Beginning with a review of key issues that shape Africa's linguistic history, the course explores linguistic situations in several African countries, including examining the role language plays in constructing identities, maintaining social cohesion, and empowering marginalized communities. An integral part of the course will be a critical look at the growth and influence of urban slang and pidgins in Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, DR Congo, and Cameroon.

For over 150 years the Civil War has evoked powerful memories of heroism, brotherhood, violence, and rebirth. Its legacy has an enduring capacity to inspire, but to what ends? Today, as protests rage over the Confederate flag and Confederate memorials-and as grassroots movements such as Black Lives Matter advance historical arguments about racial injustice-the promise of emancipation and the meaning of the Civil War remain as contested as ever. What was the Civil War, and how should we determine its "winners"? How is it still being fought, and on what terms? To answer these questions, this interdisciplinary course focuses on the centrality of slavery and race. It grapples with vexing issues of memory, public history, and reenactment. Students will also examine their own conceptions of the ongoing struggle by identifying and analyzing cultural artifacts from the present day.