SYLLABUS & COURSE REQUIREMENTS

DISCOVER NEW YORK 1000C – FALL, 2005

CRN: 71258 CREDITS: 3 semester hours

DESCRIPTION: A study of the cultures of West and Central Africa through an examination of their evocative Art. New York City is now the home to millions of people who are either recent immigrants from Africa or who trace their ancestors to Africa. Using African Art – masks, sculptures, textiles, regalia, and day-to-day objects – we will study the different ways of thinking in Africa and compare and contrast them with Western perspectives. In this way, we shall gain an understanding of some of the different cultures which make New York City the fascinating World City that it is.

TABLE of CONTENTS

Suku Mask

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Examination and appreciation of African Art as a means of understanding the peoples and cultures of Sub-Sahara Africa; in particular, appreciating the African System of Thought as compared to the Western perspective.
• Interpretation of the historical impact of colonialism, independence movements, and racism on present-day Africa as reflected in the Art of Africa and in the attitudes of immigrants to New York City of African origin and heritage.
• Learn about and experience the Mission of the University.
• Skills in analytical and critical thinking.
• Skills in the use of the library and the Internet in acquiring information and performing research.
• Skills in the use of computer technology in the preparation of college-level reports and oral presentations.
  

Dogon Mask

TEACHING STRATEGIES

The course is taught through lecture, discussion, group and individual projects, reading assigned texts, assigned Internet searches, and field trips to museum collections of African Art in New York City. Occasional use is made of actual pieces of African Art and of videotapes. Use of computer technology is emphasized. For instance, reading assignments will be sent by e-mail to each student and will appear on this web site.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS.

As new freshmen at St. John's, you have been given a laptop computer by the University. You must bring your laptop computer to class each every day. We will examine the art objects from web pages on the Internet in class. Although they will be visible on the projection screen in the classroom, the clarity and sharpness of the images will be much greater on the monitor of your laptop computer at your desk.

Yombe Ivory Pieta figure

TEXT for PURCHASE & OTHER MATERIALS

Ed. John Mack, Africa: Arts & Culture (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2000).

This textbook is now on sale in the SJU Bookstore in the basement of Marillac Hall. It is REQUIRED that the textbook be brought to class on the first day of the semester.

Optional but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED textbook: There is an inexpensive paperback book, entitled Crossing the Blvd, by Warren Lehrer & Judith Sloan, published in 2003. I feel that your life will be enhanced if you buy and read this book which is now on sale in the SJU Bookstore in the basement of Marillac Hall. The stories about African immigrants are on pages 23, 74 and 282, but the entire book on coming to America as an immigrant is wonderful !

Optional Newspaper resource: Without a doubt, the New York Times is the best newspaper in the world (whether you agree with its politics or not). It is the newspaper of record for the world. In the Times, you will find reports and analysis of events occurring in New York City, the state, the nation, the world, and important specifically for this class, in Africa. As a student in this course you are entitled to a 50% discount on the subscription price of the paper, delivered to your home or to your dormitory. At the beginning of the term, I will send you an e-mail with the details for electronically starting your subscription, should you wish to do so. This resource is NOT REQUIRED for any aspect of the course, nor is it a requirement for passing the course.

Optional CD-ROM resource: You may wish to purchase the excellent CD-ROM "Art & Life in Africa," by Prof. Christopher Roy of the University of Iowa, along with L. Lee McIntyre. It is available on the web at www.kendallhunt.com for $36.76 plus tax and shipping for a grand total of $46.51. You can pay by credit card. It works on Windows 95 or 98 and on MacIntosh operating systems. I have my doubts about Windows XP and I know for sure that it doesn't work on Windows NT nor on Windows 2000. You are NOT REQUIRED to purchase this CD-ROM, but it is an excellent study aide. If you do want to buy the CD-ROM, you should talk to me, before you order it, about the idiosyncrasies of printing photos and essays from the CD-ROM.

LIBRARY RESOURCES

Other materials will be assigned from the Internet, distributed in class or placed on electronic reserve in the Library as the semester goes on. In particular, the excellent resource, The Grove Dictionary of Art, is available on the SJU Library site. Click HERE to access the Grove article on African Art.
NOTE: This link to the Grove Dictionary is accessible from all computers on the SJU campus. Some private ISP's such as aol, compuserve, roadrunner and netzero do not allow you to access this link from your home computer. Rather than go into the proxy mess behind that fact, if that applies to you, it is better to just read the Grove Dictionary of Art from an on-campus computer.

An excellent resource for finding topics in African Art is the "Resources in the Study of Art History" web site of Dr. Christopher Witcombe of the Department of Art Historyat Sweet Briar College. You can access the database in outline form by clicking HERE.

 

STUDENTS with DISABILITIES

Anyone who has a disability that might require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements should contact me after class or during my office hours so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Asante Linguist's Staff

FIELD TRIPS

Three field trips are planned. Attendance on each and every field trip is mandatory ! A day-long (12 hour) MTA card will be given to each student in class during the week before the Brooklyn and Manhattan field trips. Each MTA card is valid on MTA buses and subways, but only on the day of the field trip. Reports on what you encountered at each museum are due on the Wednesday following the field trip (see below). The reports may be written on paper using MS_Word word processor software or may be sent to me as e-mail MS_Word .doc file attachments. Each report must include at least two photographic images, either from your own camera or from the Internet. Photographic files do not insert into the body of e-mail messages. If you want to include such images in an e-mail, you must use the attachment procedure on the jpg or gif files. WARNING: MS_Works documents do not work on University computers. Do not use MS_Works for your submissions.

• Saturday, September 10, 2005. 11:00 AM. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1000 Fifth Ave. Click here for directions to the Metropolitan Museum.
  
  
• Saturday, September 24, 2005. 12:00 noon. Queensborough Community College Art Gallery. 222-05 56th St., Bayside, NY, 11364. We will assemble at 11:00 AM in front of the University Center to board a bus for the trip to and from Queensborough Community College. Click here for directions to the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery.
  
  
• Saturday, October 15, 2005. 11:30 AM. Brooklyn Museum of Art. 200 Eastern Pkwy. Click here for directions to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. [note different starting time.]

ADDITIONAL LOCAL PRESENTATIONS of INTEREST

• RECOMMENDED FIELD TRIP – LEAVE ALUMNI HALL (Athletic Building) , SATURDAY, October or November ?? [DATE to be Determined] at 1:00 PM to visit the Panorama of the City of New York, a permanent attraction of the Queens Museum of Art. The Panorama is a 9,335 square foot scale model of the entire 320 square miles occupied by the five boroughs of New York City, built at a scale of 1 inch to 100 feet It has every building in the City of New York, as well as accurately representing the City's topography, parks and transportation network. With over 800,000 true-to-scale buildings on 275 4' x 10' plywood supports, it is the largest scale model of any city in the world. The model was updated in 1994 with the many new and replaced buildings and modern lighting (which in itself is fascinating).
  

• "Selections from the Permanent Collection of African Art." Exhibition at the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College of the State Univ. of New York, (45 minutes away in Westchester County). ($3 for students with ID, and free on first Saturday of each month). Check the Museum's web site for driving directions and hours.
  
  
• "Ritual Objects from the African Continent." Exhibition at the Hillwood Art Museum of the C. W. Post campus of Long Island University, Brookville, NY. For directions to The Hillwood Art Museum, click HERE.
  
  
• "Gnele Traore: Traditional Mud Cloths (Bogolonfini) of the Bamana of Mali." Exhibition at the African Art Museum of the S. M. A. Fathers, 23 Bliss Ave., Tenafly, NJ from October 9, 2005 to January 9, 2006. Click here for directions to the S. M. A. Fathers Museum.
  
  
• September 15, 2005. Thusday evening. 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Dr. William Siegmann of the Brooklyn Museum of Art will speak at Queensborough Community College Art Gallery. 222-05 56th St., Bayside, NY, 11364. Click here for directions to the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery.
  
  
• Through September 25, 2005. The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC. Exhibition, entitled "Where Gods and Mortals Meet: Continuity and Renewal in Urhobo Art," of arts of the Urhobo peoples of Nigeria, including works by the contemporary Urhobo artist Bruce Onobrakpeya.
  
  
• The movie, "Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death," starts at the Quad Cinema in Manhattan on Friday, October 21. It is about King Leopold II of Belgium. You should see it if you can.
  
  
  

Ife brass head

EXAMINATION PROCEDURES

Comprehensive two-hour Final Examination (in class) (20%): during the week of Dec. 10 - 16, 2005. 10:00 AM in regular classroom (Sullivan Hall, room 405).

Midterm Examination (one hour, in class) (20%): Friday, Oct. 21, 2005.

Oral Presentation with Visuals (may be handouts, Power Point slide show or a web site) (10%): TBA. All topics must have prior approval.

Museum Field Trip Reports (this requirement may also be submitted to the professor by MS_Word.doc attachment to an e-mail to watsonw@stjohns.edu) (10% each). Due dates for the museum reports are: Sept. 14, 2005 (Met), Spet. 24, 2005 (QCC) and Oct. 12, 2005 (BMA).

Homework assignments. At various times during the term. (10%)

Term Project (may be a web site) (20%): due in class Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005. All topics must have prior approval. Five to eight double-spaced typed pages or the equivalent. The term project is an absolute requirement for passing the course. No exceptions !

Proposed Topic of Term Project due Nov. 4, 2005. Preliminary Bibliography for review is due Nov. 28, 2005. Your Term Project may be an expansion on your Oral presentation. (Topic and Bibliography must be submitted by e-mail).

GRADING CRITERIA

> 93% & < 100% = A > 90% & < 93% = A– > 87% & < 90% = B+ > 83% & < 87% = B

> 80% & < 83% = B– > 77% & < 80% = C+ > 73% & < 77% = C > 70% & < 73% = C–

> 67% & < 70% = D+ > 60% & < 67% = D < 59% = F

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are responsible for material covered in class and for all assigned readings. Because much of this course involves oral work and discussion by students in class, attendance is especially important. Failure to attend class when other students are making presentations will result in a failing grade for that exercise. Only three absences are permitted during the semester. Repeated absence may make the student liable for a failing grade. There is no provision for a make-up examination. Special cases such as hospitalization or a required court appearance with be individually considered.

All students must attend the three Saturday field trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Arrangements to make their field trips on other days can be made for students who present letters from their employer regarding required work on these days or for documented religious reasons. Written reports about each field trip are required by the Wednesday class following the field trip. The three field trips are an absolute requirement for passing the course. No exceptions!

Yoruba Gelede Mask

CAVEAT

• Information contained in this syllabus is subject to change by verbal notification in class or by e-mail. It is the student's responsibility to access the course syllabus every day of the semester. See responsibilities below.
  
  

GENERAL CLASS TOPICS

	Mosque at Djenne, Mali

• E-MAIL and INTERNET RESPONSIBILITIES and DISCUSSION FORUM.
  
  We will run the entire class by computer interaction. You must set up your St. John's University e-mail account by the first day of classes. See the Computer Microlabs in Sullivan Hall and in Marillac Hall for the procedures. It is very easy.
  
  NOTICE: Each student is completely responsible for accessing her or his own St. John's University e-mail account and this web page each and every day during the semester for homework assignments, changes in plans, etc. The instructor will not use your yahoo, hotmail, aol, etc. e-mail addresses and will not respond to messages from your private e-mail servers.
  
  Each day you should access St. John's Central on the Internet via
  

  http://www.stjohns.edu/central .

  You should save this link as a bookmark (in Netscape) or as a favorite(in Internet Explorer). Log on to your account at St. John's Central. Then go to the web page under "my courses" for your Discover New York course. A link to this syllabus will be listed there. You should also save that link as a bookmark (in Netscape) or as a favorite(in Internet Explorer). On the course page, there is also a message forum where you can discuss, by e-mail, aspects of the course with other students and with the professor. You can and should discuss African Art, the content of the class, immigration, current affairs relevant to Africa, the field trips to the museums, group projects, racism, the video tapes, the professor's haircut, etc. Feel free to e-mail the professor anytime at watsonw@stjohns.edu . Homework and report submissions for this course will be accepted by e-mail attachments only.
  
  
• SJU DNY STUDENT PRESENTATION DAY occurs early in December in Council Hall on the SJU Queens campus. Students who have prepared "A" grade level Term Projects and who wish to display a poster project or a web page at the DNY Student Presentation Day must see me before the Thanksgiving Holiday so that we may reserve sufficient display space and computer equipment in the DNY Student Presentation Day hall.
  

  
  

ANNOUNCEMENT of AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL

I have purchased the VHS tapes containg all eight parts of the PBS Africa show. The eight shows will be shown on campus on a Saturday in November:

DATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER ?, 2005
TIME: 9:00 AM ® 6:00 PM. We will organize some lunch about 1:00 PM.
PLACE: ??? (on campus).

Attendance is optional but suggested.

Bwa plank masks

DAY - to - DAY READING ASSIGNMENTS

DATE	DAY of the WEEK	TOPIC & READING ASSIGNMENT
8/31/05	WED	INTRODUCTION to Course
9/2/05	FRI	History of Africa - Textbook - Introduction (pp. 9 - 31)
9/5/05	MON	History of Africa - Textbook - Essay # 3 (pp. 14-15); Essay # 20 (pp. 88-89); Essay # 24 (pg. 100); Essay # 42 (pp. 170-171); West Africa chapter (pp. 85 - 123)
9/7/05	WED	African Systems of Thought - Pick up MTA card for Met Museum trip.
9/9/05	FRI	What is African Art ? An important discussion before the museum field trips.
9/10/05	SAT	METROPOLITAN MUSEUM of ART- 11:00 AM. Tour African Art Gallery & Lecture. Meet at the Museum.
9/12/05	MON	African Systems of Thought - Dr. Livingstone & Rain Doctor dialogue; Met Museum "Art of the Dogon" VHS tape (24 min.)
9/14/05	WED	Dogon/Tellem - Pale fox divination VHS tape from Africa series. Written report about Metropolitan Museum due today. Dogon dance ceremonies: Dama, Sigi.
9/16/05	FRI	Dogon - Dogon dance ceremonies: Dama, Sigi.
9/19/05	MON	Dogon - To-guna VHS tape (16 min.).
9/21/05	WED	Computer use. Internet searches. INTERNET HOMEWORK.
9/23/05	FRI	Bamana culture. Jo Society.
9/24/05	SAT	QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE ART GALLERY - 11:00 AM - Meet at SJU Alumni Hall (east side of Basketball court) to take bus to Queensborough Community College Art Gallery.
9/26/05	MON	Mande culture. Sande Society. Senufo cultures. Poro Society. Bobo & Bwa cultures.
9/28/05	WED	Baule culture. Written report about Queensborough Community College Art Gallery due today.
9/30/05	FRI	LIBRARY USE Techniques.
10/3/05	MON	Asante, Akan, Fante cultures - Textbook - Essay # 21 (pg. 94), Essay # 22 (pg. 95).
10/5/05	WED	Asante, Akan, Fante cultures - Asante Funeral VHS tape (23 min.)
10/7/05	FRI	Asante, Akan, Fante cultures. - goldweights; Practice exam handed out.
10/10/05	MON	HOLIDAY (Columbus Day) - NO CLASSES
10/12/05	WED	MID-TERM EXAMINATION in CLASS (one hour)
10/14/05	FRI	Asante, Akan, Fante, Ewe cultures - textiles; Textbook - Essay # 18 (pp. 80-81), Essay # 26 (pp. 106-107), Essay # 49 (pp. 192-193), Essay # 51 (pp.198-199). Pick up MTA card for Brooklyn Museum.
10/15/05	SAT	BROOKLYN MUSEUM of ART- 11:30 AM, African Art Holdings & Lecture. Meet at Museum.
10/17/05	MON	Asante, Akan, Fante, Ewe cultures - textiles, Asafo flags. Kente Strip Cloth VHS tape (12 min).
10/19/05	WED	Fon Vodun. Written report about Brooklyn Museum required today.
10/21/05	FRI	Yoruba culture.- Textbook - Essay # 3 (pp. 18-21), Essay # 5 (pp. 28 - 29), Essay # 24 (pg. 100), Essay # 27 (pp. 110 - 111)
10/24/05	MON	Yoruba divination - Textbook - Essay # 37 (pg. 145), Essay # 48 (pp. 188-189)
10/26/05	WED	Punu culture.
10/28/05	FRI	In-class presentations.
10/31/05	MON	In-class presentations.
11/2/05	WED	In-class presentations.
11/4/05	FRI	Igbo culture. Term Project topics must be approved no later than today.
11/7/05	MON	Bamileke culture. Cross River and Ejegham cultures.Textbook - Essay # 28 (pp. 112-115), Essay # 18 (pp. 64-65). Tomorrow, Nov. 8, is the last Day to Withdraw from Classes or Apply for Pass/Fail Option
11/9/05	WED	Research Report Methods-Bibliography. Analysis.
11/11/05	FRI	Fang & Kota cultures.
11/14/05	MON	Fang & Kota cultures.
11/16/05	WED	Kuba culture- Textbook - Central Africa Chapter, (pp 125 -161)
11/18/05	FRI	Kuba culture - textiles.
11/21/05	MON	Kuba culture- Textbook - Essay # 30 (pg. 127), Essay # 31 (pp. 130-131), Essay # 35 (pp. 142-143).
11/23/05	WED	CANCELED - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11/25/05	FRI	CANCELED - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
11/28/05	MON	Songye, Chokwe - Textbook - Essay # 32 (pp. 132-133), Essay # 34 (pp. 138-139), Essay # 54 (pp. 206-207), Essay # 35 (pp. 142-143), Essay # 38 (pp. 149-150) Current Bibliography Lists due today.
11/30/05	WED	Luba, Puno, Yombe cultures.
12/1/05	THURS	SJU DNY RESEARCH PRESENTATION DAY in Council Hall. 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. (Exact date to be finally determined in November)
12/2/05	FRI	IN-CLASS TERM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS.
12/5/05	MON	IN-CLASS TERM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS.
12/7/05	WED	TERM PROJECTS DUE ! ! (NO EXCUSES) East and Southern Africa - Textbook - Essay # 41 (pp. 166-167), Essay # 47 (pp. 186-187); Essay # 53 (pp. 204-205), East and Southern Africa chapter (pp. 163 - 215) LAST DAY of CLASS.
12/9/05	FRI	NO CLASSES - SJU STUDY DAY.
12/12/05	MON	FINAL EXAM – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Room 405, Sullivan Hall
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