AFRS 301 - Seminar in Classical Civilization

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as DRAM 301 and GRST 301) Topic for 2018/19a: Athenian Drama on an African Stage. In this class we read adaptations of Greek drama from Africa and the African diaspora alongside their Greek intertexts. Among the questions we consider are: the affinity between Greek and African theatrical forms related to their origins in ritual; the use of Greek tragedy to describe the African experience in the New World, and the larger question of the role of the classical in a postcolonial context. Readings include such works as Ola Rotimi’s The Gods are not to Blame, Fugard, Kani and Ntshona’s The Island, Rita Dove’s The Darker Face of the Earth; and Sylvain Bemba’s Black Wedding Candles for Blessed Antigone. Rachel Friedman.

Prerequisite(s): Previous course work in Greek and Roman Studies or permission of the instructor.

All readings are in English.

Two 75-minute periods.