Howard University · Department of Philosophy · PHIL 179-01
Africana thought, taken thematically rather than chronologically — six questions, and what the tradition has said about each.
What this course is
This course examines the main ideas of key thinkers within the Africana philosophical tradition. Rather than proceeding chronologically, it is built around thematic units, each giving a foundational understanding of how Africana thought developed on a major philosophical topic — ontology, epistemology, race, gender, science, logic, monetary economics, and applied ethics.
Throughout, we press on two things: where Africana and Western answers are incommensurable rather than merely different, and how many distinct methods Africana philosophical thought actually employs.
The route
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Methodology and the Conceptions of Inquiry
How we will read, compare, and argue — the groundwork for everything that follows.
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Religion and Theological Thinking in Africa
The sacred and the profane, wisdom, and the practice of healing in Òrìṣà culture.
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Gender, Equality and Power
Was gender invented? Oyěwùmí, Sacks and Okin on what an African sense of gender makes visible.
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Money and the Economic System
Marginal gains: what monetary transactions in Atlantic Africa reveal about value itself.
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Race
Du Bois on double consciousness; Mills on the racial contract.
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Logic and Scientific Knowledge
Science and an African logic — and what counts as a reason at all.
How we read: the lens, not the comparison
We will not be running the standard compare-and-contrast method. Instead we use a lens: one framework, W, is held up as the thing you look through in order to see another, B. Just as a pair of glasses changes how an object appears, the lens defines and modifies what B looks like. Bring three things to every reading — a clear frame of reference, stated grounds for comparison, and a thesis that follows from both.
What is required of you
Attendance
Your presence and participation in seminars are essential. Any missed class requires a 5–6 page make-up essay on that topic, submitted at the next class. Missing more than two classes may affect your final grade.
Three examinations
One essay of three to five pages on a topic assigned by the instructor, and a final research paper on a topic of your choice — cleared with the instructor first.
You must complete all course requirements to obtain a passing grade in this course.