AAST 214 - Imagining Africa

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
The films The Woman King and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever present divergent perspectives on Africa and Africans; one, a historical account of a West African kingdom, the other, a fictional presentation of the continent. These films are the newest addition to a Hollywood canon that has “imagined” Africa for American viewers for almost 100 years. Students will view films about Africa and use historical materials to interrogate how the American studio system crafted cultural images that are both ahistorical and anachronistic. Together, we will navigate the origins of our perceptions of time, space, and history, and consider the purpose(s) of these fictions of Africa.

This course is appropriate for new students.