ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS—AAAS 310 (WINTER 08)

 

 

 

 

MIDTERM—TAKE-HOME (DUE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5)

YOUR RESEARCH—PROPOSAL, OUTLINE, SAMPLE TOPICS


10% ESSAY ASSIGNMENT—PAN-AFRICANISM

MIDDLE PASSAGE—TRIANGULAR—TRANSATLANTIC TRADE (paragraph summary)



Handout—some useful moments in history of slavery

 

TAKE-HOME QUIZ 1 (DUE TUES JAN 22)

 

WEEK 1 (Jan 3)

WEEK 2


>>QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR READINGS


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 1

1. Read the short preface by Toni Morrison; cover and the 2-page preface by LeRoi Jones (now Amiri Baraka) titled, Home: Social Essays (click on the links to the pdfs to read/download) and  WRITE down a few of your personal thoughts and understanding of notions and significance of “home”, “house,” “place” and “belonging,” especially in relation to existence in multiple racial, ethnic and cultural contexts such as in the U.S.

2. Watch (if possible) Be prepared to speak your impressions and ideas on Oprah Winfrey’s current “African roots” projects.  On Jan 3, Thur at 10 P.M. WOSU-TV channel will broadcast a special coverage titled, “Oprah’s Roots: An African American Lives Special.

 

3. Class video documentary of contemporary African Americans in Paris: Extend your thoughts in task no. 1 above to include your impressions of 2 and 3.

 

 

 

WEEK 2

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR READINGS—BE PREPARED TO ANSWER THESE QUESTSIONS

WEEK 1  -- Harris—Global Dimensions…, pp. 3-8

1. The first sentence says African presence… existed in Arabia and other parts of Asia before the rise of Islam” (p.3). 

i. IN WHICH CENTURY DID ISLAM REACH AFRICA?

ii. WHICH RELIGION REACHED AFRICA FIRST: ISLAM OR CHRISTIANITY? [THE CRESCENT PRECEDED THE CROSS; OR IS THE CROSS THAT PRECEDED THE CRESCENT?]

iii. BEFORE OUR MODERN TIMES AFRICAN PEOPLES WERE PORTRAYED IN NEGATIVE LIGHT DURING THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD IN EUROPE, FOR EXAMLE:  TRUE       FALSE

iv. A “PSYSCHOLOGICAL RETURN” (p.3) IS ALSO  SOMETIMES STATED AS:
a. imagined home       b. round trip     c. genetic home     d. deterritorialized home
v. HIS IS CLOSELY IDENTIFIED WITH THE TERM “DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS” (p.4)

a,  C.L. JAMES   b. MARCUS GARVEY   c. W.E.B. DU DOIS  d. JOSEPH HARRIS
vi.  IN ONE SENTENCE DEFINE THE “MIDDLE PASSAGE”
vii. “THE IDEA OF RETURN IS DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA” (P.6). CITE AT LEAST ONE EXAMPLE FROM OUR CONTEMPORARY TIMES TO SUPPORT THIS STATEMENT
viii. THE ARAB TRADE IN AFRICAN SLAVES REPRESENTS THE FIRST, GREAT SUSTAINED DISPERSAL OF AFRICAN ABROAD”:    TRUE    FALSE
ix. HE IS ITHE BEST-KNOWN EXPONENT OF BLACK PRIDE AND RETURN TO AFRICA:  a. M.L. KING JR. b. ST CLAIRE DRAKE  c. MARCUS GARVEY  d. MALCOM X

x. NAME ONE PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING COUNTRY IN AFRICA ___________

 

-Van Hear, “Migration Crises in Africa...,” pp. 63-80 of chapter 3 of New Diasporas

 

VISIT MY USUAL HOMEPAGE FOR CONTINUATION/UPDATES

HTTP://PEOPLE.COHUMS.OHIO-STATE.EDU/AVORGBEDOR1

 

WEEKS 2-3
-Van Hear, “Migration Crises and the making of diasporas,” pp. 13-62 of New                  Diasporas           
           --Colin Palmer, “Defining and Studying the Modern African Diaspora” (JSTOR/online)
OR download direct from here: http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1/defstud.pdf


WEEK 3  DEFINITIONS OF DIASPORA, contd
Readings: --Shepperson, “African Diaspora: Concept and Context (in Harris, pp. 41-49)
           --Skinner, “The Dialectic between Diasporas and Homelands” (in Harris, pp. 11-40)
 

 

 

 

TAKE-HOME QUIZ 1—DUE TUES  JAN 22—NO EXCEPTIONS

 

NB: DUE TUESDAY, JAN 22 –NO EXCEPTIONS

IN 2 PARTS

PART 1: BASED ON Nicholas VAN HEAR, NEW DIASPORAS: The Mass Exodus, Dispersal and Regrouping of Migrant Communities, 1998. Pp. 13-62

 

 [1] LIST HERE AT LEAST 4 FACTORS (PUSH AND PULL FACTORS—P.15); THE FOUR DOMAINS DETAILIED ON PP. 19-20) THAT MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO MIGRATE (OR “PREDISPOSE A POPULATION TO MIGRATION”

 

 

[2] GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE EXISTENCE OF MIGRANT NETWORKS MIGHT ENCOURAGE “CHAIN MIGRATION” (pp. 15-16; 59-60)

 

[3] WRITE A SHORT PARAGRAPH IN WHICH YOU DISCUSS THE PROBLEM OF DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN “VOLUNTARY” AND “INVOLUNTARY” MIGRATION. IN THIS PARAGRAPH, DRAW ON YOUR OWN EXAMPLES TO EXPAND ON THOSE DISCUSSED IN PP. 40-46.

 

[4] “THE TERM “RETURN” IS SOMEWHAT OF A MISNOMER AS A DESCRIPTION OF THESE AND OTHER CASES, FOR MANY OF THESE POPULATIONS HAVE NOT KNOWN THEIR “HOMELAND” FOR GENERATIONS (P.48)

 

DRAWING ON EXAMPLES FROM OUR CLASS DISCUSSIONS AND FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES/READINGS WRITE, IN NO LESS THAN 5 SENTENCES, A RESPONSE IN WHICH YOU SUPPORT THE ABOVE STATEMENT AND IN WHICH YOU DEMONSTRATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TERM, “IN-GATHERING,” IN ADDITION TO “RETURN” (all on p. 48)

 

 

[5] “…WHILE THE JEWS, AFRICANS AND ARMENIANS SUFFERED COLLECTIVE TRAUMA OR CATASTROPHE IN THE FORMATION OF THEIR DIASPORAS, IIN SOME WAYS ANALOGOUS TO THE MIGRATION CRISES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK” (P.47)

 

 LIST HERE AT LEAST 3 EXAMPLES OF EXPERIENCES OR EVENTS from our everyday life THAT MIGHT CAUSE TRAUMA (OR TRAUMATIC INJURY), PERHAPS LASTING THROUGH A LIFETIME AND PERSISTING/TRANSMITTED THROUGH GENERATIONS

A.    i

        ii.

       iii.

 

B. In a few words or short paragraph state some reasons why the Middle Passage/TransAtlantic Slave Trade is frequently understood as personal and collective trauma. Be as specific as possible.

 

PART 2:  BASED ON Joseph HARRIS, GLOBAL DIMENSIONS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. 2ND ed., 1993.

 

“ALTHOUGH MANY INDIVIDUALS REPATRIATES, ESPECIALLY WOMEN, DID ACCEPT LIFE AS IT WAS AND SIMPLY DISAPPEARED INTO THE GENERAL CONTINENTAL POPULATIONS, OTHERS HAD DIFFICULTY YIELDING LEADERSHIP TO THE CONTINENTALS” (P. 31)

 

“DESPITE INCREDIBLE HARDSHIPS, MANY DIASPORALIKE POPULATIONS DID NOT LAUNCH MOVEMENTS TO RETURN TO THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS, PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY LEFT THEIR COUNTRIES VOLUNTARILY AND IN SEARCH OF A BETTER LIFE.” (P. 28)

 

 

[1] WRITE A PARAGRAPH IN WHICH YOU DEFINE AND EXPLAIN THE TERM “REPATRIATES” BY DRAWING ON SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CASES PRESENTED IN THIS CHAPTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2] DRAWING ON THE EXAMPLES DISCUSSED IN THIS CHAPTER AND FROM YOUR OWN BACKGROUND AND CLASS DISCUSSIONS, WRITE AND SUMMARIZE IN A SENTENCE WHY YOU THINK THE TERM :”DIALECTIC” IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CHAPTER HEADING (I.E., “THE DIALECTIC OF DIASPORA AND HOMELANDS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIDDLE PASSAGE—TRAINGULAR—TRANSATLANTIC TRADE

 

http://www.bristolandslavery.4t.com/

 

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/slavery/

VISIT THE HOMEPAGE ABOVE AND WRITE A SHORT PARAGRAPH IN WHICH YOU summarize discussions involving the terms, TRAINGULAR TRADE, TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE, MIDDLE PASSAGE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOME USEFUL MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY---AAAS 310 W 08

In this YEAR____ the first 20 African [slaves] arrived in Jamestown, VA as ____SERVANTS
[In 2007 Jamestown celebrated its 400 years of its founding in MAY 14, 1607]
1663: A Virginia court decides that a child born to a slave mother is also a slave.
1705: The General Assembly declares imported servants who were not Christians in their native lands slaves, and all negro, mulatto, and Indian slaves property.
1624: the first "Negro" child, William Tucker, is born in the colony.


In one sentence give a dictionary definition of EMANCIPATION

Who proclaimed the emancipation and on which date?_________________

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862 with an effective date of January 1, 1863.

 

What is JUNETEENTH (Explain in one sentence and give dates and place names)

Juneteenth celebrates the day that Galveston, Texas slaves learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865. Now it is a holiday that is celebrated nationwide. Juneteenth is a holiday often referred to as the “Black Independence Day”, and is often celebrated with paralleled enthusiasm to the 4th of July in communities that are aware of its significance.

 

Dates of the AMERICAN CIVIAL WAR  What factors precipitated the Civil War?

Which particular place (State) did the Civil War start and why?

What are specific contributions  slavery (or consequences of slavery) to the Civil War?

 

Identify the ff: Confederate Army; The Union

Blacks fought in/on which side

 

Who Was Robert Small   and how does is life story closely resemble other stories of slave rebellion and mutiny?  [Cinque/Singbe of AMISTAD; Makandal of Haiti; Zumbi of Brazil, Cuffee of Jamaica; etc.-- Maroons were former slaves (and their descendants) who had escaped from slavery and established their own free settlements. The word maroon comes from the Spanish word ‘cimarrón’, meaning wild or untamed. Look up also QUILOMBO   On September 9, 1739 a slave named Jemmy leads the Stono Rebellion, a revolt which begins with 20 Angolan slaves on a march toward St. Augustine and freedom.

 

Slavery was abolished in British Caribbean colonies from 1834, though slaves were forced to undertake a further 4 year period of apprenticeship before they were finally freed. The achievement of freedom is thus dated from 1 August 1838. Brazil was again the last country to emancipate all its slaves in 1888.

 

March 2, 1807 President Jefferson  passed a bill that prohibited further importation of slaves into the United States. The bill imposed a fine of $800 on anyone who knowingly purchased an illegally imported slave. It also imposed a $20,000 fine for equipping any slave ship--llegal slave trade continued, however, till the Civil War.

 

WHY 2007 CELEBRATED AS BICENTENNIAL OF ABOLITION ACT?

 

What is the 13th Amendment? The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery as a legal institution.

 

Elmina Castle –built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine Castle, also known simply as Mina or Feitoria da Mina) in present-day Elmina, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast). It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and therefore the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637. The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1873 when the fort became a possession of the British Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAM—DUE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5

ESSAY 1:  “Unfinished Migrations: Reflection on the African Diaspora and the Making of the Modern World.” Tiffany Ruby Patterson; Robin D. G. Kelley. African Studies Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, Special Issue on the Diaspora. (Apr., 2000), pp. 11-45.  Also in JSTOR; ALSO AT:

http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1/unfmigrt.pdf

 

1.  “...incorporating the struggles of indigenous people in the South Pacific as well.” (p.13  [all refs are to original page numbers in the essay]
QUESTION/TASSK:  Name one locality or country in the “South Pacific” which has a black population ____________________
(See also handout on Tsunami and Black peoples worldwide-- http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=323b500edc16163218c7e79111a550d0



2. “continual reinvention of Africa and the diaspora through cultural work, migrations....” (p. 13)

QUESTION/TASK: Give an example that you could include under “cultural work” _____________

 

3.  “pioneering diaspora studies of scholars who work emphasized dispersal and African cultural survivals in the New World” (p.14); see also “pioneering work of scholars....” (p.15); also “Africanisms in Slave Narratives [http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1/africanismsn.pdf];”[ and “Introduction,” pp. ix-x of  Africanisms in American Culture (Ed. Joseph Holloway—RESERVE or download here: http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1/africanisms_intro.pdf)

                                                              

QUESTION/TASK:  Give the names TWO of such pioneering scholars :

               i___________________________    ii. ___________________________

4. The name “Ethiopia” was employed or used to broadly represent what?  [Remember class discussion also]

 

5. Page 15 of the essay summarizes studies that define the African diaspora by focusing on HOME/RETURN and those that emphasize what?

 

6.  In your opinion and from this essay, what would be a major difference between a “nation” and a “diaspora” (p. 15)

 

7. Page. 15: What does the author mean by “cultural syncretism”? [Or, just define “syncretism”

(Also see your notes for our class definition last Thurs—I gave that free)

8.  Give the names of the two authors who “argued forcefully  that nothing survived the middle passage:    i_____________________________ ii. _______________________

9.  “Ironically, the question of African ethnicities shaping New World black culture has been met with hostility, given the intense “anti-essentialism” that pervades the new generation of scholars concerned with locating hybridity and difference within black cultures.” (p.18). 

     i. What do the “anti-essentialists” say and what do they mean by “hybridity” and “difference”? (Also see your notes from class definition)

 

    ii. Give the names of TWO “anti-essentialists” (p.22)

 

    ii. In one sentence re-describe the “essentializing project lamented by Stuart Hall (p.19)

 

 

10. What does the author mean when he says, “diaspora is both a process and a condition” (p20).  Please make sure you explain each term sufficiently

 

 

       i.      What is “black internationalism?” (p.27)

 


      ii. Given an example of black-Asian solidarity (p.25)

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                               

ESSAY 2: CHAPTER 11—“WOMEN OF AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA: LINKAGES AND INFLUENCES.” In our textbook, Global Dimensions of the African Diaspora, pp. 167-184.  [WRITE ON THE BACK OF THE PAGE]

1. In a paragraph a minimum of 8 sentences, summarize the content of this essay, making sure to highlight the author’s main points and examples.

 

2. In a short paragraph summarize  the author’s conception of “African feminism” (What is “African Feminism”?)

 

3. In ESSAY 1 above, the terms “gender” (pp. 28-29)and “gender hierarchies” (p. 20, for example) appear a few times. After reading ESSAY 2 (on women), summarize in a sentence or two why you think women have been neglected in African diaspora studies and what contributions would a focus on gender bring African diaspora studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Essay: Nb: carries 10% grade—review of essay  aaas 310   winter 2008 DUE WEEK 8

Global Perspectives on the African Diaspora.  

Please read the following chapter from the textbook and write down your answers to the following questions (these are designed to aid your understanding of the processes and moments covered in the chapter)

 

  Drake, “Diaspora Studies and Pan-Africanism” (in Harris, Global Dimensions of the African Diaspora, pp. 451-514)

 

1. Name two well-known leaders (Ethiopia, Haiti [formerly St. Domingo]) who provided inspiration for African American leaders (p.452)

 

2. In one sentence summarize the goals and origins of Pan-Africanism (p.453)

 

3. In one sentence, each, identify the following names”

   KWAME NKRUMAH

   GEORGE PADMORE

   FRANTSZ FANON

  STEVE BIKO

  MALCOLM X

 

4. List two “pan-Africanists” who roots are traced to the Caribbean

            a.                          b.

 

5. In one sentence summarize a definition of “pan-Africanism” with a small “p” (as opposed to Pan-Africanism; pp.463--)

 

I6. n one sentence, each, summarize the POLITICAL and CULTURAL dimensions of Pan-Africanism

    POLITICAL_______________________________________________________

     CULTURAL_______________________________________________________

 

 

7. In one sentence, summarize the importance of RETURN MOVEMENTS as significant aspect of the Pan-African movement

 

8. In one sentence, each, summarize the contributions of the following individuals”

 MARK DELANY

W.E.B. DUBOIS

MARCUS GARVEY

 

9. Look up the term NEGRITUDE and:

   a. give a short definition

   b. summarize specific ways in which it is related to Pan-Africanism and mention at least one name associated with it

 

10. In one sentence summarize the role of churches and educational institutions in fostering the goals and activities of Pan-Africanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WRITING THE ONE-PAGE RESEARCH PROPOSAL  —AAAS 310  WINTER 208

--Writing/Submitting research proposal first
--Sample Brief Research Outline/proposal
--Sample Research Topics

 

[1] RESEARCH PROPOSAL [DUE TUESDAY, FEB 12]
It  is recommended that you first present a short description of your planned term paper early in the term. In this way, you can receive useful feedback to improve on the quality of the paper. The proposal should ideally include the topic and a short paragraph detailing HOW you are going to COLLECT, ORGANIZE, and ANALYZE the research information or data. [We have already discussed in class how to conceptualize and construct a topic and you gave some examples.] As you can see from the sample topics below, the research would normally involve some aspect of fieldwork, but you can also limit yours to a combination of books, articles, library materials and audiovisuals, Internet sources, etc. A fieldwork may involve asking questions, either orally and/or administering a written questionnaire. Depending on your topic you may also attend a festival or performance event  and participate in some way (or  rely on direct observation or a combination of participation and observation) as part of your strategy for gathering information for your paper.  You can also analyze a film that documents (or even fictionalize) some aspects of the African diaspora. A research paper could also be based on some analysis of printed or recorded materials in libraries or archives. I will give additional information on the research paper during the course of the term. However, keep in mind that the earlier you begin the paper, the better your chances of completing an acceptable research paper. 

[Re]Sources: You may do well to begin with browsing all the reserve items in the Sullivant Hall Libray under my name and courses nos. AAAS 863 and 754.  The Internet resources link from my homepage may also be helpful [http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1/onlines.htm]

You may also, depending on the nature of your research project/paper, append a brief bibliography of relevant sources that will inform your paper. State the topic in a clear, precise manner. Sometimes a subtitle is helpful in breaking down or clarifying down the subject further, for example:

NB: To facilitate the identification of areas for the research paper, it is highly recommended that you begin with yourself—that is, what personal experiences, acquaintances, background, resources and special skills that can be meaningfully explored to serve the goal of deeper understanding and sharing of knowledge about the African diaspora. For example, examine these hypothetical cases (which may apply to you, in any case):


     a. student 1: of Irish and Polish backgrounds/parentage. What factors, including being born  and raised in the U.S.; of a particular skin color and physique that aid the blending into dominant society; impact of recent immigration laws on your personal consciousness—an offspring of immigrants; the active cultivation of Polish and Irish identities in certain cities and the extent to which these “consciousnesses” challenge your own, etc.)  are responsible for EITHER ERASING OR CONSTRUCTING YOUR SENSE OF BELONING IN A DIASPORA? [If you belong here and elect to research a theme pertaining to these issues, then you also consult with me for suggested background readings to aid your argumentations, etc.  Your ultimate conclusion, then, would focus on the specific contributions your research bring to the study of the African Diaspora

 

b student 2. I have a Yoruba friend with a Yoruba name. I am interesting in understanding contemporary approaches to African identity through African-derived names among a sample population of African-American politicians and musicians.  In order to understand the case of identity and contemporary issues shaping the nature of this identify construction, I would like to situate the examples in the general historical continuum of strategic approaches to African identities that were detected largely by specific times, circumstances, including the negative and stereotypical representation of Africa in the media over time. Some important questions to explore include the extent to which the individuals with African-derived names are conscious of the histories, meanings and functions of African names; the impact of public perceptions on these individuals due to the African-derived names, and the individual’s attitude toward the African-derived names, whether given by parents or slef-elected...  Final arguments and conclusions would explain the significant of this research to African diaspora research (i.e., what do you hope to contribute by focusing on contemporary individuals with African-derived names)

                                                                                                        


--- RESEARCH PROPOSAL--outlining and summary

POSSIBLE TOPICS
1.Who are the “Nubians”? Patterns of African  Identity among K5-12 Graders in African High School, Columbus

2. “Souls without Soles”: A Study of the Origins and Contemporary Interpretations of “Soul Food” with Focus on its African Connections

3. “Home for Souls”: A Study of the Role of Soul Food in the Construction of Belonging or Sense of Home among College Students at OSU—The Case of Soul Food Events at the Hale Black Cultural Center

3. A Study of  Igbo and African Secret Society Elements in African American Fraternal Organizations

4.  Studying “Changing Same” in the African Diaspora:   A Study of Kwaanza and African American Heritage Festivals as Examples of the Notions of “Process” and “Self-Redefinition” in the African American Experience

5.Why Can’t You Go Home?  A Study of Four Areas of Difference in the Articulation of African Consciousness among Five African Immigrants and Five African Americans in Columbus

6. Studying Heterogeneity in the African Diaspora: New Problems and Resources for  Researching the African Diaspora—The Case of Somali Immigrants in Columbus

7. Studying Heterogeneity in the African Diaspora: A Comparative Study of Notions of “Home” among Somalians and Nigerians in Columbus

8. The Significance of  African Shopping Malls and Rites of Passage in Constructing a Sense of Home among African Immigrants

9. The Dialectic of Home and Abroad/Diaspora: A Study of Contemporary Approaches to “Return to Africa” among Prominent African Americans

10. The Dialectic of Home and Abroad/Diaspora: A Study of “Failed Returns,” 1970-

11. African Kinship Systems and their (Dis)Continuities in Middle-Class African American Families

12.  African Cultural Inventions and Ideas Since Independence and their Appropriations in the Western World

13. Contributions of Pan-Africanism and Négritude to the Political and Global Dimensions of the African Diaspora

14.  “Ebony as Heard”:  A Study of Arguments and Evidence of the African Roots of Ebonics

15. Relationships between Globalization, Commodification, and the Kente Piece as Emblem of African-American Identity

16. The Relevance of the Afrocentric ideas of Molefi Asante to the the Study of the African Diaspora: The Case of “Changing Same”

17. Reinventing Oneself in the African Diaspora. Strategies of Survival of African Immigrants in Columbus

18.  A Comparative Study of Patterns of Slave Resistance in Cuba and Haiti and their Implications for African Survivals

Sample outline
TITLE: THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUALS AS SEEN IN CONTEMPORARY CHURCH HYMNS OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND THE EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH  [USE A CATCHY WORD OR A PROVERB AS THE HEAD OF THE TOPIC, IF POSSIBLE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE RACE FOR RACE UNDER GRACE::  A STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUALS AS SEEN…..]

SUMMARY: I propose to study the importance of the African American spiritual in contemporary Christian music of the United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with emphasis on local congregations of Columbus. The basic premise of the study is that there is a growing interest in diversifying musical experience in the Christian Church and that the African American spiritual plays an important role in building or celebrating this diversity. A secondary goal is to understand how attitudes toward music in the Church has changed in response to shifting social, political, and theological issues.
Methods and Techniques: The research will involve both content analysis and field observation of music and hymnbooks from five congregations of each of the two denominations. The analysis will determine the number and frequency of the spirituals; the resulting statistics will be compared between the two congregations. I will conduct oral interviews with the ministers and music directors in order to determine the reasons for the inclusion of the spirituals. A small number from the general congregation will be interviewed also in order to ascertain their levels of satisfaction with the spiritual. I will visit church services in order to observe the performance of the spirituals,  to confirm data collected through oral interviews, and to note any special occasions that motivate the performance of the spirituals. Finally, conclusions will be made on the significant differences between the frequency and levels of satisfaction with the spiritual in the two congregations. The conclusions will assess also any significant alterations or reharmonizations found in the hymnbooks.

[APPEND HERE A WORKING BIBLIOGAPHY]