This freshman seminar examines the homelessness problem from a variety of scientific and policy perspectives. Contemporary homelessness differs significantly from related conditions of destitute poverty during other eras of our nation's history. Advocates, researchers and policymakers have all played key roles in defining the current problem, measuring its prevalence, and designing interventions to reduce it. The first section of this course examines the definitional and measurement issues, and how they affect our understanding of the scale and composition of the problem. Explanations for homelessness have also been varied, and the second part of the course focuses on examining the merits of some of those explanations, and in particular, the role of the affordable housing crisis. The third section of the course focuses on the dynamics of homelessness, combining evidence from ethnographic studies of how people become homeless and experience homelessness, with quantitative research on the patterns of entry and exit from the condition. The final section of the course turns to the approaches taken by policymakers and advocates to address the problem, and considers the efficacy and quandaries associated with various policy strategies. The course concludes by contemplating the future of homelessness research and public policy.

Throughout Africa, social and cultural identities of ethnicity, gender, generation, rank and status were conveyed in a range of personal ornamentation that reflects the variation of African cultures. The meaning of one particular item of clothing can transform completely when moved across time and space. As one of many forms of expressive culture, dress shape and give forms to social bodies. In the study of dress and fashion, we could note two distinct broad approaches, the historical and the anthropological. While the former focuses on fashion as a western system that shifted across time and space, and linked with capitalism and western modernity; the latter approach defines dress as an assemblage of modification the body. The Africanist proponents of this anthropological approach insisted that fashion is not a dress system specific to the west and not tied with the rise of capitalism. This course will focus on studying the history of African dress by discussing the forces that have impacted and influenced it overtime, such as socio-economic, colonialism, religion, aesthetics, politics, globalization, and popular culture. The course will also discuss the significance of the different contexts that impacted the choices of what constitute an appropriate attire for distinct situations. African dress in this context is not a fixed relic from the past, but a live cultural item that is influenced by the surrounding forces.

This course examines how we as consumers in the "Western" world engage with musical difference largely through the products of the global entertainment industry. We examine music cultures in contact in a variety of ways-- particularly as traditions in transformation. Students gain an understanding of traditional music as live, meaningful person-to-person music making, by examining the music in its original site of production, and then considering its transformation once it is removed, and recontextualized in a variety of ways. The purpose of the course is to enable students to become informed and critical consumers of "World Music" by telling a series of stories about particular recordings made with, or using the music of, peoples culturally and geographically distant from the US. Students come to understand that not all music downloads containing music from unfamiliar places are the same, and that particular recordings may be embedded in intriguing and controversial narratives of production and consumption. At the very least, students should emerge from the class with a clear understanding that the production, distribution, and consumption of world music is rarely a neutral process.

This course critically examines stereotype threat and impostor phenomenon as they relate to African Americans. Both stereotype threat and impostor phenomenon negatively affect African Americans. The apprehension experienced by African Americans that they might behave in a manner that confirms an existing negative cultural stereotype is stereotype threat, which usually results in reduced effectiveness in African Americans' performance. Stereotype threat is linked with impostor phenomenon. Impostor phenomenon is an internal experience of intellectual phoniness in authentically talented individuals, in which they doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fraud. While stereotype threat relies on broad generalization, the impostor phenomenon describes feelings of personal inadequacy, especially in high-achieving African Americans. This course will explore the evolving meanings connected to both stereotype threat and impostor phenomenon in relation to African Americans.

Intermediate level courses in a variety of African languages: Igbo, Shona, WoloWololof, Malagasy, Chichewa, Setswana, Manding, Afrikaans, Setswana. on oral proficiency and productive language skills. All course are langauge specfic and follow ACTFL proficiency guidelines. Prerequisite: Offered through Penn Language Center.

Intermediate level courses in a variety of African languages: Igbo, Shona, WoloWololof, Malagasy, Chichewa, Setswana, Manding, Afrikaans, Setswana. on oral proficiency and productive language skills. All course are langauge specfic and follow ACTFL proficiency guidelines. Prerequisite: Offered through Penn Language Center.

Sudan is a country with a rich history and diverse cultures and people. Sudan is surrounded by nine countries. Two of Sudan's neighbors have Arabic as their official language (Egypt & Libya). While in neighboring Chad and Eritrea, Arabic is widely spoken. The only barrier that divides Sudan from Arabia is the Red Sea. Arabic is the official language of the Sudan, and Sudanese pidgin Arabic (Juba Arabic) is widely used in the southern part of the country. Sudanese colloquial Arabic has close resemblance to Egyptian Colloquial Arabic and to Classical Arabic. Sudanese colloquial Arabic is also spoken and is intelligible in Eritrea, Chad, Nigeria and many places in West Africa. This course will focus on speaking, listening, reading, & writing Sudanese Arabic through the followings: 1- Speaking: Conversing in Sudanese Arabic in various settings. 2- Reading & Writing: Reading and writing of Sudanese Arabic Texts. 3- Listening: Listening to various audio recordings of Sudanese Arabic in different forms and settings.

Intermediate level courses in a variety of African languages: Igbo, Shona, Wolof, Malagasy, Chichewa, Setswana, Manding, Afrikaans, Setswana. Focus on oral proficiency and productive language skills. All course are langauge specfic and follow ACTFL proficiency guidelines. Prerequisite: Offered through Penn Language Center.

Intermediate level courses in a variety of African languages: Igbo, Shona, Wolof, Malagasy, Chichewa, Setswana, Manding, Afrikaans, Setswana. Focus on oral proficiency and productive language skills. All course are langauge specfic and follow ACTFL proficiency guidelines. Prerequisite: Offered through Penn Language Center.