PHIL 112 Introduction to African Philosophy

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the worldview of traditional African philosophy using the categories and methods of Western philosophy and including the historical and cultural milieu of Africa as well as African visual arts and proverbs, African drumming, dance, and song, as repositories of and ways to express traditional African philosophical wisdom.

Credits

1

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

1

Course Objectives

1. Describe traditional African philosophy as expressed by Western-trained African philosophers; analyze the traditional worldview with respect to metaphysics, especially human nature, the cosmos, and ultimate reality; epistemology or knowledge theory, especially the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge in proverbs and art motifs; and axiology or values with regard to ethics and the moral life.
2. Compare and contrast traditional African and Western philosophy under the categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.
3. Define, explain, and critically examine the unique features of traditional African philosophy, its influence on African life and thought, and the potential contribution of this worldview in offering aesthetic and ethical perspectives on the challenges facing the modern world.

Course Objectives

1. Describe traditional African philosophy as expressed by Western-trained African philosophers; analyze the traditional worldview with respect to metaphysics, especially human nature, the cosmos, and ultimate reality; epistemology or knowledge theory, especially the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge in proverbs and art motifs; and axiology or values with regard to ethics and the moral life.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Analytic/Reflective Paper, based on essays by Western-educated African philosophers, expressing traditional worldviews in the language and categories of academic philosophy

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Global Competency Rubric

   Global Competency

   • GC2
2. Compare and contrast traditional African and Western philosophy under the categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Analytic/Reflective Paper on traditional African understandings of personhood, knowledge theory, and ethical principles.

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Global Competency Rubric

   Global Competency

   • GC1
3. Define, explain, and critically examine the unique features of traditional African philosophy, its influence on African life and thought, and the potential contribution of this worldview in offering aesthetic and ethical perspectives on the challenges facing the modern world.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Analytic/reflective papers one and two

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Global Competency Rubric

   Global Competency

   • GC3
   • GC4