Kim Collins
Melissa Hackman
Emory University
Robert W. Woodruff Library
404-712-2833
ARTHIST 282 Arts of Africa & Museums (Spring 2021)
Metropolitan Fetish by ISBN: 9781501736353Metropolitan Fetish reveals the complex trajectory of African material culture in the West and provides a map of that passage, tracing the interaction of cultural and imperial power. A broad and far-reaching history of the French reception of African art, it brings to life an era in which the aesthetic category of "primitive art" was invented.
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time by Call Number: NK700 .C36 2019ISBN: 9780691182681The Sahara Desert was a thriving crossroads of exchange for West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in the medieval period. Fueling this exchange was West African gold, prized for its purity and used for minting currencies and adorning luxury objects such as jewelry, textiles, and religious objects. Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time draws on the latest archaeological discoveries and art historical research to construct a compelling look at medieval trans-Saharan exchange and its legacy.
ASSIGNMENTS 
Individual conferences (first conference due by Tuesday, 2 March, at 5 PM; second conference due by Tuesday, 20 April, at 5 PM)
Class participation (ongoing)
Tweet-like responses (due regularly on the day of the assignment by 10 AM) After you complete readings, screenings, or other assigned materials due for a designated class meeting, craft a thoughtful response of 280 characters, including spaces and punctuation, that identifies the argument of the assignment and the evidence the author uses to support the argument.
Pen-and-paper reflections (due regularly on the day of the assignment by 10 AM) Using a writing implement and paper, write or draw a response to course content you have encountered. Consider what, if anything, you found relevant, important, persuasive, confusing, or unsettling about the assigned materials or related discussion.
First synthesis (due on 9 March by 10 AM) Second synthesis (due on 22 April by 10 AM) In the middle of the semester and again near the end of the semester, you will receive a prompt inviting you to complete a synthesis of class assignments and discussions.
Final, low-stakes reflection (due on 11 May by 11.30 AM)
As a final assignment, you will be invited to reflect on what you have learned and how you might carry what you have learned with you into the future. You will receive more details about the low-stakes assignment later in the semester.
Learning Outcomes
Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Concentrates on the creator(s) of information and situating the information in context.
- Students will define authority based on the influencing factors of context and community of expertise.
- Students will evaluate a source's credibility by considering authority, type of source, creation process, purpose, and/or point of view.
- Assess the information source's content to determine if it meets the information need.
- Give credit to ideas and work of others through proper attribution and citation.
Scholarship as Conversation
Focuses on scholarly discourse and perspectives.
- Students will recognize a given scholarly work may not represent the only, or even the majority perspective on the research topic.
- Give credit to ideas and work of others through proper attribution and citation.
Information has Value
Centers on the social, economic, and personal value of information, responsibility of using information, and citation.respect the original ideas of others;
- value the skills, time, and effort needed to produce knowledge;
- see themselves as contributors to the information marketplace rather than only consumers of it; are inclined to examine their own information privilege.