AAAS 342: MUSIC, RELIGION AND RITUAL IN AFRICA
SPRING 2005

Credits: 5 Meetings: Tue, Thur 5:30 -7:18
Room: Hughes Hall 317; Instructor: Dr. Daniel Avorgbedor
Office Hours: Wed 3:00-4:00 P.M. Hughes Hall 101c Tel. 292-9441 (or by appointment)
Email: avorgbedor.1@osu.edu homepage: http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/avorgbedor1 (this syllabus, guides and some handouts are here)

Course Description: This course explores the various ways in which music and dance are integrated with indigenous, Christian, and Islamic religious and ritual performances in selective African societies. The course meets requirements as an Arts and Humanities GEC course. Through lectures, discussions, class assignments, video, and live demonstrations the course will examine music, religion and ritual, both in their daily manifestations and as significant interrelated cultural phenomena. The ritual-symbolic and aesthetic functions of music, dance and visual arts will be explored in relation to their various contexts such as healing, initiation, devotion, and rites of passage (such as enthronement, birth, death, and puberty-adulthood transition rituals). Students will be encouraged to develop comparative but critical perspectives by applying class examples and concepts to specific non-African contexts or examples.

IMPORTANT DATES

QUIZ 1 APRIL 18

MID-TERM EXAM MAY 9

RESEARCH PROPOSALS DUE MAY 11 (paper option)

QUIZ 2 TBA

PAPER DUE JUNE 3

FINAL EXAM (final exam option) tba

REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Coursepack Music, Religion and Ritual in Africa (available at SBX only)
2. Introduction to African Religions. 2nd ed, John MBITI (SBX, Buckeye, Long’s)

EVALUATION: The final grade will be distributed as follows:
1. Attendance 10% 2.Midterm Exam 25% 3. Final exam /Res. Paper 35%
4. 2 Quizzes 15% /15%

Exam and quiz formats will include objective questions/T-F, multiple choice, written identification of symbolic objects brought into class, etc. The mid-term and final exams may also include brief essays (i.e., few descriptive sentences on a term, concept, style, etc.). Pop Quiz (i.e., ungraded) sessions will be employed as a form of review toward exams and general class performance.
Grading: A combination of points and letter grades and averaging will be employed, but instructor has the discretion to favor a particular system. Example: 95-100 =A; 90-94-A-; 85-89=B+; 80-84=B; 75-79=B-; 70-74=C+; 65-69=C; 60-64=D; etc Letter grades will be assigned in all cases.

REQUIREMENTS & REGULATIONS

Academic Policies

HANDOUTS/ASSIGNMENTS AND GUIDE TO RESEARCH

                       *SCHEDULE
WEEK 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION
--A time and a place for everything: world perspective on music, religion and ritual
--Overview of social, cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity in Africa
                Coursepack: Introduction, pp. 1-12; Mbiti, pp. 1-19; 180-193
WEEK 2 UNDERSTANDING RELIGION AND THE ARTS IN AFRICA
    (i) Contexts of Religion and Music Making in Africa
               Coursepack, pp. 23-29; Mbiti, identify particular occasions in pp. 87-143
    (ii) The Sense of Beauty in African Ritual and Artistic Traditions
               Coursepack, pp. 13-17; Mbiti, 20-44;
     (iii) Symbolic and Sacred Dimensions of Instruments and Sounds
               Coursepack, pp. 31-39; Mbiti, pp.20-42; 144-164; additional pictures on pp. 72-73;127
WEEK 3 BASIC FEATURES OF AFRICAN MUSIC
    (i) ethnic and regional variations (ii) common elements
               Coursepack, pp.18-29, 40-54
WEEK 4 MUSIC and RITES OF PASSAGE—I
    (i) coming-of-age rites: classic ideas and African examples
    (ii) structure and function of music and the arts
Mbiti, pp. 87-103; review Coursepack, pp. 4, 25, 38-39
WEEK 5 MUSIC IN RITES OF PASSAGE--II
    (i) the funerary rites;     (ii) kingship rites
                 Coursepack, 87-92;        Mbiti, pp. 116-130; 162-164
WEEK 6 MUSIC IN TRADITIONAL HEALING RITUALS
    (i) ideas of personhood, ontology of diseases, death, and therapeutic systems;
     (ii) structure, content, and function of music in healing
                Coursepack, pp. 72-86; Mbiti, 153-173
WEEK 7 MUSIC IN SECRET SOCIETY INITIATION
    (i) Anlo-Ewe Yeve secret society—case study
                 Coursepack, p. 65-80; Mbiti, pp. 87-103
WEEK 8 SOUND, RITUAL ACTION AND SYMBOLS
    (i) symbols, ritual and the arts;     ( ii) Ewe Exorcism and healing rites
    (iii) extended discussion of instruments and sounds as symbols (includes Islamic traditions in Africa) Coursepack, pp.72-81; Mbiti, 131-143; 138-156; 144-152; 160-164
WEEK 9 MUSIC IN CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA, I
    (i) nature of "independent" (also "spiritual") churches
    (ii) the impact of popular culture, national/ethnic/African identities;
     (iii) women's role and significance of music
Readings: coursepack:   pp. 55-64; Mbiti, 180-193
WEEK 10 MUSIC IN CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA, II (CONTD)
    (i) continuity of tradition and innovation in independent churches
    (ii) African resonances in African-American church ritual

Coverage: While attempt will be made to follow the daily schedule as detailed below, the instructor reserves the right to make adjustments by substituting, shortening, omitting, or broadening topics listed for each meeting whenever it is necessary to do so.

Requirements and Regulations
REQUIREMENTS:
Students are required to complete all reading and listening assignments (indicated in the detailed weekly schedule) before each class. There is an option of taking either a final exam or a term paper. For a Final research paper, students must submit a paper that addresses specific issues, contexts, and meaning (or general musical significance) pertaining to specific aspects of religious, ritual and musical traditions in Africa or in the African Diaspsora. Students preferring a term paper must first consult with the instructor for additional guidance. Papers must be a minimum of 10 pages (long bibliographies and/or large excerpts should be treated as appendices). All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced; no less than 10 words per line; all footnotes/endnotes and citations must follow one citation format consistently (e.g., Chicago, Thurabian, APA, MLA, etc.). To learn/verify citation formats for online/electronic sources, start with: http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/open/les7/guide.html (this also has links to other online guides) AND/OR http://www.h-net.msu.edu/about/citation/general.html

Please see your instructor for sample research topics, if you need one (available online). The final research paper is due on the last day of regularly-scheduled classes--JUNE 3; but an earlier submission will be welcome. All other assignments must be turned in on their due dates. It is possible to make up for a low grade by completing an extra assignment, based on individual circumstances. For feedback toward improving your paper/project--and hence improving on your grade--I strongly recommend that everyone submit a paper/project proposal (online) by MAY 11 . No proposals will entertained after this date.

-- CAVEAT: Make you save your wordprocessed documents every 4 minutes, both on the hard disk and on a removable disk, and finally on free storage spaces on the internet to avoid last-minute disasters and excuses. No excuse for missing/damaged files and printer problems will be tolerated. If you must email me your paper and assignments, make sure you keep a copy in your OUTBOX and a hardcopy of the same for future reference.

Class Attendance and other Policies:
Attendance is mandatory, and participation in class discussions is highly encouraged. Make-up exams will be allowed only under special circumstances. Lateness/ Absenteeism: Lateness without reasonable excuse will not be tolerated. Excuses for absences due to illness or personal emergencies on exam dates must be communicated to me promptly (a doctor's note in the case of an illness) before a make-up exam can be arranged. An unexcused absence from an exam or quiz will result in failure of it.

1^st absence (i.e., without valid excuse) = -3%
2^nd absence -3%
3^rd & subsequent absences -4%