Union College Department of Modern Languages

FRN-149A/MLT-042:
West African Oral Literature

This course is designed to consider West African oral genres with a focus on tales and epics in their form and ideologies. The study of West African epics and tales provides a broad understanding of pre-colonial African cultures and histories. By exploring these oral forms of cultural expressions, we will understand how ancient West Africa societies were politically and socially structured and how they were altered because of colonial, Islamic, and Christian implications. The course will also examine the survival of local traditions in gender, religion, classes, and political structures in modern Africa.

Syllabus