Intro to Africana Philosophy

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course offers an overview of Africana philosophy through the study of some of the major writings of African philosophy, Black American philosophy, and Afro-Caribbean philosophy written in European languages. While exploring key concepts of this discipline, including race, identity, power, and time, students will continue to develop analytical and critical skills in the major subdivisions of philosophy (metaphysics, politics, ethics, and aesthetics). In addition to the study of the foundations of this discipline and its contemporary debates, part of the semester will be devoted to the study of contemporary African philosophers such as Kwasi Wiredu, Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, Paulin Hountondji, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Achille Mbembe. While strengthening academic writing, the course will provide an opportunity to critically engage with the presuppositions of philosophy as a discipline.