This course will explore religious phenomena, performance, and artistic “agency” of the Yoruba and their descendants. We will look at Yoruba syncretic beliefs in the New World as well as the Old World. The discussions will include ritual secrets, traditional artistic representation, and the choices made in the performance “arena.” After reading and discussing the written, verbal, and artistic expression on this subject by practitioners, artists, and intellectuals, students will use dance movement, artistic representation, and “nommo”—the word to represent their own construct of a ritual. Enrollment Limit:15. Instructor: A. Sharpley