AFRICAN Literature in Curriculum
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This argumentative essay begins with an explanation of why it is so problematic to try and incorporate African literature into the English curriculum at a community college. The problem is that conventional teaching and the media often portray Africa and Africans as an uncivilized and wild culture that borders between tribal custom and starvation. However, this paragraph argues that modern economic and global trends are making this image increasingly difficult to perpetuate because of an increased awareness among educators, students and the media. The paragraph argues that literature is an excellent way to afford students the information they need to reassess this conventional teaching and perspective on Africa and Africans. The next paragraph argues that the only way the obstacles can be overcome for most educators in accepting African literature into the curriculum is for them to honestly reassess their beliefs and learning concerning the slave trade, both in Africa and the U.S., both for blacks and whites. The final paragraph argues that another obstacle to incorporating African literature into the English curriculum is changing the mindset of educators to enable them to be more conscious about the value of this kind of literature for helping students of all colors with identity development.There are many problems associated with integrating African li
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es and literature like Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and The Dark Child, by Camara Laye, allow students to understand the places, events, political and social situations that have had an impact on African. Just as importantly, they help students both black and white understand the rich civilization that existed in Africa before missionaries brought “civilization” to it. As one professor who specializes in teaching African literature relates, new definitions emerge from the teaching of African literature which allow students a broader understanding of both pre- and post-colonialist society in Africa: “Since most students have been taught that Africans are uncivilized, to prove to the students that Africans had a rich civilization before the advent of Europeans, the students will be provided with a working definition of civilization. The several characteristics of this definition of civilization will help the students determine the degree of sophistication that existed in Africa before the advent of the missionaries. This method will allow the students to be consistent in determining the civility of African tradition and culture” (Carberry 2). Novels are an excellent way of affording students the information they need
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1212
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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