The request to establish AFRS 2170, 3155, 3251, 3261, 4630, 4640 and 4652

Memo Date: 
Monday, December 5, 2011
To: 
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
From: 
Clarence Greene, Faculty Governance Assistant
Approved On: December 5, 2011
Implementation Date: 2011

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs.  Insertions are underlined.


Catalog Copy

AFRS 2170: Introduction to Health and Environmental Issues in the Africana World. (3) A general introduction to the cultural, social, political, ethical, and psychological dimensions of health and environmental issues affecting the African and African Diaspora peoples globally, and the policy implications. (fall semester)

AFRS 3155. Health and Healing in Africa. (3) This course provides an historical context for some of the major healthcare challenges facing Africa today. The course will trace the history of health and healing from the pre-colonial era through the period of colonial rule, and since political independence. Both the Africa-centered and Western methods of healing and conceptions of health and illness will be examined at different junctures in African history.

AFRS 3251 - African-Americans and Health Communication. (3) Focuses on the use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions regarding health among African American populations. The course will consider how health messages are created and the impact they have on African-Americans within the context of their lives.  (yearly)

AFRS 3261. Psychology of the Black Experience. (3) A study of the psychological issues relating to the Black experience in the Americas, using Africa-centered philosophical and psychological frameworks to examine how Black subjectivities have been constructed historically, and how this affects human motivations, self perceptions, cultures, and behaviors among Africa-descended populations. (Spring)

AFRS 4630: Environmental and Public Health in Africa. (3) (O) In-depth analysis of environmental and public health hazards in Africa, including pandemic, as well as the principles and practice of public health, pollution control, and waste management. The social and political contexts of the environmental and health issues in Africa will be emphasized throughout. (yearly)

AFRS 4640 – Environment, State, and Society in the Caribbean and Latin America. (3) The history of the environment in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially the impacts on race, labor, culture, political relations, and state formation from the pre-Columbian period through the present (on demand)

AFRS 4652 - Race, Health, and the African Diaspora. (3) (W) Global approaches to health disparities throughout the African Diaspora using racial, gender, class, and development theoretical frameworks. The course explores the comparative relationships between contemporary social and historical factors determining the health status of peoples of African descent residing in different areas of the world. The course fulfills writing requirement. (on demand)