Difference between revisions of "Ghana 2017 syllabi"

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''NB: these syllabi are tentative and subject to minor modification as the schedule of enlisted instructors becomes clear.''
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'''Music for Global Human Development in West Africa'''
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short link:  http://bit.ly/ghana17
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For general program information see:  http://bit.ly/ghanamusic
  
 
''Academic leader'': [mailto:michaelf@ualberta.ca Professor Michael Frishkopf]
 
''Academic leader'': [mailto:michaelf@ualberta.ca Professor Michael Frishkopf]
 
<br />Tel. in Ghana TBA; Skype: (617) 275-2589
 
<br />Tel. in Ghana TBA; Skype: (617) 275-2589
<br />Office hours TBA.
 
 
<br /> Teaching partners:  University for Development Studies and Youth Home Cultural Group (Tamale)
 
<br /> Teaching partners:  University for Development Studies and Youth Home Cultural Group (Tamale)
  
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= Course schedules =
 
= Course schedules =
 
''NB: still tentative:''
 
  
 
* M4GHD = [http://m4ghd.org Music for Global Human Development]
 
* M4GHD = [http://m4ghd.org Music for Global Human Development]
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See [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1CY1hKij7-X6LbBq7R38Xe9Xm6_g program map] for locations of places mentioned in the following table.
 
See [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1CY1hKij7-X6LbBq7R38Xe9Xm6_g program map] for locations of places mentioned in the following table.
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Arrival in Accra by July 2 - Departure from Accra from August 12.
  
 
{| border="1"
 
{| border="1"
 
!  || July 3-9 || July 10-16  || July 17-23 || July 24-30 || July 31-Aug 6 || Aug 7-11
 
!  || July 3-9 || July 10-16  || July 17-23 || July 24-30 || July 31-Aug 6 || Aug 7-11
 
|-
 
|-
| Monday || Accra orientation || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || Tolon
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| '''Monday''' || Accra visits; physical-social-spiritual power of music with Kofi Atenteben || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || M4GHD &amp; fieldwork || Tolon
 
|-
 
|-
| Tuesday || Accra music &amp; healing || UDS prof || UDS prof || UDS prof || UDS prof || Tolon
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| '''Tuesday''' || Accra visits;  physical-social-spiritual power of music with Kofi Atenteben || UDS: Mr. Salifu Jebuni The aesthetics of African Music/Dance with particular reference to the Dagbamba Visit to traditional drummers  || UDS: Dr. Abdulai Abubakari, Divination: An all-encompassing socio-cultural reality  Visiting to a Diviner  || UDS: Dr. Felix Longi The History of Slavery in Northern Ghana; Visit to Sakpuli  || individual project work|| Tolon
 
|-
 
|-
| Wednesday || UDS &amp; Tamale orientation/tour (UDS); Introduction to culture of northern Ghana || UDS prof || UDS prof || UDS prof || UDS prof || Tolon
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| '''Wednesday''' || UDS: orientation; Tamale & campus tours, settle into Catholic Guest House || UDS: Prof. Amin Alhassan Communications for Development - Visit to an NGO || Visit development org & individual project work || Visit development org & individual project work || individual project work || Tolon
 
|-
 
|-
| Thursday || Introduction to local culture and society. || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || Tolon
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| '''Thursday''' || UDS: Dr. Salifu Mahama Culture and ethnic groups of the North;  Visiting a female Chief || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || Tolon
 
|-
 
|-
| Friday || Youth Home intro performance/workshop &amp; CSL initial visit || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || Tolon prep || Tolon
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| '''Friday''' || Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) intro performance/workshop & CSL initial visit (youth group) || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || YHCG &amp; CSL || CSL performance; Tolon prep with YHCG|| Tolon
 
|-
 
|-
| Saturday || Yendi || Mole/Larabanga/Daboya || Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga || Wa sites || Tolon || Depart Tamale morning and Accra in evening
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| '''Saturday''' || YHCG & CSL  || Mole/Larabanga/Daboya || Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga with Dr. Vida Yakong; [http://www.swopa.org/Pages/welcome.html SWOPA]  || Individual projects or Wa sites - optional trip || Tolon || Depart Tamale morning and Accra in evening
 
|-
 
|-
| Sunday || Salaga || Mole/Larabanga/Daboya || Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga  || Wa sites || Tolon ||  
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| '''Sunday''' || Fieldwork (church, mosque, wedding, funeral) || Mole/Larabanga/Daboya || Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga  || Individual projects or Wa sites - optional trip || Tolon ||  
 
|}
 
|}
  
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== Music 365 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa" ==
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== Music 365/565 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa" ==
  
 
This course introduces you to the concept of "music for human development"; here "music" is interpreted broadly to include all related performance culture, especially dance, poetry, and drama.
 
This course introduces you to the concept of "music for human development"; here "music" is interpreted broadly to include all related performance culture, especially dance, poetry, and drama.
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Weekly theoretical overview lectures/discussions will take place on Mondays ( Prof. Michael Frishkopf), including an introduction to concepts, as well as to best practices for fieldwork.
 
Weekly theoretical overview lectures/discussions will take place on Mondays ( Prof. Michael Frishkopf), including an introduction to concepts, as well as to best practices for fieldwork.
  
Topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in performing arts for development and wellbeing, potentially including:
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Topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in performing arts for development and wellbeing (see above schedule)
* Prof. Michael Frishkopf, ethnomusicology (e.g. http://bit.ly/sngdnc4h)
 
* Prof. Salifu Jeboni, dance ethnology
 
* Prof. Benson Konlaan, arts for public health
 
* TBA:  Music as a component of traditional healing practices
 
* TBA:  Theatre/drama for development
 
 
 
''Note:  the lecturer list has not yet been finalized!''
 
  
 
This course will include an overview/discussion session every Monday, followed by one or two full days per week comprising:
 
This course will include an overview/discussion session every Monday, followed by one or two full days per week comprising:
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* A field visit
 
* A field visit
  
We will also integrate activities with related NGOs, including Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG), Farm Radio, and others.  The course will include a CSL component, working through YHCG to interact with local youth through music, in order to develop dance dramas oriented towards development themes of local importance, and to develop friendships through musical exchange, as well as working with "music drama for development" groups in our village field site, Tolon, where other music-related research and performance activities will also be scheduled. There are thus two distinct CSL projects, one in Tamale and the other in Tolon, each centering on dance dramas.  
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We will also integrate activities with related NGOs, including Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG), Farm Radio, Right to Play, and others.  The course will include a CSL component, working through YHCG to interact with local youth through music, in order to develop dance dramas oriented towards development themes of local importance, and to develop friendships through musical exchange, as well as working with "music drama for development" groups in our village field site, Tolon, where other music-related research and performance activities will also be scheduled. There are thus two distinct CSL projects, one in Tamale and the other in Tolon, each centering on dance dramas.
 
 
  
 
== INT D 325 or 530:  "West African Development" ==
 
== INT D 325 or 530:  "West African Development" ==
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This course provides an introduction to development in northern Ghana, in theory and in practice, through case studies in a variety of fields, possibly including education, public health, agriculture, environmental science, and other areas.  It includes an initial overview of northern Ghanaian society and culture in general, followed by topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in development, 1-2 days per week.
 
This course provides an introduction to development in northern Ghana, in theory and in practice, through case studies in a variety of fields, possibly including education, public health, agriculture, environmental science, and other areas.  It includes an initial overview of northern Ghanaian society and culture in general, followed by topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in development, 1-2 days per week.
  
These instructors and topics will potentially include:
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Instructors are listed in the schedule above.
* Prof. Joshua Gabara:  African studies and Development
 
* TBA: Education
 
* Prof. Salifu Mahama:  Language and linguistics
 
* Prof. Abubakari Abdulai:  Sociology
 
* Dean Prof. Amin al-Hassan, communications
 
* Prof. Thomas Azongo:  traditional medicine
 
  
''Note:  the lecturer list has not yet been finalized!''
 
  
 
Each session will comprise:  
 
Each session will comprise:  
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* A field visit
 
* A field visit
  
During our stay in Tolon you will have various development-related fieldwork projects to work on, including an interview-based assessment of people's work and how they feel about what they do, an interview-based study of musical change and its development implications, and an observational inquiry into local healing practices, and the role of expressive culture.  
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During our stay in Tolon you will have various development-related fieldwork projects to work on, including an interview-based assessment of people's work and how they feel about what they do, an interview-based study of musical change and its development implications, and an observational inquiry into local healing practices, and the role of expressive culture.
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== Community Service Learning ==
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All three courses contribute towards your CSL experience,  in collaboration with Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) and  University for Development Studies (UDS).  CSL activities will take place in two locations: (1) the city of Tamale, where we'll be working together with YHCG to develop--with local youth-- dance dramas to address development themes, to be determined - these sessions will take place in the afternoons, following training with YHCG and lunch; (2) the rural district of Tolon, where we'll be working with two performance groups that already use music and dance drama as a development tool (one based in a school deploys music/dance for public health; the other, in a community, for climate and ecosystem change adaptation and resilience ) to help them document their performances, assess their impact, and learn to teach it, thereby helping ensure sustainability of group and repertoire.  You will write two short reports documenting each project, including reflections on the CSL experience.  (See Assignments below.)
  
 
== Weekend trips ==
 
== Weekend trips ==
  
The above three courses will be enhanced and extended through immersive learning in the course of weekend field trips. We will organize at least one excursions per weekend to various locations marked on the map (see above), including an overnight to Mole National Park (where you will enjoy seeing wildlife, including elephants, close at hand).  Wherever possible we will bring a focus upon human development issues, and also try to learn as much as possible about local expressive culture, particularly music.  Your fieldwork skills will be brought into play as you learn through participant observation and informal interviews, as well as audio-visual documentation and fieldnotes.
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The above three courses will be enhanced and extended through immersive learning in the course of weekend field trips. We will organize at least two excursions to various locations marked on the map (see above), including an overnight to Mole National Park (where you will enjoy seeing wildlife, including elephants, close at hand).  Wherever possible we will bring a focus upon human development issues, and also try to learn as much as possible about local expressive culture, particularly music.  Your fieldwork skills will be brought into play as you learn through participant observation and informal interviews, as well as audio-visual documentation and fieldnotes.
  
 
= Preparation and Resources =
 
= Preparation and Resources =
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On that page, required and optional course resources (books, articles, music, video, etc.) are listed [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Preparing_for_the_Ghana_program#Course_materials:_resources_to_acquire_in_advance here].
 
On that page, required and optional course resources (books, articles, music, video, etc.) are listed [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Preparing_for_the_Ghana_program#Course_materials:_resources_to_acquire_in_advance here].
  
= Assignments and grading =
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= Assignments and Grading =
  
== Assignments ==
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The following assignments were set out on Monday July 10, 2017. They are due by August 31, 2017.
  
=== Participation ===
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Lengths refer to 1.5 spaced, 1 inch margins (not including bibliography). Any citation/bibliographic style is fine - please just be consistent.  Lengths are minima and also sufficient; you can write more but please don't go too far past the lengths listed.
  
In order to learn, it is essential to participate fully in the program. Beyond completing reading and writing assignments, you must attend every class (''this means arriving to class on time!''), take notes, engage in discussion or play/sing/dance (as appropriate), as well as attend every mandatory activity, except in cases of dire illness. It is equally important to make every effort to engage yourself with life in Ghana beyond the classroom.
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'''1. Individual project paper.''' Begin with your proposal (which I'd asked you to submit early in the trip, but feel free to modify or expand it here), then add results and future directions (including the PAR project itself).  
  
=== Reading ===
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Cite references/sources throughout, including readings assigned for M4GHD, all components of UDS days (readings, lectures, and field notes for afternoon visits), as well as all other field notes, with attention to initial days in Accra, weekend trips (to Mole/Larabanga/Daboya and to Bolgatanga/Paga), NGO visits (or their websites, including organizations we visited together-- JayNii, Youth Home, Right to Play, Farm Radio, Shea Nut collective in Sagnarigu, Shekinah clinic -- or any other organization you visited on your own), and interviews, as well as secondary sources (books, book chapters, articles, reports) you may locate, always remaining critically aware of the continuum between reference (a sequence of statements interpreted as independent truths) and source (a sequence of statements interpreted as utterances of an author in a context)
Readings include (1) scholarly articles, (2) scholarly book chapters, (3) textbooks; (4) literature (novels, short stories, poems, plays)
 
  
Some readings are optional, while others are required. I  assign at least one reading to accompany every lecture, providing you with research by the lecturer whenever possible.
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NB:  all of the above can be cited in the body of your paper (author date format is easiest), and listed in your bibliography. (To save lots of time and headache use a citation manager such as zotero.org or Refworks or Endnote.) Generally you may cite descriptive field notes by date, with yourself as author, but list interviews and lectures by speaker as author.
  
Bear in mind that you do not need to read every word of every reading - rather your aim is to locate and absorb the ''main points'' of each. If you encounter something you do not understand, try to move on, and ask.
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As much as possible, strive to weave together all that you have learned - for instance, an NGO might provide a comparative example, or inspire some portion of your project, even if the specific topic (e.g. shea nuts) is irrelevant to your interests.
  
Some of the required readings are marked with an asterisk (*). These are the readings for which everyone (undergraduate and graduate students) must prepare a one-notecard reading review (see writing assignments below).
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Length : at least 10 pages.  
  
Other readings are marked with a dollar sign ($). Graduate students must prepare reading reviews for these readings as well. Undergraduates can do so for extra credit.
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Structure as follows :
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* aim and significance
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* background (topic and scope), including sources treating Ghana, the north, Dagomba, Tamale, etc in general terms.  
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* scope (specific area of action: who/what/when/where)
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* specific problems or questions to be addressed (including any theoretical framework)
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* methods used (including comparisons:  urban/rural or Tamale/Tolon)
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* results and interpretations
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* future directions, including a proposed PAR project for subsequent implementation. Include project design as well as a means of assessing its impact. Consider: health, education, environment, tourism, cultural continuity, social cohesion. Remember to address participatory dimensions of PAR - who comprises the team?
  
Just because you're not preparing a reading review doesn't mean you shouldn't do the reading! Your papers should cite ''as many readings as possible.'' In any case, your education is in your own hands...
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NB: if you can frame your PAR project as M4GHD (including any performing arts), perhaps using the C4D paradigm, great (but this is not a requirement)
  
NB: All readings are as yet TBD.
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'''2. Group project paper''' (M4GHD CSL PAR): working with youth in Tamale and in Tolon). NB: though you carried out the project together, the papers are to be prepared individually.
  
=== Listening, viewing ===
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Structure : as #1 above, but in this case you actually completed the PAR project, at least an initial iteration, and in two different locations, so the PAR component can be fully described. After providing aim/significance, background, problems, and methods, describe what happened in each location, compare locations, assess impact, and reflect on differences in process and outcome. What might a new PAR cycle bring?  How did your project support the aims of CSL? (our local partner was Youth Home, a registered NGO).
  
I've included also a selection of listenings and viewings, some required, others optional, often linked to the various lectures or professors from whom you'll be learning. You can listen online, usually for free (but better do so in advance of travel); most materials can also be downloaded, and heard/watched in Ghana if you bring a laptop.
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Length : at least 10 pages.  
  
=== Writing ===
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'''3. Interviews.''' At least one interview for each of the following two types :
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a. work and life
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b. musical change
  
These short assignments are designed to encourage reflection, analytical thinking, and synthesis, drawing on both academic work and experience. Page lengths refer to 1.5 spaced pages, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins. You may use 4x6 notecards for the reading reviews (see below), or submit them as computer files of equivalent length.
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Decide how to combine paraphrase and transcript, and how to integrate them.
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You can also submit recordings if you made them.
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Add photos if possible and indicate whether you have permission to make this material public.  
  
Papers will be due two weeks after the program concludes,  giving you a chance to digest information and reflect after you return home; writing more than notecards and fieldnotes in the field will be difficult due to environment, and time constraints. Notecards (lecture notes, reading reviews) are due by Monday evening following the week in which they're assigned. Field notes will be graded towards the end of our stay in Tolon. Papers and the blog's URL can be submitted by email.
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Length: at least 1-2 pages.
  
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/Guidelines.pdf Click here for general Guidelines.] Click links provided below for additional detail and resources relevant to each assignment.
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'''4. Sound walk''', at least one. Describe location and time, before summarizing the walk itself, and conclude with some interpretation of what you heard. Include recordings if you made them.
  
Standards for graduate students will be higher (in length, and in sophistication) than for undergraduates; please see me for clarification. Some readings which are optional for undergrads may be mandatory for grads.
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Length: at least 1-2 pages.
  
* ''Reading review cards''. For each ''required'' reading (article or book chapter) marked by an asterisk (*) you will prepare one 4x6 notecard (or computer file of same length) with your name and the title of the reading on the top line (name at the left, title to the right). Below, you will provide a ''succinct'' summary and critique of the reading. In your summary, indicate coverage and main points; in your critique, indicate limitations, authorial biases and implicit assumptions. These are very short writing assignments. I will return cards to you for use in other assignments. '''Again, prepare reviews only for readings followed by an asterisk (*), below. Grad students must ''also'' prepare review cards for readings marked with a dollar sign ($).'''
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'''5. Descriptive event ethnography.''' Select an event (we witnessed or participated in many - most including music of some sort), probably already described in your field notes. Now set about describing it more systematically. Begin by selecting and justifying the descriptive frame(s) used as a strategy for organizing your description (essentially, used to convert a multidimensional event to a linear stream of prose). Each frame corresponds  to a particular dimension of performance: chronological (what happens when?), spatial (what happens where?), personal (who does what? perhaps following a person around...), musical/sonic (e.g. what is the progression of sound densities, tempos...?), or any other organizational strategy. Supplement with media or schematics (e.g. maps, diagrams, sketches), as you wish.
* Grad students only: ''Book report'' on book (TBD)' $. (required for grad students, extra credit for others). Grad students will read this book and write a book report about it, summarizing and critiquing its logic, with reference to your own fieldwork in the area (note: unlike other reading reviews, this report should be at least 2 pages in length and will count for three ordinary notecard reviews). For undergraduates, this is an extra-credit assignment.
 
* ''Fieldnotes and blog''. You will take daily fieldnotes in a journal, in which you record your experiences in Ghana, particularly while traveling or living in the village (but also on campus), reflecting on the relations between music, culture, society, and history. Write about music, people you see, hear, or meet, conversations, sights and sounds and smells, behaviors, food, dress, language, TV programs. Note that this is not a diary in which you list the day's events!  Rather, good fieldnotes demonstrate your powers of observation, synthesis, and interpretation:  record, gather, interpret and assess your experiences; compare them and interpret differences. Pose questions to yourself, and answer them ("why are things this way here, that way there?"). Reflexivity - training your observation on yourself,  your own position in the field, and your relation to others, is helpful (but don't include very personal comments you don't wish me to read). ''Whenever possible, make comparative references to course readings, lectures, videos, and audio recordings'' - does your experience accord with what you have read or heard, or not? How can your experience be interpreted in light of coursework? 10-15 minutes daily--a couple of solid pages-- is all that is required, though some of you may wish to write more. ''Very Important:'' Do not wait to write - good fieldnotes are written ''daily'', preferably just before sleep (which causes more forgetting that you may imagine). Common practice is to carry a tiny notebook with you, where you can jot ideas and observations you may otherwise forget.  Then in the evening expand these jottings for the day's fieldnotes entry.  Your notes can be supplemented with documented audio-visual recordings (photographs, sounds, video) - you may need to establish a system for connecting various media (which photo was taken at which event?). When you return home (or from Ghana if possible) you'll create a multimedia blog, using these materials selectively. Your fieldnotes will be handed in and then returned to you, and your blog will be public:  therefore please do not write anything in the journal you do not want me to read, or include anything in the blog you don't want the world to see! (You may wish to keep a second private journal as well, a diary, which need not be handed in.)
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/Literature.pdf Development and West African literature.] You'll each read one West African novel (your choice--there are plenty to choose from in the University of Ghana campus bookstore, which we'll visit early on - many not readily available outside Ghana, particularly Ghanaian literature), and prepare an essay about these works (reading review cards are not required). Interpret the novel from a development perspective, drawing on critical perspectives of history, politics, linguistics, religious studies, oral tradition, and other fields as presented in INT D 325/530 readings and lectures, as well as your general knowledge of West African history and culture. Cite all sources!
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/InterpretingMusic.pdf Expressive culture and development in Ghana.] Using everything that you've learned in the three courses, and via other experiences traveling and living in Ghana, you'll write an essay explaining how and why expressive culture is important for development, due to its strong connections to social structures and identities. Draw on all readings, including background on culture and history of West Africa.
 
* CSL reports: You will write two short summary reports on the two components of your CSL experiences, reflecting on objectives, methods, results, accomplishments, assessments, and challenges:
 
** Tamale:  dance dramas, development, and urban youth
 
** Tolon: assessing the efficacy of community and school-based dance drama groups.
 
* ''Fieldwork projects'': In preparation for these projects, which will unfold across the program, I will deliver several lectures on ethnographic fieldwork, with attention to both technical and ethical issues, focussing on various techniques, including interview, participant-observation, fieldnotes, AV recording.
 
** [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/Interview.pdf Interview projects] . There will be two collaborative class fieldwork projects drawing on interviews, one centered on  life in Ghana, the other on musical change:  (1) Working in Ghana. Transposing [http://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428 Studs Terkel's famous book about American workers] to Ghana, we'll compile a set of interviews documenting work Ghanaians do, including domestic work, and professions ranging from minister to fisherman. What do people do all day, and how do they feel about it? How does work reflect development issues? You may carry out this interview project throughout the program. (2) Development and Musical change in Tolon. During our two week stay in Tolon we'll conduct a collaborative oral history about socio-musical change in the region, and the factors (social, political, technological...) underlying such change. Everyone will conduct as many interviews as possible, and hand in transcripts, summaries, photos, and analyses. How is intergenerational continuity and social identity impacted by  rapid musical change? After returning home we'll add these materials to a website dedicated to the topic.  You'll write up both projects as ethnographic reports, to be submitted along with your other assignments.
 
** [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/RitualEthnography.pdf Ethnography of traditional medicine] . A description and analysis of traditional health and healing practices, including use of performance, ritual, music and dance.  In this assignment you'll deploy your participant-observation skills and comparative analytical skills, drawing on  observations in Accra, Tamale, Tolon, and other locations we may visit. How is traditional medicine more than just "herbs"? How does performance enter in? What is the role of traditional medicine (ethnomedicine) in development? How should it (can it) be twinned with biomedicine (western medicine)? What are the issues at stake? 
 
  
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Length:  at least 1-2 pages.
  
All papers should cite course materials: assignments (readings and audio-visual materials) and lectures (by lecturer and date), as well as drawing on primary field experience; include a "references cited" section at the end of your paper. Your grade will depend in part on how thoroughly you can integrate these materials into your argument. Expectations for graduate students will be considerably higher in this regard.
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'''6. UDS sessions.''' One critical summary for each of the 7 UDS session (including any assigned reading, lecture, discussion, and field trip):
  
Detailed instructions and requirements for a number of these assignments are available [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/WritingAssignments/ here].
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* Prof Edward Mahama
 +
* Prof Salifu Jeboni
 +
* Prof Amin Al-Hassan
 +
* Prof Abdulai Abubakari
 +
* Prof Vida Yakong
 +
* Prof Felix Longi
 +
* Prof Romulus Ziem
  
=== Practicing ===
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Length: At least two paragraphs for each, the first descriptive, and the second critically evaluative).
  
These assignments are not handed in, and thus are not graded. But that doesn't mean they aren't important! Remember: "practice makes perfect!". You learn both music and language in similar ways: by doing.
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'''7. Daily field notes''' (listed by date) as a text file, plus a link to your accompanying blog/website (more selective and media-rich, including photos, audio, video). (Note: I will not share the former with anyone, whereas the latter should be prepared for public access.
  
* Dagbani language. Practice lessons, by listening and repeating phrases. Audio recordings are essential for learning any modern language, but especially for a tonal language such as Ewe. Ideally you should try to bring a recording device to class.
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Length:  no minimum length but ordinarily I will expect to see an entry for every day, or nearly so...
* Music x44. You must practice music presented in Music x44, by reviewing drumming/dancing patterns, practicing with your colleagues, and listening (if possible try to record your lessons). I suggest you purchase a drum.
 
  
=== Evaluated performance ===
 
  
* Map quiz. Identify each country on this [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Africa%20map.pdf map].  (note that #23 is now divided into two:  23a, and 23b). Please learn to locate all the countries of Africa using [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrquiz.html this interactive map quiz for countries]. Optionally, study [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrcapquiz.html this one for capitals], for extra credit.
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----
 
 
* Music and dancing. I will receive feedback from music and dance instructors in x44. Here what counts is dedication and progress, not level - ''you don't have to be gifted in music, dance, or drama to do well in this course!''
 
 
 
== Grading ==
 
 
 
All coursework will be graded on a scale from 1-4 points. These grades will be combined (according to the percentage weights given below), then rounded to the nearest value in the following table, in order to arrive at a final grade for each course. Unexcused late assignments will be downgraded one quarter point per day.
 
 
 
'''Table'''
 
 
 
*A: 4.0
 
*A-: 3.7
 
*B+: 3.3
 
*B: 3.0
 
*B-: 2.7
 
*C+: 2.3
 
*C: 2.0
 
*C-: 1.7
 
*D+: 1.3
 
*D: 1.0
 
*F: 0.0
 
 
 
'''Weighting'''
 
 
 
 
 
* Music 144/444/544: Participation (70%); CSL reports (15%); Expressive culture and development in Ghana (15%). Your final grade will depend primarily on active participation, not on proficiency in music and dance sessions. However it is essential to practice and participate actively in all domains--singing, percussion, dancing--to the best of your ability.
 
 
 
* Music 365/565: Reading review cards for required Music 365 readings marked with an asterisk (all) or dollar sign (grad only) (15%); fieldnotes/blog (15%); interview project: Musical change (15%); music and healing (10%); Expressive culture and development in Ghana (15%); CSL reports (15%); participation (15%)
 
 
 
* INT D 325/530: Reading review cards for required INT D 325/530 readings marked with an asterisk (all) and dollar sign (grad only) (15%); fieldnotes/blog (15%); interview project: Working (15%); literature and development (20%);  map quiz (5%); Expressive culture and development in Ghana (15%); participation (15%)
 
 
 
= Official statements =
 
 
 
''Course prerequisites:'' none<br />
 
''Course-based ethics approval, Community service learning'': YES<br />
 
''Past or representative evaluative course material'': NAr<br />
 
''Additional mandatory instruction fees'': No<br />
 
 
 
''Policy about course outlines can be found in [http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/calendar/Regulations-and-Information/Academic-Regulation/23.4.html#23.4 Section 23.4(2)] of the University Calendar.'' (GFC 29 SEP 2003).
 
 
 
''Academic Integrity''<br />
 
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/CodeofStudentBehaviour.aspx ) and avoid any behaviour that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
 
<br /><br />
 
''Learning and working environment''<br />
 
The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that undermines that environment. The department urges anyone who feels that this policy is being violated to:
 
• Discuss the matter with the person whose behaviour is causing concern; or
 
• If that discussion is unsatisfactory, or there is concern that direct discussion is inappropriate or threatening, discuss it with the Chair of the Department.
 
For additional advice or assistance regarding this policy you may contact the student ombudservice: (http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/ ). Information about the University of Alberta Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures is described in UAPPOL at https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/DispPol.aspx?PID=110 
 
<br /><br />
 
''Academic Honesty:''<br />
 
All students should consult the information provided by the [http://www.osja.ualberta.ca/Students.aspx Office of Judicial Affairs] regarding avoiding cheating and plagiarism in particular and academic dishonesty in general (see the [http://www.osja.ualberta.ca/en/Students/UndergraduateHandbook.aspx Academic Integrity Undergraduate Handbook] and [http://www.osja.ualberta.ca/Students.aspx Information for Students]). If in doubt about what is permitted in this class, ask the instructor. Students involved in language courses and translation courses should be aware that on-line “translation engines” produce very dubious and unreliable “translations.” Students in language courses should be aware that, while seeking the advice of native or expert speakers is often helpful, excessive editorial and creative help in assignments is considered a form of “cheating” that violates the code of student conduct with dire consequences. An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has handed in work that he or she could not possibly reproduce without outside assistance is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. See the [http://www.osja.ualberta.ca/Instructors/~/media/osja/Documents/DisciplineChartAcademic.pdf Academic Discipline Process].<br /><br />
 
''Recording of Lectures:''<br />
 
Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor.
 
<br /><br />
 
''Attendance, Absences, and Missed Grade Components:''<br />
 
Regular attendance is essential for optimal performance in any course. In cases of potentially excusable absences due to illness or domestic affliction, notify your instructor by e-mail within two days. Regarding absences that may be excusable and procedures for addressing course components missed as a result, consult sections [http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/calendar/Regulations-and-Information/Academic-Regulation/23.3.html#23.3 23.3(1)] and [http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/calendar/Regulations-and-Information/Academic-Regulation/23.5.html#23.5 23.5.6] of the University Calendar. Be aware that unexcused absences will result in partial or total loss of the grade for the “attendance and participation” component(s) of a course, as well as for any assignments that are not handed-in or completed as a result.
 
In this course, 10% of your grade depends on regular attendance and energetic participation.
 
<br /><br />
 
''Policy for Late Assignments:''<br />
 
See section on Evaluation, above.
 
<br /><br />
 
''Specialized Support & Disability Services:''<br />
 
If you have special needs that could affect your performance in this class, please let me know during the first week of the term so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you are not already registered with Specialized Support & Disability Services, contact their office immediately ( 2-800 SUB; Email ssdsrec@ualberta.ca; Email; phone 780-492-3381; WEB www.ssds.ualberta.ca ).
 
<br /><br />
 
''Media Archives and Departmental Broadcasting of Audio-visual Material''<br />
 
Audio or video recording of performances, lectures, seminars, or any other academic or research environment activities are carried out by the Department of Music for archival purposes. These archives may be collected and housed in the Music Library. Recorded material is to be used solely for non-profit, educational, research, and community outreach purposes, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without obtaining the express permission from all parties involved.
 
Please be advised that your solo or group performance may be featured on the University of Alberta's Department of Music website and/or social media platform(s). If you object to this use of audio and/or video material in which you will be included, please advise your instructor or the Department of Music in writing prior to participating in any performance, lecture, seminar or public event held by the Department of Music.
 
 
 
= Assignments: Readings, listenings, watchings (TENTATIVE) =
 
 
 
Course materials are listed below, grouped with the corresponding course segment. Most materials must be acquired in advance - either purchased, or downloaded. Many readings are available online, but your Internet access in Ghana will be a bit sporadic, so don't count on acquiring materials there. You can download/print the essentials, or bring an electronic device (laptop or kindle or...) allowing you to read without printing.
 
 
 
 
 
Assignments are listed in three groups:
 
# Before arriving in Ghana: please do these before your departure
 
# Associated with specific teachers: please do these before meeting the teacher. I've tried not only to provide relevant assignments, but also the teacher's own works. TBD.
 
# Associated with travel: please do these before we arrive at the stated destination. TBD.
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Preparing_for_the_Ghana_program#Course_materials For course materials, see Preparing for the Ghana Program]
 
 
 
== ''Before'' arriving in Ghana please read, listen, and watch as follows: ==
 
 
 
=== Music 365/565 pre-program assignments ===
 
 
 
''Read'':
 
 
 
Required readings:
 
 
 
[http://www.amazon.com/Music-Africa-J-Kwabena-Nketia/dp/0393092496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241844264&sr=1-1 J. H. Kwabena Nketia - The Music of Africa (Norton, 1974)]. Prof. Nketia is the foremost living ethnomusicologist of African music, as well as one of the most important ethnomusicologists in the history of the field, and one of Ghana's foremost composers. This is his classic work. Please read chapters 1-4,10,20-21. Skim Section 2 (chapters 5-9). He's one of our teachers at Legon, so please save up your questions and ask him in person.
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Chernoff%20chs.%201,2.pdf African Music, African Sensibility], by John Miller Chernoff (University Of Chicago Press, 1981). Chapters 1 & also 2, if you can. (I do recommend this book for purchase; it's a classic.)
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Popular%20music%20in%20Africa%20-%20Impey.pdf Popular Music in Africa], by Angela Impey
 
 
 
''Required to listen/read'':
 
 
 
Listen to two CDs we helped produce, and read the notes:
 
* [http://www.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/kinkadrum/ Kinka: Traditional songs from Avenorpedo*]. Please purchase this CD with accompanying liner notes, as explained in the preparation section.
 
* [http://bit.ly/buducd Giving Voice to Hope: Music of Liberian Refugees] In the past we visited the Buduburam camp where this music was produced. Now the camp has been closed. Please order the album to learn about the project, and help support these refugee musicians. Minimally, listen to the exerpts online at the above link, and read notes. See [http://bit.ly/givingv2h Giving Voice to Hope] for the subsequent evolution of this project. Think about what music (ethnomusicology?) can do to change the world for the better...
 
 
 
 
 
Listen to required audio from both Smithsonian Folkways and Contemporary World Music series, and read their liner notes.
 
 
 
You can read the liner notes anytime, but may not be able to access the internet in order to listen while in Ghana. You don't necessarily have to listen to every track in full, but get a sense of the music. You can find all materials online via our Library, but if you'd like to purchase you may also do so via emusic.com and other web retail services.
 
 
 
Smithsonian Folkways:
 
 
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=711 Ewe music of Ghana] ([http://glmu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/71696 via library] )
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=728 Music of the Ashanti of Ghana] ([http://glmu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/71713 via library] )
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=770 Music of the Dagomba from Ghana]([http://glmu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/71754 via library] )
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=752 Music of the Ga people of Ghana]'([http://glmu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/71736 via library] )'
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=926 Black music of two worlds (John Storm Roberts collection)]'([http://glmu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/71910 via library] )
 
 
 
Contemporary World Music:
 
 
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/563058 Seprewa Kasa performed by Korankye, Osei; Kyerematen, Baffour & Banaman, Alfred Kari (Riverboat, 330051)]
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/374128 Mustapha Tettey Addy: Master Drummer from Ghana performed by Addy, Mustapha Tettey (Lyrichord, LYRCD 7250)]
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/678266 Kwabena Nyama: Ghana - Musique de Vin de Palme, Sunday Monday] (Kwabena Nyama: Ghana: palm wine music, Sunday Monday) performed by Nyama, Samuel Kwabena; Poku, Kofi; Duah, Agyemang; Seni, Addas & Annor, Kofi (Buda Musique, 1979352, 2000) Skip the French if you don't read French. There's English also.
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/734691 Immortal Franco] (Congolese popular music, soukous). Unfortunately there's no Franco disc in our online audio library, but check this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTx8z-PIwNI YouTube video of Franco performing in 1980.] with his famous group, OK Jazz.
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/791897 Bewaare: They Are Coming - Degaare Songs and Dances from Nandom, Ghana (Pan (Netherlands), PAN 2052CD, 1995)]
 
 
 
''Required to Watch'':
 
 
 
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=6434&loid= Listening to the Silence: African Cross Rhythms*] (featuring Ewe music, Prof. John Collins, and many other wonderful things)
 
 
 
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAzeMQ3l1q4 Highlife: Ghana's Musical Soul] (History of Highlife)
 
 
 
 
 
Optional readings:
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Music_Africa.pdf Music in Africa]. Read Overview by Gerhard Kubik (which will work well with the opening chapters of Shillington); skim the rest for whatever interests you.
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/West%20African%20music.pdf West African Music], by Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje. Skim for gist, linking to your historical readings.
 
 
 
 
 
Other materials can be read/watched in Ghana (listed below by instructor and location).
 
 
 
=== Music 300/500 pre-program assignments ===
 
 
 
''Required to read:''
 
 
 
* [http://www.palgrave.com/history/shillington/ History of Africa, 3rd edition] - Shillington. Read these chapters--providing a background to modern West Africa--now. Other chapters--from nationalism to the present--will be read in Ghana. The p[http://www.palgrave.com/history/shillington/ ublisher's website ] for this book contains some additional materials you may like to browse or download. Note: No reading cards are required for Shillington, however I expect you to draw on this material in your final essays - and to cite it!
 
** Prehistory: read chapters 1 and chapter 2, pp. 22-30
 
** The Iron Age in West Africa: read chapter 3, pp.43-46,54-56, map 3.1
 
** Background on North Africa and Islam: read chapter 5, pp. 69-75, 79-84
 
** Trans-Saharan trade and medieval West African state of Ghana, Mali, Songhay: chapters 6, 7 (read in full)
 
** Atlantic slave trade: chapters 12, 13 (read in full)
 
** West-central Africa to the 18th century: read chapter 14, pp. 203-207
 
** West African in the 19th century: chapter 16 (read in full)
 
* [http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/ghana-125817 Ghana: An Oxfam Country Profile], by Julie Naylor. A wonderful, readable overview, and a free download from Oxfam. (Optionally you can also read chapter 1 and skim chapter 2 in the thoroughly excellent [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Ghana%20country%20study.pdf Library of Congress Ghana country study]. I used to assign this book, but it's seriously out of date, and a bit dry...)
 
 
 
''Required to watch:''
 
 
 
Please watch the latter six parts from Basil Davidson's acclaimed BBC Africa series (first two parts optional), created in 1984. Though dated in some ways, they're outstanding. Far more than an academic observer, Davidson, who passed away only recently, in 2010, at the age of 95 (see this [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/09/basil-davidson-obituary obituary in The Guardian] ), was an activist journalist and historian, a charismatic, outstanding, and scathing critic of Europe's colonial history and imperial present, and a prolific writer. A white British citizen, he traveled throughout Africa, at the cusp of independence, where he got to know its people from the inside, and participated as an important voice of its nationalist and post-colonial history. Davidson wrote over 30 books, including histories and novels. These films will stick with you.
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F85dMajmbo0 part 3: Caravans of Gold]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gllHXycznYY part 4: The King and the City]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ONSlDEaoQ part 5: The Bible and The Gun]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMK0oOxccMA part 6: This Magnificent African Cake]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV__Tvv02KU part 7: The Rise of Nationalism]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1j1Bv5f-e0 part 8: Legacy]
 
 
 
 
 
''Browse:''
 
 
 
Browse the [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GH Ethnologue's Languages of Ghana], and note the distribution of languages on a [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=GH&seq=10 map].
 
 
 
Note the [http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ewe position of Ewe within the Niger-Congo family].
 
 
 
Browse [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Du%20Bois/The%20souls%20of%20black%20folk.htm The souls of black folk], by W.E.B Dubois (optional). We will visit the Dubois Center in Accra. You don't have to read this long work, but simply try to develop an appreciation for the tremendous importance of his writings for modern pan-African history.
 
 
 
Browse [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Study_African_Arts_and_Culture_in_Ghana#Maps Maps].
 
 
 
 
 
''Study geography:''
 
 
 
Also please learn to locate all the countries of Africa (and, optionally, their capitals) using [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrquiz.html this interactive map quiz for countries], and [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrcapquiz.html this one for capitals]. I will give you a map quiz at some point during the course, and you can study again in Ghana. But the online materials make studying easier -- dare I say fun?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
''Optional reading'': you may like to get a start on your West African literature assignment. At the University of Ghana you can browse a large collection of novels and plays, but you can also order a novel in advance. [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Preparing_for_the_Ghana_program#Physical_resources See some suggestions here.]
 
 
 
== In Ghana ==
 
 
 
Other materials can be read/watched in Ghana (listed below by instructor and location). NB: this section is especially subject to change, depending on scheduling of instructors...
 
 
 
=== Music 144/444/544  ===
 
 
 
Read chapters 1 & 2 from [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Chernoff%20chs.%201,2.pdf African Music, African Sensibility*], by John Miller Chernoff.
 
 
 
Listen to [http://www.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/kinkadrum/ Kinka: Traditional Songs from Avenorpedo] and read the notes.
 
 
 
Listen to [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=711 Ewe music of Ghana] and read the notes.
 
 
 
[http://aaronbebe.com/ Aaron Bebe] is a master xylophonist and seprewa player. Kofi Atenteben is a master of the atenteben, an Akan  flute adapted by the famous Ghanaian composer Ephraim Amu
 
 
 
Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Documenting%20spoken%20and%20sung%20texts%20of%20the%20Dagaaba.pdf Documenting spoken and sung texts of the Dagaaba*]
 
 
 
[http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/791897 Bewaare: They Are Coming - Degaare Songs and Dances from Nandom, Ghana (Pan (Netherlands), PAN 2052CD, 1995)]; listen and read notes
 
 
 
[http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/563058 Seprewa Kasa performed by Korankye, Osei; Kyerematen, Baffour & Banaman, Alfred Kari (Riverboat, 330051)]; listen and read notes.
 
 
 
=== Music 365/565 ===
 
 
 
The following reading list will be revised - stay tuned:
 
 
 
Music:
 
 
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/The%20problem%20of%20meaning%20(Nketia).pdf The Problem of Meaning in African Music*], J. H. Kwabena Nketia, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan., 1962), pp. 1-7. Landmark article by Africa's most celebrated and important ethnomusicologist and one of its most famous composers.
 
*[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Modern%20African%20Music%20(Euba).pdf Modern African Music (Euba) $] [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/An%20interview%20with%20Nketia.pdf An interview with J.H. Kwabena Nketia]
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1572 Traditional Drumming and Dances of Ghana]; listen and read notes
 
* [http://www.allmusic.com/performance/republic-suite-for-flute-piano-mq0001180350 Republic Suite for Flute], by J.H. Kwabena Nketia (African art music)
 
 
 
 
 
Dance:
 
 
 
*[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Dance%20in%20communal%20life%20(Kwakwa).pdf Dance in Communal Life*]
 
* [http://www.amazon.com/Music-Africa-J-Kwabena-Nketia/dp/0393092496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241844264&sr=1-1 Nketia's The Music of Africa, chapters 18-19]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Chernoff%20chs.%201,2.pdf African Music, African Sensibility*], by John Miller Chernoff (University of Chicago Press, 1981). Chapter 2 (review - you should have already read this; if you haven't, read it!)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/West%20African%20Highlife%20(Collins).pdf The Early History of West African Highlife*]
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Jazz%20feedback%20(Collins).pdf Jazz feedback to Africa*]
 
* Watch: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJKP4PPMzhE Freedom Highlife], by E.T. Mensah and the Tempos
 
* Read:  [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Guitar%20in%20Africa.pdf The guitar in Africa $], by Prof. Andrew Kaye
 
* Optionally, listen: [http://www.emusic.com/album/E-T-Mensah-All-For-You-MP3-Download/10977967.html ET Mensah and the Tempos (RetroAfric/IODA, 1986)] Documents classic Ghanaian highlife from the 1950s and 60s by one of its leading exponent. (also available on iTunes)
 
* Watch: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18495493 Could Ghana's new Azonto dance craze take over the world?]. Azonto is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkLYlWGrFnc Ghana's latest dance style] and it's spread like wildfire, even to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHAPqOTOMs London], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wRueD2NjYE Scandinavia], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwipVO0J0IU Canada], far from its roots lie in inner-city Jamestown, Accra.
 
The following should already have been completed pre-trip:
 
 
 
* Listen and read notes: [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=926 Black music of two worlds (John Storm Roberts collection)]
 
* Listen and read notes: [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/563058 Seprewa Kasa performed by Korankye, Osei; Kyerematen, Baffour & Banaman, Alfred Kari (Riverboat, 330051)]
 
* Listen and read notes: [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/678266 Kwabenah Nyama: Ghana - Musique de Vin de Palme]
 
* Watch: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAzeMQ3l1q4 Highlife: Ghana's Musical Soul] (History of Highlife)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/The%20Ghanaian%20music%20industry%20(Collins).pdf The Ghanaian music industry*]
 
 
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.amazon.com/Music-Africa-J-Kwabena-Nketia/dp/0393092496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241844264&sr=1-1 Nketia's The Music of Africa chapters 10-15 (Section Three).] If you're not musically trained, just skim over the notations and I'll explain them in other ways.
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/mto.00.6.1.anku.html Circles and Time: A Theory of Structural Organization of Rhythm in African Music $] A theory created and promulgated by the late, great ethnomusicologist Prof. Willie Anku.
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Agawu%20-%20The%20Invention%20of%20African%20Rhythm.pdf The invention of African rhythm*], by Kofi Agawu
 
* Optionally, read:  [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Music_Africa.pdf Music in Africa: Structures], by Gerhard Kubik.
 
 
 
* Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/CongoleseRumba.pdf Congolese Rumba and Other Cosmopolitanisms*]
 
* Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/LatinCongo.pdf Latin music in the Congo]
 
* Listen<span style="line-height:21px;"> and read notes: </span>[http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/734691 Immortal Franco]<span style="line-height:21px;"> (should have been completed pre-trip)</span>
 
 
 
 
 
* Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/KombatHandout lecture handout].
 
* Read [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/DrummersDagbon Drummers in Dagbon: The Role of the Drummer in the Damba Festival*]
 
* <span style="line-height:21px;">Also </span>[http://dagomba.uit.tufts.edu browse this web site about Dagomba dance drumming $]<span style="line-height:21px;">.</span>
 
 
 
=== INT D 325/530 ===
 
 
 
Note that in addition to the following readings,
 
you'll each read one novel by a West African author (your choice--there are plenty to choose from in the campus bookstore), as well as Kofi Anyidoho's essay ''The Pan African Ideal in Literatures of the Black World''.
 
 
 
Language and society:
 
 
 
*Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Language%20and%20society%20(Wolff).pdf Language and society $]
 
 
 
 
 
* Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Proposal%20for%20a%20National%20Language.pdf Proposal for a National Language]
 
 
 
 
 
Review the following:
 
 
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Ethnologue%20report%20for%20Ghana.pdf Ethnologue report for Ghana] and
 
[http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Language%20maps%20of%20Ghana.pdf Language map of Ghana] (browse)
 
 
 
History of Ghana:
 
 
 
*Read: Shillington on modern West African history: chapter 20 (focus on West Africa), ch. 21 (pp. 311-324), ch. 22 (fig. 22.3 on p. 334), ch. 23 (pp. 343-349, 353-360), ch. 24, ch. 25, ch. 26 (p. 389-396), ch. 29 (pp. 433-443), ch. 30, ch. 31 (pp. 458-460, 464-469), ch. 32 (pp. 479-481)
 
 
 
*Review: <span style="line-height:20px;"> </span>[http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/ghana-125817 Ghana: An Oxfam Country Profile]<span style="line-height:20px;">, by Julie Naylor. (You should have read this pre-trip.)</span>
 
 
 
*Read Prof. Addo-Fenning's [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Christian_missions_Ghana%20(Addo-Fenning).pdf Christian missions and nation building in Ghana $]
 
 
 
*Optionally examine [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Ghana%20country%20study.pdf Ghana country study] Chapter 1, sections 7.1 - 7.4 (Browse according to your interests. This work is dated but informative.)
 
 
 
Religion:
 
 
 
Read his article: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Dovlo%20-%20Religion%20in%20Ghana/Dovlo%20writings/return%20home%20movements%20in%20Ghana.pdf Return home movements in Ghana*]
 
 
 
Story telling:
 
 
 
Read his [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Story-telling_(Asiama).pdf Story-telling: A crossroad to interdisciplinary Pedagogy and National Development*]
 
 
 
Indigenous slave trade:
 
 
 
Review: Shillington, chapters 12, 16 
 
 
 
Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Perbi%20ch.%201.pdf A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana*], by Prof. Akosua Perbi, Introduction and Chapter 1. (A wonderful book, available for purchase in Ghana.)
 
 
 
Women writing:
 
 
 
Read her [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Women%20writing%20Africa%20(Sutherland-Addy).pdf Women Writing Africa: West Africa and the Sahel*] (Introduction) A rich and extensive treatment of women's writing in the region, with attention to "orature" - skim, then focus on what interests you the most.
 
 
 
 
 
Oral literature:
 
 
 
 
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/The%20back%20(Kofi%20Anyidoho).pdf The back without which there is no front (Anyidoho)*]
 
* Liner notes for [http://kinkadrum.org Kinka: Traditional songs from Avenorpedo] (review)
 
* [http://www.amazon.com/Music-Africa-J-Kwabena-Nketia/dp/0393092496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241844264&sr=1-1 Nketia's The Music of Africa, chapters 16-17]
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/The%20Pan%20African%20Ideal%20(Anyidoho).pdf The Pan African Ideal in Literature of the Black World (Anyidoho)] (review; you should already have read this pamphlet and you'll use it in one of your papers)
 
 
 
Optional: Oral literature of Mali - the Griot
 
 
 
*Browse: [http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/verba-africana/malinke-fr/ Mali: L'Epopée de Soundjata]
 
 
 
*Read: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Sundiata.pdf Sundiata: An epic of old Mali]
 
 
 
*Watch: [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49727&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Keita:%20The%20Heritage%20of%20the%20Griot&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Keita: The Heritage of the Griot]
 
 
 
Dagomba:
 
 
 
*Read:  [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/DagombaDiaspora(Pellow).pdf Internal transmigrants:A Dagomba diaspora]  by Deborah Pellow. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
* Browse [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Du%20Bois/The%20souls%20of%20black%20folk.htm The souls of black folk], by W.E.B Dubois, one of his classic works.
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1031 W.E.B. DuBois: A Recorded Autobiography, Interview with Moses Asch*] (available on Smithsonian Folkways; everyone must listen to this historic recording!)
 
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabom_people Tabom people]
 
* [http://www.jaynii.com JayNii streetwise foundation] for disadvantaged children
 
 
 
 
 
Also see [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/in-ghana-a-pine-box-just-wont-do/article12846609/ this recent article from the Globe and Mail]
 
 
 
*Watch: [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=39449&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Dying%20in%20Africa:%20Perspectives%20on%20the%20End%20of%20Life%20in%20Burkina%20Faso,%20Ghana,%20Mali,%20and%20South%20Africa&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= Dying in Africa: Perspectives on the End of Life in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and South Africa]. Watch first three segments (on Ghana), and final segment on funeral music (in Burkina Faso)
 
 
 
*Listen and read:  [http://kinka.org Kinka CD*] - read the notes carefully (most of which are online).
 
*Optional: [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/My%20mother%20has%20a%20television%20(Burns).pdf My mother has a television], by Professor James Burns (on Ewe funerals)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Slave trade:
 
 
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Dungeon%20tourism%20(Richards).pdf Dungeon Tourism*]
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/The%20Fante%20Asafo.pdf The Fante Asafo $]
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Ghana%27s%20highlife%20music.pdf Ghana's Highlife Music], on the Cape Coast archive. Skim; we may visit [http://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=97 the archive] itself.
 
* Shillington, chapters 12, 16 (review)
 
 
 
Watch the following films:
 
 
 
''Changing Nature: Population and Environment at a Crossroads''. A view of Ghana's environmental issues, especially the rain forests, and their relation to human health and economic welfare...
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= Ghana's Threatened Spirit (04:48)]
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Exploitation and Sustainability in Ghana (02:50)]
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Ghana's mining camps (04:18)]
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Ghana's Public Health Efforts (03:54)]
 
 
 
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=44114&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Dark%20Passages%20&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Dark passages] (Slave trade)
 
 
 
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=3064 Door of no return] (Slave trade)
 
 
 
Optional: [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=49793 Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North]. Katrina Browne was shocked to discover that her distinguished Rhode Island forebears had been part of the largest slave-trading dynasty in American history. Once she started digging, Browne found the evidence everywhere—in ledgers, ships’ logs, letters, and even in a local nursery rhyme. This film documents one family’s painful confrontation with their ancestors’ involvement in the slave trade, and in so doing reveals the pivotal role slavery played in the growth of the American economy.
 
  
Kumasi
 
  
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-aDqgVqzY Yaa Asantewa]
+
'''Grading:'''
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=3076&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20Ashanti%20Kingdom%20(Ghana)&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= The Asante Kingdom]
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=49235 Asante Market Women: Disappearing World]. Focus on Kumasi's enormous central market, and the role there of women.
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41987&loid=92215&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=A%20Fresh%20Look%20at%20Mali,%20Ghana,%20and%20Nigeria&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= A Fresh Look at Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria.] Watch especially parts 5-8 on Ghana (centered on Kumasi).
 
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/latham/koonimo/kointro.htm The Story of Koo Nimo] and his [http://www.bapmaf.com/music/Koo_nimo_Naa_Densu.mp3 palmwine guitar music].
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Guitar%20in%20Africa.pdf The guitar in Africa], by Prof. Andrew Kaye
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=728 Music of the Ashanti of Ghana]; listen and read notes. Note that this and other Smithsonian Folkways albums are available via the [http://www.library.ualberta.ca/databases University of Alberta library database] "Smithsonian Global Sound"
 
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/678266 Kwabenah Nyama: Ghana - Musique de Vin de Palme, Sunday Monday (Kwabenah Nyama: Ghana: palm wine music, Sunday Monday) performed by Nyama, Samuel Kwabena; Poku, Kofi; Duah, Agyemang; Seni, Addas & Annor, Kofi (Buda Musique, 1979352, 2000)]; listen and read notes.
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=39451# Village for women accused of witchcraft]. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19437130 Read this BBC story.]
 
  
Tamale
+
* Music x44: grades depend entirely on participation and contribution to rehearsals and performances.
 +
* Music 365/565:  #2 (50%), plus the following five: #3b, #4, #5, #6 (Mahama, Jeboni, Ziem), #7 (10% each = 50% total)
 +
* INT D: 325/530:  #1 (50%), plus the following five: #3a, #4, #5, #6 (Al-Hassan, Abubakari, Yakong, Longi), #7 (10% each = 50% total)
  
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10510&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20Drums%20of%20Dagbon&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= The Drums of Dagbon]
+
''Assignments are due August 31.''
* [http://dagomba.uit.tufts.edu Website about Dagomba dance drumming]
 
* [http://sil.org/anthro/articles/PressingPatronsWithProverbs.htm Pressing patrons with proverbs: Talking drums at the Tamale markets]
 
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=770 Music of the Dagomba from Ghana]; listen and read notes
 
* [http://www.adrummerstestament.com/ A Drummer's Testament], product of a collaborative ethnographic project with principal authors John M. Chernoff and Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulai, with Kissmal Ibrahim Hussein, Benjamin Danjuma Sunkari,  Mustapha Muhammad, Alhaji Mumuni Abdulai, and Daniel A. Wumbee
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Abubakari%20life%20story.pdf Abubakari life story]
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Takai.pdf About Takai]
 
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/GhanaDocs/Takai%20-%20Takai.mp3 recording of Takai]
 
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=33563# Guinea worm]
 

Latest revision as of 09:42, 26 October 2019

Music for Global Human Development in West Africa

short link: http://bit.ly/ghana17

For general program information see: http://bit.ly/ghanamusic

Academic leader: Professor Michael Frishkopf
Tel. in Ghana TBA; Skype: (617) 275-2589
Teaching partners: University for Development Studies and Youth Home Cultural Group (Tamale)

Overview

Ghana 2017: Music for Global Human Development, July 3 to August 11, 2017

The Department of Music and the Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology are proud to offer Music for Global Human Development in West Africa, centered at the University for Development Studies in northern Ghana (the main campus is located in Tamale, capital of Ghana's Northern Region), preceded by a two days of initial orientation in Accra. The 9 credit (3 course) program will run from July 3 to Aug 11 2017, and offer credit for both the Certificate in International Learning and Certificate in Community Service Learning.

There are routes for both undergraduate and graduate study, and "Open Studies" students who are not enrolled in any university program. The program is available to anyone age 18 and up.


The 9 credit summer program comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Music and dance performance is central, but no musical experience or talent is required to succeed. CSL credit will be provided, as we work in partnership with a local NGO, Youth Home Cultural Group.

The program centers on the role of music (and sound, and all related performance arts -- dance, poetry, drama -- as well as visual arts, costume, design) towards promoting human development, either directly (by carrying specific development messages designed to change attitudes and behaviors, or indirectly, by strengthening social cohesion by reinforcing civil society and strengthening cultural continuity - see the Music for Global Human Development (M4GHD) project and -- for an example -- Singing and Dancing for Health, a recent project in Northern Ghana.

The University of Development Studies covers the spectrum of academic disciplines, with a focus on development. The 9 credit program, which will include the University's new Development Action Through Expressive Media (DATEM), will again include three component courses: (1) African music and dance practice - Music x44; (2) African development (including some historical and cultural background to development issues today) with both classroom and field components; and (3) Music for Global Human Development, extending "music" to "expressive culture" and taking advantage of DATEM offerings, but focused on music and dance approaches primarily.

We will work with UDS faculty on full or half day sessions in order to learn about their research areas, and the ways they apply their research to practical development problems in Ghana's north - particularly in the domains of global health, education, nutrition and poverty alleviation, gender equality, peace and justice, and environment, with reference to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. We will volunteer with Youth Home Cultural Group to support their projects with children and youth in Tamale. Students will also work collaboratively on a music/global health project located in the village of Tolon - see Singing and Dancing for Health - designed to simultaneously address health and social issues. There may also be opportunities for medical students to substitute hospital-based training in Tamale for this segment.

During the course of this program we will spend time in urban and rural areas of Ghana's north, centered on the regional capital of Tamale, with an extended fieldwork stay in the village of Tolon, quite close to Tamale, where the Singing and Dancing for Health project is in progress, as well as a preliminary 2-day orientation period in Accra.

Excursions to sites of natural, historical and cultural interest, including the Mole wildlife preserve, the Larabanga Mosque, and other destinations in the vicinity of Tamale, Wa, or Navrongo are possible through optional weekend trips.

We will spend the first two days in in Accra, studying music, dance, and healing, and touring Accra, for a broader perspective on Ghana as a whole. We will then travel to Tamale, our base for the next five weeks, before spending the final week in a nearby village, Tolon. Weekends will provide opportunities for excursions around Ghana's north. Here is a map displaying these locations, as well as some of our potential travel destinations, with images.

The program comprises 3 courses (9 credits): two in music (Music 144/444/544 "West African Music Ensemble", and Music 365/565 "Topics/Area Studies in Ethnomusicology") and one in interdisciplinary studies (INT D 325 and INT D 530: Development). No prior musical training or ability is required. Airfares are highly dependent on point of origin.

Costs

  • $1,596.24 for 9 UofA credits (3 semester courses)- for Canadians and Canadian residents (more for non-Canadians). Note: non-UofA students register through Open Studies.
  • $800 mandatory fees (attached to Music 365 and 565) - these will be used to cover additional programming
  • $1400 room and board (or $30/day, about $900/month -but you can easily reduce your food costs depending on where you take your meals; room is under $14/day. Much less expensive than living in Canada!)
  • $500 extra funds (estimated & minimal) to cover incidentals, entry to tourist sites, gifts, etc.

Total: $4,296.24 (more for non-Canadians and Open Studies)

Plus:

  • international ticket to Accra: cost can vary greatly; from Edmonton likely to range from $1700 to $2500 depending on timing and airline. Note that you may like to use the trip as an opportunity to explore other locations through stopovers (often free) in Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. This is completely acceptable so long as you arrive in Accra by the start date, and don't depart before the final program day.
  • cost of visa/photos (Ghana requires a visa which you can obtain by mail from Toronto or Ottawa; be sure you have a passport not expiring imminently.
  • vaccines & insurance (if needed). Note: everyone requires a Yellow Fever vaccine - the vaccination card is required to obtain a visa and must be carried to Ghana for entry.

Scholarships:

  • The first 15 UofA students to apply will receive $1750 each; non-UofA students will receive $500 each.

Courses:

  • grad route:
    • Music 565 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
    • Music 544 "West African Music Ensemble"
    • INT D 530 "West African Development"
  • undergrad route:
    • Music 365 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
    • Music 144 or 444 "West African Music Ensemble"
    • INT D 325 "West African Development"


Course schedules

See program map for locations of places mentioned in the following table.

Arrival in Accra by July 2 - Departure from Accra from August 12.

July 3-9 July 10-16 July 17-23 July 24-30 July 31-Aug 6 Aug 7-11
Monday Accra visits; physical-social-spiritual power of music with Kofi Atenteben M4GHD & fieldwork M4GHD & fieldwork M4GHD & fieldwork M4GHD & fieldwork Tolon
Tuesday Accra visits; physical-social-spiritual power of music with Kofi Atenteben UDS: Mr. Salifu Jebuni The aesthetics of African Music/Dance with particular reference to the Dagbamba Visit to traditional drummers UDS: Dr. Abdulai Abubakari, Divination: An all-encompassing socio-cultural reality Visiting to a Diviner UDS: Dr. Felix Longi The History of Slavery in Northern Ghana; Visit to Sakpuli individual project work Tolon
Wednesday UDS: orientation; Tamale & campus tours, settle into Catholic Guest House UDS: Prof. Amin Alhassan Communications for Development - Visit to an NGO Visit development org & individual project work Visit development org & individual project work individual project work Tolon
Thursday UDS: Dr. Salifu Mahama Culture and ethnic groups of the North; Visiting a female Chief YHCG & CSL YHCG & CSL YHCG & CSL YHCG & CSL Tolon
Friday Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) intro performance/workshop & CSL initial visit (youth group) YHCG & CSL YHCG & CSL YHCG & CSL CSL performance; Tolon prep with YHCG Tolon
Saturday YHCG & CSL Mole/Larabanga/Daboya Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga with Dr. Vida Yakong; SWOPA Individual projects or Wa sites - optional trip Tolon Depart Tamale morning and Accra in evening
Sunday Fieldwork (church, mosque, wedding, funeral) Mole/Larabanga/Daboya Navrongo/Paga/Gambaga Individual projects or Wa sites - optional trip Tolon


West African Music Ensemble (Music 144/444/544)

This course focuses on several indigenous (not European, not mediated, not characteristically Christian or Muslim) styles of Ghanaian music, song, and dance, through listening, watching, and doing. You will learn to perform these styles, and meanwhile learn their context and significance, as a means of understanding local culture. We will work with trained instructors in Accra and Tamale; learning will be immersive to a greater extent in the village setting (Tolon).

July 3-4: Traditional music, song, and dance of Ghana, with Kofi Atenteben and friends (Accra)

July 7 - Aug 4: Traditional music, song, and dance of the Dagomba people, and the "dance drama" as a tool for development (Tamale, with Youth Home Cultural Group). Here you will be using what you learn from master drummers and dancers at Youth Home , as well as from professors affiliated with the West African Development course, to create your own dance drama to share with local urban youth in Tamale. You will also receive some basic lessons in relevant languages, appropriate for pronouncing song lyrics as well as basic greetings.

Aug 5 - 11: Traditional music, song, and dance of the Dagomba people, and the "dance drama" as a tool for development (in Tolon, a nearby village). You will learn through interactions with two local (community and school) groups. Here, other music-related research and performance activities will also be scheduled.

You will also be exposed to a range of other northern Ghanaian musical styles, as available through our weekend trips.


Music 365/565 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"

This course introduces you to the concept of "music for human development"; here "music" is interpreted broadly to include all related performance culture, especially dance, poetry, and drama.

Weekly theoretical overview lectures/discussions will take place on Mondays ( Prof. Michael Frishkopf), including an introduction to concepts, as well as to best practices for fieldwork.

Topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in performing arts for development and wellbeing (see above schedule)

This course will include an overview/discussion session every Monday, followed by one or two full days per week comprising:

  • A required reading, assigned in advance
  • A related lecture/discussion
  • A field visit

We will also integrate activities with related NGOs, including Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG), Farm Radio, Right to Play, and others. The course will include a CSL component, working through YHCG to interact with local youth through music, in order to develop dance dramas oriented towards development themes of local importance, and to develop friendships through musical exchange, as well as working with "music drama for development" groups in our village field site, Tolon, where other music-related research and performance activities will also be scheduled. There are thus two distinct CSL projects, one in Tamale and the other in Tolon, each centering on dance dramas.

INT D 325 or 530: "West African Development"

This course provides an introduction to development in northern Ghana, in theory and in practice, through case studies in a variety of fields, possibly including education, public health, agriculture, environmental science, and other areas. It includes an initial overview of northern Ghanaian society and culture in general, followed by topical lectures, workshops, and field visits led by instructors involved in development, 1-2 days per week.

Instructors are listed in the schedule above.


Each session will comprise:

  • A required reading, assigned in advance
  • A related lecture/discussion
  • A field visit

During our stay in Tolon you will have various development-related fieldwork projects to work on, including an interview-based assessment of people's work and how they feel about what they do, an interview-based study of musical change and its development implications, and an observational inquiry into local healing practices, and the role of expressive culture.

Community Service Learning

All three courses contribute towards your CSL experience, in collaboration with Youth Home Cultural Group (YHCG) and University for Development Studies (UDS). CSL activities will take place in two locations: (1) the city of Tamale, where we'll be working together with YHCG to develop--with local youth-- dance dramas to address development themes, to be determined - these sessions will take place in the afternoons, following training with YHCG and lunch; (2) the rural district of Tolon, where we'll be working with two performance groups that already use music and dance drama as a development tool (one based in a school deploys music/dance for public health; the other, in a community, for climate and ecosystem change adaptation and resilience ) to help them document their performances, assess their impact, and learn to teach it, thereby helping ensure sustainability of group and repertoire. You will write two short reports documenting each project, including reflections on the CSL experience. (See Assignments below.)

Weekend trips

The above three courses will be enhanced and extended through immersive learning in the course of weekend field trips. We will organize at least two excursions to various locations marked on the map (see above), including an overnight to Mole National Park (where you will enjoy seeing wildlife, including elephants, close at hand). Wherever possible we will bring a focus upon human development issues, and also try to learn as much as possible about local expressive culture, particularly music. Your fieldwork skills will be brought into play as you learn through participant observation and informal interviews, as well as audio-visual documentation and fieldnotes.

Preparation and Resources

See Preparing for the Ghana program.

On that page, required and optional course resources (books, articles, music, video, etc.) are listed here.

Assignments and Grading

The following assignments were set out on Monday July 10, 2017. They are due by August 31, 2017.

Lengths refer to 1.5 spaced, 1 inch margins (not including bibliography). Any citation/bibliographic style is fine - please just be consistent. Lengths are minima and also sufficient; you can write more but please don't go too far past the lengths listed.

1. Individual project paper. Begin with your proposal (which I'd asked you to submit early in the trip, but feel free to modify or expand it here), then add results and future directions (including the PAR project itself).

Cite references/sources throughout, including readings assigned for M4GHD, all components of UDS days (readings, lectures, and field notes for afternoon visits), as well as all other field notes, with attention to initial days in Accra, weekend trips (to Mole/Larabanga/Daboya and to Bolgatanga/Paga), NGO visits (or their websites, including organizations we visited together-- JayNii, Youth Home, Right to Play, Farm Radio, Shea Nut collective in Sagnarigu, Shekinah clinic -- or any other organization you visited on your own), and interviews, as well as secondary sources (books, book chapters, articles, reports) you may locate, always remaining critically aware of the continuum between reference (a sequence of statements interpreted as independent truths) and source (a sequence of statements interpreted as utterances of an author in a context).

NB: all of the above can be cited in the body of your paper (author date format is easiest), and listed in your bibliography. (To save lots of time and headache use a citation manager such as zotero.org or Refworks or Endnote.) Generally you may cite descriptive field notes by date, with yourself as author, but list interviews and lectures by speaker as author.

As much as possible, strive to weave together all that you have learned - for instance, an NGO might provide a comparative example, or inspire some portion of your project, even if the specific topic (e.g. shea nuts) is irrelevant to your interests.

Length : at least 10 pages.

Structure as follows :

  • aim and significance
  • background (topic and scope), including sources treating Ghana, the north, Dagomba, Tamale, etc in general terms.
  • scope (specific area of action: who/what/when/where)
  • specific problems or questions to be addressed (including any theoretical framework)
  • methods used (including comparisons: urban/rural or Tamale/Tolon)
  • results and interpretations
  • future directions, including a proposed PAR project for subsequent implementation. Include project design as well as a means of assessing its impact. Consider: health, education, environment, tourism, cultural continuity, social cohesion. Remember to address participatory dimensions of PAR - who comprises the team?

NB: if you can frame your PAR project as M4GHD (including any performing arts), perhaps using the C4D paradigm, great (but this is not a requirement)

2. Group project paper (M4GHD CSL PAR): working with youth in Tamale and in Tolon). NB: though you carried out the project together, the papers are to be prepared individually.

Structure : as #1 above, but in this case you actually completed the PAR project, at least an initial iteration, and in two different locations, so the PAR component can be fully described. After providing aim/significance, background, problems, and methods, describe what happened in each location, compare locations, assess impact, and reflect on differences in process and outcome. What might a new PAR cycle bring? How did your project support the aims of CSL? (our local partner was Youth Home, a registered NGO).

Length : at least 10 pages.

3. Interviews. At least one interview for each of the following two types : a. work and life b. musical change

Decide how to combine paraphrase and transcript, and how to integrate them. You can also submit recordings if you made them. Add photos if possible and indicate whether you have permission to make this material public.

Length: at least 1-2 pages.

4. Sound walk, at least one. Describe location and time, before summarizing the walk itself, and conclude with some interpretation of what you heard. Include recordings if you made them.

Length: at least 1-2 pages.

5. Descriptive event ethnography. Select an event (we witnessed or participated in many - most including music of some sort), probably already described in your field notes. Now set about describing it more systematically. Begin by selecting and justifying the descriptive frame(s) used as a strategy for organizing your description (essentially, used to convert a multidimensional event to a linear stream of prose). Each frame corresponds to a particular dimension of performance: chronological (what happens when?), spatial (what happens where?), personal (who does what? perhaps following a person around...), musical/sonic (e.g. what is the progression of sound densities, tempos...?), or any other organizational strategy. Supplement with media or schematics (e.g. maps, diagrams, sketches), as you wish.

Length: at least 1-2 pages.

6. UDS sessions. One critical summary for each of the 7 UDS session (including any assigned reading, lecture, discussion, and field trip):

  • Prof Edward Mahama
  • Prof Salifu Jeboni
  • Prof Amin Al-Hassan
  • Prof Abdulai Abubakari
  • Prof Vida Yakong
  • Prof Felix Longi
  • Prof Romulus Ziem

Length: At least two paragraphs for each, the first descriptive, and the second critically evaluative).

7. Daily field notes (listed by date) as a text file, plus a link to your accompanying blog/website (more selective and media-rich, including photos, audio, video). (Note: I will not share the former with anyone, whereas the latter should be prepared for public access.)

Length: no minimum length but ordinarily I will expect to see an entry for every day, or nearly so...




Grading:

  • Music x44: grades depend entirely on participation and contribution to rehearsals and performances.
  • Music 365/565: #2 (50%), plus the following five: #3b, #4, #5, #6 (Mahama, Jeboni, Ziem), #7 (10% each = 50% total)
  • INT D: 325/530: #1 (50%), plus the following five: #3a, #4, #5, #6 (Al-Hassan, Abubakari, Yakong, Longi), #7 (10% each = 50% total)

Assignments are due August 31.