ANT-224-N1 People & Cultures of Africa

Spring 2013

Dear Online Student:

Welcome to Peoples and Cultures of Africa (ANT-224-N)

Africa is huge – in its size, population, diversity and importance. Our goal for this survey course is to take an anthropological approach to the study of the continent, to come to a better understanding of not only Africa and Africans, but also of ourselves and of the modern world in which we live. You will have your own reasons for taking this class and for wanting to study Africa (which I will invite you to share with others on our bulletin board in the first question set). The syllabus in our Moodle shell will list a number of topics and peoples that we'll cover this semester, but I hope this course will still allow you to develop and pursue your own interests. At the end of the day, all meanings are personal, and I trust you will be able to find something relevant to you among the many topics we will be studying.

Anthropology itself is a fascinating subject, and I hope you enjoy the work you're about to undertake in this introductory, college-level course. Online courses are, in many ways, independent study courses in that what you learn in this class is directly tied to the effort you put into it. Internet classes require more self-motivation and discipline than most traditional college classes. In many ways this course is harder than an on-campus version (in my opinion), and will require more work and especially more reading on your part (in part to make up for the hours of lecture missed each week). Please keep current on all assignments (readings, videos, etc.) and realize that you will be expected to regularly participate in the course. As an online course, you will need access to a computer, an Internet connection and browser, and some basic computer skills.

The main orientation for this course will be online (as a document you'll read on our Moodle home page). If you are not comfortable with computer technologies, you may want to seek out the many sources of Moodle help available.

Please Note

This course will be taught in our new Learning Management System – Moodle. If you need help, call the help desk at 636-922-8555.

Instructor: William Griffin, professor of anthropology and archaeology

Office: SSB 1104 C, 636-922-8465

Email for all of us will be handled through the Moodle program.

Other contact information is the Social Science Department at  636-992-8398, the Distance Learning Office at 636-922-8470, and David Willmore, Learning System Administrator at 636-922-8514.

There are no required on-campus meeting times.  All exams will be done online.

Course Text and Video

The readings for this course will be online articles with links found in our Moodle course shell, as well as an African novel (as will be further discussed in the course orientation). In addition to the readings, over the course of the semester you will need to watch an eight-hour National Geographic series entitled “Africa” (DVDs released 2001), which can be purchased from a number of sources (including the SCC bookstore) or can possibly be checked out of libraries or video rental stores as well. Either way these videos are an integral part of this course.

Other Information

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email or call. A great resource for all campus services is the website at www.stchas.edu. Here you will find bookstore hours, library hours, online library catalog, student activities and athletics, ACE computer center hours and much, much more.

Moodle will be available to students by the start of the semester.

Please click on the link below and take the quiz to learn how well you are suited for online education.
http://stchas.smartermeasure.com

Again, welcome to a study of Africa! I'm looking forward to this Internet course and to getting to know you better.

Sincerely,

William Griffin