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Course:
MARY AFST 510: African
Cultures: An
Overview
Course Overview:
The course is a systematic presentation of African Cultural Heritage. It
is a required course for Master degree and Diploma programs and is
offered in both the semester and immersion programs.
Course Description:
This course gives an overview of the African traditional cultures by
studying some of the significant aspects of these cultures. Some of the
aspects studied are: social groupings, supernatural beliefs, religious
systems, communication systems, political systems, economic systems,
education systems, health systems and rites of passage. Special attention
is given to the traditional features of these aspects, though the
contemporary changes affecting them are also mentioned. Special
attention is also given to the challenges these cultures pose to Christians in Africa.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of the course is to help the students understand African
Traditional Cultures. Such an understanding would help the student to
understand African people better; live and work with African people more
effectively and even make the student appreciate more the African ways
of life.
OBJECTIVES:
In order for students to reach the purpose of the course at the end
of the course the students shall be able to:
1) List some of the significant aspects of African
traditional cultures.
2) Describe in detail one aspect of African culture mentioning such
things as: features, functions, changes and challenges this aspect poses
to Christians in Africa.
3) Participate in several actual African experiences in a family or
community activity. Each student is assigned a local field assistant to
help in this regard.
4) Write a fifteen page research paper that incorporates materials from
classroom lectures, assigned readings, field experiences and personal
reactions as the conclusion.
5) Organize the materials of this course in lecture forms that the
student can teach other students in future.
REQUIREMENTS:
To meet the objectives of the course, the following things are
necessary:
1) Regular and punctual class attendance.
2) Reading bibliographical material for each class lecture. There are
eighteen lectures, for the immersion programs and twenty four for the
semester programs.
3) Doing field research each week. There are nine field researches for
the immersion programs and ten for the semester programs.
4) Turning in a report for each field experience.
5) Writing a fifteen page research/integration paper per course.
Course outline
I. Introduction to the Concept of Culture.
– Definitions by Edward Taylor, Paul Hiebert,
Aylward Shorter, James
Spradley and Eugene Nida
– Three dimensions of culture; - Manifestations of culture; - Some
theories of culture
– What is meant by African traditional cultures. Cultural changes in
contemporary Africa
– Approaches to African cultures by Christians
– Challenges African traditional cultures pose to Christians in Africa.
II. Social Groupings
– Types of social groupings in African traditional cultures:-
– Family, Lineage, Clan, Kinship, Community, Tribe, Nation
– Changes taking place in African social groupings and reasons.
– Challenges African traditional social groupings pose to Christians
III. African Traditional Belief System
– Supernatural beings: God, Ancestors (living - dead)
– Good spirits, Evil spirits, Ghosts, Priests, Shamans (seers)
– Supernatural Powers: Taboos, Magic (Sorcery), Witchcraft, Charms,
Divination
– African traditional religion
IV. African Traditional Communication Systems
– Language (verbal and non-verbal), Symbolism, Art
– Challenges posed by communication to Christians in Africa
V. African Traditional Economic System
– Definition of economy
– Principals of organizing economy in African traditional
cultures.
– Challenges economics pose to Christians in Africa
– Attitudes towards work, division of labor and leisure
VI. African Traditional Education System
– Objectives of education
– Six stages of education
– Experts on each stage of education
– Education on health care
– Challenges posed by African traditional education system to Christians
in Africa
VII. African Traditional Political System
– Definition of politics
– Styles of political leadership
– Changes taking place in Africa related to politics
– Challenges political affairs pose to Christians in Africa
VIII. African Traditional Rites of Passage
– Definition of rites of passage
– Examples of rites of passage: Birth, Initiation, Marriage, Parenthood,
Elderhood, Ancestorhood
– Functions of rites of passage
– Challenges traditional rites of passage pose to Christians in Africa
– Final rites: illness, death and bereavement
IX. African Traditional Cultures and the Cultural
Changes Taking Place
– Definition of cultural changes
– Causes of cultural changes
– Examples of cultural changes
– Challenges of cultural changes in Africa.
– The case of enculturation
– Other forms of African cultural expressions
– Challenges and the way forward for African culture
SELECTED TEXT BOOKS
Ayisi, E. O.
(1972). An Introduction to African Culture. London:
Heinemann.
Gyekye, K. (1996). African Cultural Values: An Introduction. Philadelphia:
Sankofa Publishing Company.
Hiebert, P.G.
(1983). Cultural Anthropology.
Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker House.
Magesa, L. (1998). African Religion: The Moral Traditions of Abundant
Life. Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa.
Martin, Phyllis, M and Patrick, O'Meara (Eds). (1995). Africa. Third Edition.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Mbiti, J.S. (1975). Introduction to African Religion. New York:
Praeger.
Onwuejeogwu, M. A. (1975). Social Anthropology of Africa. London:
Heinemann.
Shorter, A.
(1998) African Culture, An Overview: Socio-cultural anthropology. Nairobi:
Paulines Publications Africa
Van Gennep, A.
(1960). The Rites of Passage. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Dodd, Carley H.
(1989). Dynamics of Intercultural
communication. (3rd ed.). Lawa: William Brown Publisher.
Good, C. M. (1966).Dimensions of East African Cultures. Michigan: African
Studies Centre.
Grunlan, Stephen A. and Marvin
Mayers. (1988). Cultural
Anthropology: A Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Academie Books.
Hesselgrave, David.
(1975). Communicating Christ
Cross-culturally. Zondervan Publishing House, U.S.A.
Mugambi,
Jesse, N.K. (1969). African Heritage and Contemporary
Christianity. Nairobi: Longman Publishers.
Murikwa, Julius, K.
(1981). A Study of Kikuyu Culture and the
Communication of the Gospel. M. Th. Thesis, Fuller Theological Seminary,
California.
-----Article on "Kikuyu traditional Wedding"
----- Article on "Church as a family: A Kikuyu
Ethnotheological Approach."
Nida, Eugene.
(1954). Customs and Cultures:
Anthropology for Christian Missions. New York: Harper &
Row.
O'Barr, David & Tessler
(Eds). (1973).Survey Research in
Africa, North-Western University Press: Evanston.
Rose, P.I
(Ed). The Study of Society. New York: Random
House.
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