THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNDERGRADUATE AFRICAN HUMANITIES COURSE: AN APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF A CULTURE. LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION REPORT: CREATIVE ARTS AND THE WEST AFRICAN CHILD

This investigation provides an approach to understanding culture through a study of humanities. It offers as an exemplar a plan for an undergraduate course in African humanities that will enable students to develop a comprehension of traditional African culture. The basic premise of the study suggests that through an investigation of integrated humanities within their cultural context, students will develop a comprehension of the culture to which these affecting expressions belong.;Through a survey to determine the courses offered in several African Studies programs around the United States it was found that an African humanities course of this nature only rarely was taught, and that a curriculum for teaching such a course, apparently, did not exist. The problem which motivated the present investigation, therefore, was the lack of an instructional foundation for pursuing this type of study.;The purpose of the dissertation is not to develop a curriculum, per se. Rather, it is to establish the aim, goals, and limitations of a study in African humanities, and to offer suggestions of ways to build an effective course structure and develop the course content.;In Chapter II, the goals of the course are discussed. They are, (1) to assist in the development of student comprehension of traditonal African culture; and (2) to provide learning opportunities that will enable students to study the critical issues that form a background in traditional African humanities. The critical issues in a background in African humanities are suggested as being (1) the immanent and transcendent meanings of African humanistic expressions; (2) the processes of humanistic communication that enable the sharing of cultural information through the humanities; (3) the historical and mythical origins of the expression; and (4) the emotions and motivations that led the artist to create the expression. The specific learning objectives of the course are closely aligned to an understanding of these issues.;In Chapter III, a structural framework for the course is established. It is suggested that to be effective in studying African humanities, and to provide a means of continuity in the course, the study should focus on the humanities as they appear in context in selected African events. The cultural importance of three categories of events are discussed: Life-cycle events; events of social, political, and religious significance; and entertainment events. From these, eight units of study are selected to provide a coherent course structure: Events related to creation and procreation, the transition from childhood to adulthood, the union of matrimony, death and the hereafter, social traditions, political organization, religious beliefs, and entertainment activities.;In Chapter IV, guidelines are offered for developing the course content. It is suggested that topics be selected from a variety of areas in Africa; focused on continuity and change in African cultural expressions; and descriptive of cultural differences as well as similarities in Africa. Suggestions are also offered for selecting resource materials. These focus directly on selecting materials that clearly articulate the critical issues in the study.;Chapter V offers a suggested outline of topics and resources directed toward developing a comprehension of African culture through the study of traditional humanities. It is hoped that this outline will someday be developed into an operative curriculum and its effectiveness evaluated. So, too, it is hoped that the model offered in this study will be oriented toward other world cultures as a means of better understanding other people in the world. It is only when this will be done that the success or failure of the investigation may be determined.