African Diaspora Syllabus Instructor: J. Fernandez “The darkest thing about Africa has always been our ignorance of it.” -George Kimble

Course Overview African Diaspora examines the movement of all humans from Africa to places around the world. Studying the African Diaspora is a huge undertaking and it will take more than one school year to do justice to a subject of this magnitude and importance.

Grading Policy Participation: 25% Research Projects & Presentations: 25% Tests & Quizzes: 20% Major Writing Assignments: 20% Homework: 10%

Part I: (1 st Quarter) Conditions that Produced the African Diaspora: African History as it pertains to the Diaspora, Pre-Colonial Africa, Racism’s Historical Roots and The African Slave Trade Major Reading: Major Reading: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Part II: 2 nd Quarter The Face of Africa around the World: The African Diaspora of Latin America and the Caribbean Major Reading: Major Reading: The Black Diaspora by Ronald Segal (excerpted)

Part III: (3 rd Quarter) The African Diaspora and the United States: The State of its Beginnings through the Civil Rights Era Major Reading: Major Reading: Black Boy by Richard Wright *Special Focus on Peekskill’s African-American History

Part IV: (4 th Quarter) The African Diaspora Today: A Twenty-First Century Look at the Lives of the Descendents of the Diaspora Major Reading: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama; “Black in America” Focus (an assortment of readings and short videos adapted from Soledad O’Brien’s documentary).

Instructional Tools In addition to novels, I use a multitude of contemporary learning tools to teach the depth and breadth of the African Diaspora such as: The documentaries: Hidden Colors, African American Lives, The Human Family Tree The films: Skin, Roots An assortment of editorials, personal accounts, historical documents, etc.

Socratic Seminars BKA “Real Talk Fridays” Every Friday, African Diaspora students participate in a student-led seminar that I have affectionately named “Real Talk Friday”. The purpose of the seminar is a simple one: Enlightenment. Students explore topics of their choice; however, these topics are all related to the issues of members of the Diaspora. A comprehensive explanation is available if you would like more information.