of the semester, BU took to Twitter and Facebook to gather terriers’ favorite courses. The list, A Crowdsourced List of Our Terriers’ Favorite BU Courses, includes CAS AA 207: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. The class, currently taught by Dr. Saida Grundy, is full for the Spring 2023 semester, but be sure to […]

Spring 2023 New Course: CFA MU 855 ZJ

CFA MU 855 ZJ: “African-American Spirituals and Their Influence on Contemporary Art, Music, Literature, and Dance” is a new topics course taught by Professor Leland Clarke for graduate students in CFA’s Musicology & Ethnomusicology program. Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12:30 – 1:45pm Examines how Spirituals have served as essential touch points for all styles of […]

New Major and Minor in African American & Black Diaspora Studies!

A new major and minor in African American & Black Diaspora Studies. Director Louis Chude-Sokei was interviewed by BU Today about this exciting announcement. “African American studies at BU has always had a global component,” said Dr. Chude-Sokei. “It’s always been interested in Black peoples all over the world. But now the program is much […]

Spring 2022 Course Spotlight: Music of Black Americans

CFA MH 409: Music of Black Americans Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12:30–1:45pm Professor Leland Clarke This course will study genres of Music of Black Americans in the United States and their appearance in and fusion with literature by African Americans. Emphasis on listening, live performances, student presentations, readings, and discussions. Topics include spirituals, ragtime, blues, […]