African Roundtable

African Roundtable

Fall (9 - 13 hours) | This course is completed

Online Lebanon, NH 03766 United States

Online Meeting

New

10/1/2020-11/5/2020

2:00 PM-4:00 PM EDT on Th

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$65.00

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Much of our fascination with Africa today starts with the human story, the evolution of our ancestors, the “invention” of medicine, art, and religion, and the contemporary relations between humans, animals and their environment. Africa is also a complex 21st Century continent, and our focus will include two sessions on modern politics and economic development, including foreign aid issues.

Drawing on local expertise, the course co-directors have selected six specific themes that illustrate these universal topics:
*African Prehistory and the Modern Fossil Discoveries in South Africa
*African Traditional Medicine and Cross-Cultural Healing
*Indigenous Religion, Spiritism and Witchcraft, as seen in African art
*Contemporary Issues of African Wildlife and Conservation
*The Role of Foreign Aid & Non-Governmental Organizations
*Key Political Trends in Today’s Africa

The course structure will be a 30-minute presentation on the topic, brief responses by two roundtable participants, and a full hour of class discussion and further questions. Invited guests include Dr. Jeremy DeSilva (Anthropology), Ambassador Roland Kuchel (Zambia and Eastern Europe), and Dr. Nelson Kasfir (Political Science). A reading packet will be provided online, reserve readings will be available online, and a related book will be available for sale; Norman will provide information on this in class. Break-out study groups can be arranged on topics such as medicine, religion, wildlife, African politics, etc.

  • There is a required online reading packet.

Norman Miller is Professor Emeritus at the Geisel School of Medicine, a social scientist, and lifelong African area specialist. He has published on African health, traditional medicine, Kenyan political history, wildlife, and African indigenous religions. With support from the National Science Foundation, he produced Faces of Change, an ethnographic film series from five regions of the world (Ph.D. Indiana, Swahili UCLA).