University of Illinois
Fall 2003
ANTH 223H/AFST 223H
Memoirs of Africa
Instructor: Dr. Alma Gottlieb
Office: 386C Davenport Hall
Office hours: Tu., 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tel.: 244-3515
It is through our own narratives that we principally construct a
version of ourselves in the world, and it is through its narratives
that a culture provides models of identity and agency to its members.
-Jerome Bruner (The Culture of Education, 1996, p.
xiv)
Aims of the Course
This course offers a user-friendly introduction to Africa, the
continent that is the cradle of humanity but that is so often
represented in stereotypic terms in the mass media. If you have
encountered Africa through readings or travels, this course will
offer a deeper look at individual lives in a variety of cultural
contexts. The texts are all beautifully written memoirs written by
Africans about their experiences growing up and living in several
regions of sub-Saharan Africa as well as Europe. In reflecting on
their experiences, the authors of these books weave individual,
society and history in rich and complex tapestries, affording insight
into distant historical eras and cultural settings. In so doing,
they aim to make the exotic approachable while still retaining a
sense of the extraordinary. This class thus offers windows into the
daily lives of individuals whose leaders may make newspaper headlines
but whose own quotidian struggles and joys alike are largely
invisible to the wider world.
Campus General Education Requirements Fulfilled
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This course fulfills the “Non-Western Cultures” requirement
that is one of two tracks of the larger “Cultural Studies"
requirement. This is also a writing-intensive course that emphasizes
revision as a key element in the writing process. Thus you will
receive credit for Advanced Composition (formerly Comp II) for this
course as well. For further details about Gen Ed requirements,
please see the provost's website: www.provost.uiuc.edu.
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Books
The readings are arranged in groups of two or three. Each of
the groups is meant to highlight themes in the books that speak to
each other in one way or another--sometimes reflectively, other times
oppositionally. They are also grouped somewhat geographically and/or
historically: the first two books are set in the late colonial /early
postcolonial period in West Africa and East Africa, respectively; the
second pair of books looks at the experience of West Africans living
in Europe during the early postcolonial period; the last group of
three books is set in both rural and urban southern Africa in more
recent times.
Camara Laye, Dark Child
Wambui Waiyaki Otieno, Mau Mau's Daughter: A Life History
Buchi Emecheta, Head above Water: An Autobiography
Bernard Dadié, The City Where No One Dies
Marjorie Shostak, Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman
Mark Mathabane, Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's
Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa
Hans Lans, ed., The Story of My Life: South Africa Seen through
the Eyes of Its Children
Copies of all books are on sale at the campus bookstores. A small
course pack is also available for purchase at UpClose Copy shop on 5th
St. All readings will also be on reserve in the Undergraduate
Library.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assigned work will encourage you to think both analytically and
creatively about the material. You will also be challenged to
confront popular Western media images that are regularly reproduced
about Africa.
Three essays (each worth 25% of your final grade):
We [humans] may not be so remarkable for the overall structures we
build as for the manner in which we go about building them. When
given a free rein we tend to revise, hesitate, change course in midstream, take offhand hints, improvise on our mistakes.
-Robert Finch, “Bird’s Eye View,” in his Death of a Hornet and Other
Cape Cod Essays (Counterpoint Press, 2000, p. 49)
You will write three essays for this class, each focusing on
books we'll read in the three main sections of the course
(Laye/Otieno; Emecheta/Dadié; Shostak/Mathabane/Lans). I'll pass out
separate handouts with questions and guidelines for each essay you
write.
For the first two essays, you will prepare a first draft that
will not be graded, but will receive comments and suggestions for
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revision on a Feedback Sheet from a peer, following guidelines that I
will present in class. You will then revise the draft and turn it in
a week later for a final grade. For the last essay, you should
prepare your own revisions keeping in mind the feedback you have
received on the first two papers both from your peers and from me.
As we go through the semester, each of your essays should show
successive improvement. Aspects of your writing to be evaluated on
the Feedback Sheets include: identification and development of a main
thesis, or argument; consistent style; creativity; clear structure;
accuracy of quotations and citations; smoothness of writing and
command of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Suggested length: 7-10
pp. each, typed double-spaced.
One required campus event write-up (worth 10% of your final
grade):
At some point during the semester you are required to attend a
lecture, film or other event about Africa taking place on our campus
and write summary and personal commentary on the event. I'll inform
the class regularly about possible events that you might attend.
I'll also post notices outside my office that you can check
regularly. If you know of a campus event concerning Africa that I
haven't announced, please check with me ahead of time if you wish to
write about it for class credit; if I approve it, I'll announce the
event to the class as well.
Suggested length: 2-3 pages, typed double-spaced.
Two newspaper presentations in class (worth 5% of your final
grade):
On. Sept. 2 you will bring in any current newspaper articles
you can find about Africa and on Dec. 10, you will bring in some
current newspaper articles relevant to one or more themes from Part
4. On both days, you will present your news paper articles as
departure point for class discussion.
N.B.
This syllabus is subject to change. Readings and assignments
may be added, subtracted or changed, and grade point values may be
adjusted, as conditions warrant.
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Expectations
Participation (worth 5% of your final grade): Class
discussion by YOU will be a critical part of this course. You can
learn from each other as well as from me. Since this is a relatively
small class, I expect each of you to take advantage of the fact that
you can participate actively and regularly in all class discussions.
I will do what I can to encourage you to participate, but ultimately
it is your responsibility to be an active member of the class. If
you are temperamentally on the shy side, please take this as a safe
opportunity to try and overcome your shyness and share your
questions, confusions and ideas with your classmates. If you choose
never to participate in class discussion, your final grade will
suffer.
Attendance: You will be granted two unexcused absences from
class during the semester without penalty. Beyond this, one point
from your final grade will be deducted for each unexcused absence
from class. (Excused absences include: documented illness or
accident, funeral, or other emergency. Acceptable documentation
could include: an appropriate note from a doctor or McKinley, or from
your dean. In each case, the relevant dates must be clearly
indicated. Be sure and consult with me if you have questions about
appropriate documentation in a particular case.)
Promptness: Out of respect to your seminar-mates I expect you
to come to class on time, and to remain in class until the end. If
you need to come late or leave early on a particular day because of
an unavoidable and desperately important appointment elsewhere, I'd
appreciate it if you would let me know ahead of time. But I
encourage you to avoid making such appointments whenever possible!
If you have signed up for another class, or have a work or other
commitment, that would require you to arrive late or leave early from
class regularly, please make a choice between this class and your
other commitment.
Late Work: I don’t grant extensions of due dates for written
work except in case of DIRE EMERGENCY. Computer/printer failures
don't constitute emergencies! To anticipate technology disasters,
plan to finish writing and printing out class assignments the day
before they are due. Make back-up disks. Identify back-up printers
to use in case the one you usually use fails. Don't count on
technology to work at the last minute—it often doesn’t!
Special Needs: If
disability that you think
completion of the course,
beginning of the semester
accommodate you.
you have either a physical or a learning
may pose obstacles to your successful
please discuss this with me at the
so that we may make alternate provisions to
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Avoiding Gender Bias in Writing: In all your writing, I
encourage you to avoid language that is gender-biased. Using genderbiased language is exclusionary and can be off-putting to many
readers; in many cases it is also highly inaccurate. Since English
uses gendered pronouns, this can sometimes be tricky. At times,
using the plural can help you get around this problem. When that is
not possible, using “him or her,” while a bit clunky, is at least
more accurate. Other writers sometimes use the male and female
indiscriminately, to show how arbitrary English usage is. For
example, here is a gender-biased sentence that needs to be rewritten
in order to be more accurate (i.e., to include reference to both male
and female babies):
“Encouraging your baby to crawl will give him a healthy selfconcept and sense of mastery of his surroundings.”
Possible ways to rewrite this sentence include the following three
alternatives:
“Encouraging babies to crawl will give them a healthy selfconcept and sense of mastery of their surroundings.”
“Encouraging your baby to crawl will give him or her a
healthy self-concept and sense of mastery of his or her
surroundings.”
“Encouraging your baby to crawl will give him a healthy selfconcept and sense of mastery of her surroundings.”
None of these solutions would be ideal in all contexts--you will need
to pay careful attention to the context of your writing to determine
which alternative works best in your sentence.
Originality of Written Work: I expect that all written work
that you turn in for this class is authored by you and you alone, and
that it is written for this class alone. Any student found to be
deliberately copying from the written work of someone else without
acknowledgment--whether from a fellow student, a published author, or
anyone else--will fail the course. If you have questions about what
constitutes legitimate paraphrasing vs. illegitimate plagiarism,
please consult me. I can work with you and your paper draft, and
help clarify the lines between (legitimate) summarizing/paraphrasing
and (illegitimate) plagiarizing.
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Weekly Schedule for Readings and Other Assignments
PART 1/ DAILY LIVES, HIDDEN LIVES
Thur., Aug. 28:
Introduction to the Course
Tues., Sept. 2: Introduction to Africa
BRING TO CLASS: 1 current newspaper article about Africa from the
Western press
Thur., Sept. 4: More Introduction to Africa
IN CLASS WRITING: What's most surprising thing learned so far
about Africa?
Tues., Sept. 9: Introduction to the Genre of the Memoir
Phillip Lopate, “Introduction,” in The Art of the Personal
Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present, ed.
Phillip Lopate, pp. xxiii-xlv.
HANDOUT DISTRIBUTED: Topics for Essay #1.
PART 2/ MEMOIRS OF WEST AFRICA
Thur. Sept. 11: Camara Laye, The Dark Child: Introduction, Chs. 1-4
Tues., Sept. 16: The Dark Child: Chs. 5-8
Thur., Sept. 18: The Dark Child: Chs. 9-12
Tues., Sept. 23: Wambui Waiyaki Otieno, Mau Mau's Daughter: A Life
History: Foreward; Introduction: Memory Is a Weapon; Family
Origins.
Thur., Sept. 25: Mau Mau's Daughter: Childhood; Early Days in the
Mau Mau Movement; Party Politics in Nairobi.
Tues., Sept. 30: Mau Mau's Daughter: Girl Detainee; Release and
Marriage; Politics and Gender.
Thur., Oct. 2: Mau Mau's Daughter: S.M. Otieno’s Death and Joash
Otieno’s Betrayal; The Burial Saga; S.M. Otieno’s Biography;
State Trickery; Planting the Seeds of Freedom.
Tues., Oct. 7: WRITING DUE: First draft of Essay #1--peer edit in
class.
HANDOUT DISTRIBUTED: Topics for Essay #2.
PART 3/THE GAZE REVERSED: AFRICANS IN EUROPE
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Thur., Oct. 9: Buchi Emecheta, Head above Water:
Chs. 1-11.
An Autobiography:
Tues., Oct. 14: Head above Water: Chs. 12-17.
WRITING DUE: Final draft of Essay #1.
Thur., Oct. 16: Head above Water:
Chs. 18-26 .
Tues., Oct. 21: Head above Water: Chs. 27-33 and Epilogue (pp.
158-229).
Video shown in class: "Buchi Emecheta with Susheila Nasta"
(27 min.).
Thur., Oct. 23: Bernard Dadié, The City Where No One Dies: pp. 169.
Tues., Oct. 28: The City Where No One Dies: pp. 69-135.
Thur., Oct. 30: WRITING DUE: First draft of Essay #2--peer edit in
class
HANDOUT DISTRIBUTED: Topics for Essay #3.
PART 4/ MEMOIRS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, LATE- AND POST-APARTHEID
Tues., Nov. 4: Marjorie Shostak, Nisa: The Life and Words of a
!Kung Woman: Introduction; Chs. 1-3.
Thur., Nov. 6: Nisa: Chs. 4-8.
WRITING DUE: Final draft of Essay #2 (on Part 3).
Tues., Nov. 11: Nisa: Chs. 9-13
.
Thur., Nov. 13: Nisa: Chs. 14-15; Epilogue.
Tues., Nov. 18: Mark Mathabane, Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a
Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa: Preface,
Ch. 1-10 (pp. 1-74).
Thur., Nov. 20: Kaffir Boy: Chs. 11-22 (pp. 74--139).
[Guest speaker?]
(Tues., Nov. 25--No class--Thanksgiving break)
(Thur., Nov. 27--No class--Thanksgiving break)
Tues.,
Dec. 3: Kaffir Boy: Ch. 23-34 (pp. 139-211).
Thur., Dec. 5: Kaffir Boy: Ch. 35-46 (pp. 215-292).
Tues., Dec. 10: Kaffir Boy: Ch. 47-54 (pp. 292-350).
BRING TO CLASS: some current newspaper articles relevant to one
or more themes from Part 4.
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Thur., Dec. 12: Hans Lans, ed., The Story of My Life: South Africa
Seen through the Eyes of Its Children.
WRITING DUE: Essay #3.
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