Course watch

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Dec 27, 2007

Dr. Alex Perullo, professor of anthropology and African studies at Bryant University in Rhode Island, was recently honored with the Akula Award for Innovative Teaching in recognition of his approach to teaching the course, "African Popular Culture." According to the syllabus, students examine multiple forms of music, literature and art in sub-Saharan Africa to better comprehend daily life in African countries. He developed the course, he says, "because the African continent and its people are often misrepresented in Western media. The images, information, and sounds we encounter [about Africa] come from media coverage that presents stereotypical conceptions of the continent rather than well-rounded debates about dally life," Perullo says.

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