ANTH227 - MEDIA IN AFRICA

This course examines the recent explosion of media culture in Africa, including radio, TV, film, internet, newspapers, and magazines. We look at the media forms themselves, studying the elements of African culture that shape the language,themes, and imagery of African media. We also study the producers of the media: the African journalists, film directors, disc jockeys, actors, and entertainers who construct the African public sphere through talent and ingenuity, drawing on cultural knowledge and social relationships. Finally, we'll turn to African audiences, learning how Africans actively engage with media forms, using media to participate in national conversations on such topics as gender, environmentalism, corruption, and development. Throughout the course, we study how African media give expression to ethnic, political, and religous identities, playing a crucial role in the construction and interaction of communities within the larger context of nation-states. production.