AFST 187 A-Z - (CC) Special Topics

Semester Hours: 1-4

Special Topics courses deal with innovative or advanced topics and may include field projects. Students may prepare individual projects on a research theme. 

Current Special Topics

AFST 187D - Spoken Word, Slam Poetry, and Performance

This class is devoted to the exploration of performance art, a genre-crossing form of aesthetic expression. We will identify and examine in detail contemporary performance practices. We will also cover the historical antecedents of performance art, including significant events and controversies. In addition to building our skills as performers and critical thinkers, we will gain a greater understanding of the impact these practices have on issues of identity, community and culture.

Cross-listing: RHET 126  

AFST 187R - Constructing Global Anglophone Literature

This course introduces students to selected literature in English from the 19th through the 21st century, originating primarily from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Canada, and Australia, paying close attention to the ways in which these writings converse and argue with one another as well as with texts from the traditional literary canon. We will explore the ways in which genre, theme, and form shape and distinguish these texts, and reflect on the ways in which new reading practices are shaping the construction of a global literary history. Readings might include Soyinka, N’gugi, Walcott, Achebe, Roy, Mistry, Garimara, Emecheta, Rushdie, Kincaid, and Ondaatje.

Prerequisites: WSC 001  or WSC 002 .

Cross-listings: ENGL 080  

AFST 187S - Race and Body Aesthetics

Contemporary issues are seen in relation to their historical contexts and origins. Themes will vary, depending on faculty member and relevant global events, and have included presidential politics, the war on terror, popular culture in Latin America, the welfare state and social inequality, Islam and the West, migration, genocide, and natural disasters. The Fall 2026 topic will be: Why History Matters: Race and Body Aesthetics.

Cross-listings: HIST 020  

 

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.

View Course Offering(s):

Summer Session I 2026

Summer Session II 2026

Summer Session III 2026

Fall 2026