Academic Catalog

Diasporas (C038)

Concentration Coordinator: Dale Chapman

The concept of the diaspora plays an extraordinarily important role in our understanding of contemporary culture. Through the diasporic processes of movement and displacement, cultures become caught up in an ongoing flow that links local communities to a rich global network of cultural practices and worldviews. These flows raise a number of questions: In what way do diasporic cultures respond to the dynamics of displacement, migration, and oppression? How might different media or diverse perspectives offer alternative understandings and expressions of these responses? In what way do diasporas from previous eras differ from those that have emerged from the contemporary contexts of globalization, the migration of refugees, and the turbulence of contemporary geopolitics?

Concentration Requirements

Complete four courses designated with the (C038) concentration attribute from at least two departments/programs. Courses must include at least one course from list A and list B.

List A

AFR/ENG 223Survey of Literatures of the Caribbean

List B

FRE 208Introduction to the Francophone World

Active course offerings include:

AFR 119Cultural Politics
AFR 201Race, Ethnicity, and Feminist Thought
AFR 223Survey of Literatures of the Caribbean
AFR 269Narrating Slavery
AFR 309Freedom in the Iberian Black Atlantic
AFR 325Black Feminist Literary Theory and Practice
AMST 119Cultural Politics
AMST 240IFrench in Maine
ENG 223Survey of Literatures of the Caribbean
ENG 269Narrating Slavery
ENG 325Black Feminist Literary Theory and Practice
FRE S50Independent Study
FRE 208Introduction to the Francophone World
FRE 240FBorders and Disorders
FRE 240IFrench in Maine
FRE 379Documenting the Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda
GSS 201Race, Ethnicity, and Feminist Thought
GSS 325Black Feminist Literary Theory and Practice
HISP 317Screening Citizenship: Jewish Latin American Film
LALS 309Freedom in the Iberian Black Atlantic
LALS 317Screening Citizenship: Jewish Latin American Film

Courses Taken Outside of Bates

One non-Bates course may be applied toward the concentration if judged comparable to one of those below by the concentration coordinator and with prior approval.

Declaration Restrictions

Bates Default: Students who have declared this concentration may declare any other major, minor, or concentration.

Other Considerations

Students are encouraged to participate in service-learning experiences with local diasporas in Lewiston/Auburn and Maine. One approved co-curricular component may be substituted for one of the four required courses.