Spring 2022 Myth, Ritual and Iconography in West Africa Listed in: Art and the History of Art , as ARHA-353 | Black Studies , as BLST-315
Formerly listed as: BLST-42
Moodle site: Course (Login required)
Faculty Rowland O. Abiodun (Section 01)
Description (Offered as BLST 315 [A] and ARHA 353) Through a contrastive analysis of the religious and artistic modes of expression in three West African societies—the Asanti of the Guinea Coast, and the Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria—the course will explore the nature and logic of symbols in an African cultural context. We shall address the problem of cultural symbols in terms of African conceptions of performance and the creative play of the imagination in ritual acts, masked festivals, music, dance, oral histories, and the visual arts as they provide the means through which cultural heritage and identity are transmitted and preserved, while, at the same time, being the means for innovative responses to changing social circumstances.
Spring semester. Professor Abiodun.
Expectations Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, visual analysis, museum visits Students with documented disabilities who will require accommodations in this course should be in consultation with Accessibility Services and reach out to the faculty member as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.
Keywords Attention to Issues of Gender and Sexuality, Attention to Research, Attention to Writing, Fine Arts for Non-majors
Course times and locations BLST 315 - L/D Section 01
Textbooks Below are the textbooks used in this course, along with pricing information and availability at local bookstores. The price range shown is based upon queries to multiple online booksellers; click on the the price field to see detailed pricing information.
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
9780136138556 A Short Guide to Writing About Art, 9th Edition (The Short Guide Series) Prentice Hall Barnet, Sylvan Amherst Books From $4.24-$66.43 9780393322996 Death and the King's Horseman: A Play W. W. Norton & Company Soyinka, Wole Amherst Books From $4.95-$19.86 9780435900267 Efuru (African Writers Series) Heinemann Nwapa, Flora Amherst Books From $4.92-$79.16 9780930741013 Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos Univ of California Museum of Cultural History Herbert M. Cole - Chike G. Aniakor Amherst Books From $40.58-$54.50 9780304337521 Art and Religion in Africa (Religion and the Arts Series) Cassell Hackett, Rosalind I. J. Amherst Books From $8.98-$26.89 9780385474542 Things Fall Apart Penguin Books Achebe, Chinua Amherst Books From $4.50-$20.99 9780520265561 City of 201 Gods: Ilé-Ifè in Time, Space, and the Imagination University of California Press Olupona, Jacob Amherst Books From $28.03-$50.59 9780714115641 The Asante British Museum Publications McLeod - M. D. Amherst Books From $4.50-$24.49 9780810917941 Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought Harry N Abrams Inc Drewal, Henry John - Pemberton, John, III - Abiodun, Rowland - Wardwell, Allen Amherst Books From $68.00-$250.61 9780870995088 Art of the Dogon: Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection Metropolitan Museum of Art Ezra, Kate Amherst Books From $18.94-$90.32 978107047440 Yoruba Art and Language Abiodun, Rowland Amherst Books TBD
These books are available locally at Amherst Books .
Offerings 2022-23: Offered in
Spring 2023 Other years: Offered in
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Spring 2022