PHIL-112 Introduction to African Philosophy
This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the worldview of traditional African philosophy using the categories and methods of Western philosophy and including the historical and cultural milieu of Africa as well as African visual arts and proverbs, African drumming, dance, and song, as repositories of and ways to express traditional African philosophical wisdom.
Prerequisite
Eligible to enroll in
ENGL-121
Hours Weekly
1
Course Objectives
- 1. Describe traditional African philosophy as expressed by Western-trained African philosophers; analyze the traditional worldview with respect to metaphysics, especially human nature, the cosmos, and ultimate reality; epistemology or knowledge theory, especially the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge in proverbs and art motifs; and axiology or values with regard to ethics and the moral life.
- 2. Compare and contrast traditional African and Western philosophy under the categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.
- 3. Define, explain, and critically examine the unique features of traditional African philosophy, its influence on African life and thought, and the potential contribution of this worldview in offering aesthetic and ethical perspectives on the challenges facing the modern world.
Course Objectives
- 1. Describe traditional African philosophy as expressed by Western-trained African philosophers; analyze the traditional worldview with respect to metaphysics, especially human nature, the cosmos, and ultimate reality; epistemology or knowledge theory, especially the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge in proverbs and art motifs; and axiology or values with regard to ethics and the moral life.
- 2. Compare and contrast traditional African and Western philosophy under the categories of metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.
- 3. Define, explain, and critically examine the unique features of traditional African philosophy, its influence on African life and thought, and the potential contribution of this worldview in offering aesthetic and ethical perspectives on the challenges facing the modern world.