E-mail Address: DrRGray@aol.com
My Spiritual Pan African Studies Project PYRAMID Project EXCEL Afrocentric Projects
Heritage Pathways CA State Univ., Northridge DuBois-Hamer Institute UCLA Community Collaborative K-12 Curriculum Development
CSUN CSUN DuBois-Hamer Institute Program Development
Program Evaluation
pan African studies
Department
California State University, Northridge
{Selected Courses }
Introduction to Black Culture Strategies for Black Child Development Black World News Practicum
“KNOW THYSELF”
Pan African Studies Goal and Objective
u Our goal is community empowerment & self-sufficiency through academic and leadership development
u Our objective is the provision of culturally proficient skills and expertise, and cultivation of African
self-determination
u These aggregated skills contribute towards community capacity-building & development, in order to
restore African empowerment and self-sufficiency.
TOWARDS DECOLONIZATION OF THE MIND AND ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE OF SELF
I. EXPAND AND REORIENT ONE'S PERSONAL CONSCIOUSNESS
II. BREAK THE CHAINS OF CONCEPTUAL INCARCERATION OF EUROPEAN
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
III. CONFRONT THE PROBLEM OF THE FALSIFICATION OF HISTORY
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Know
Thyself 
“There are a people, now forgotten,
who discovered while others were yet barbarians,
the elements of the arts and sciences. A race of men
now ejected from society for their sable skin and frizzled hair,
founded on the study of the laws of nature, civil and religious systems
which still govern the universe.” (Count Volney, The Ruins of Empires, 1990)
Pan African Studies Department
E-Mail: DrRGray@aol.com
COURSE OVERVIEW
Course Description:
This is a general survey course in African-American culture, examining its origins, its significance in the modern world, and its distinguishing characteristics. It also explores the role of culture in the formation of Pan African studies as a social and academic movement. The purpose of the course is to develop competency in cultural analysis, familiarize students with world views, and the impact of cultural values on our everyday lives. There will be a combination of lectures, class discussions, audio-visual aids, and a culminating research assignment to help students sufficiently grasp the course topics.
The course content is divided into six primary topics.
I. Pan African Studies & Its Cultural Foundation
II. The African Origins of Civilization
III. The Dimensions of African-American Culture
IV. Comparative Study of African-American Culture with Other Selected Cultures
V. The Future Trends of African-American Culture
VI. Cultural Analysis Competency and its Significance
Class Format:
The class will incorporate an interactive format. Students will be divided into groups, representing African empires. Each group will organize cooperatively and allocate its own tasks. These cooperative groups will be assigned topics or materials for class discussion. In addition, basic information will be presented through lectures and audio-visual aids.
Course Objectives:
1. To expose students to the Pan African perspective in the study of African people
and raise consciousness about an African-centered social reality.
2. To cultivate critical thinking skills for processing information, as it relates to
miseducation, subeducation, or education of African people.
3. To provide students with a firm academic base geared towards relevant
career pursuits and an enlightened educational experience.
4. To expose students to Afrocentric research and develop research skills in gathering
and interpreting diverse strands of information.
5. To orient students towards “giving back” to their community as a future change agent.
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STRATEGIES FOR BLACK CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Pan African Studies Department
I. COURSE OVERVIEW
Textbooks: Wilson, Amos, Awakening the Natural Genius of Black Children
PAS 421 Reader
A. Course Description
This course is designed to give students exposure and hands-on experience with Black child development in an Afrocentric program setting, in order to raise consciousness about the significance of community service in the African-American tradition. Students will apply Afrocentric theory to an analysis of real-world strategies used for Black child development. A review and synthesis of Black child development models will be the initial focus, followed by instruction in the program development and planning process. Consciousness raising focuses on instilling a praxis for community service, in order to empower students to act as advocates for their community. Targeted conceptual skills encompass a socio-cultural framework for understanding the unique developmental process of African-American children, and an application of planning theory relevant to program development and evaluation. The purpose of the course is to provide an arena for service in culturally relevant programs, and to document how the community benefits from these unique endeavors. Through this involvement, students are encouraged to join a self-help tradition in their community, by becoming change agents and conduits of social progress. Ultimately, students will be expected to acquire cultural competency skills that can be utilized in their personal and professional pursuits to expand the core of culturally innovative and effective community-based programs.
Consequently, in
this proposed course students will learn how the Afrocentric perspective is
applied to exemplary youth/child development programs in their community. An
initial overview of the history of African-American settlement, social
formation, and institution-building in
B. Academic Objectives
[ To channel student energies for contributing time and talent to programs utilizing Black child
development models in a practical real-world situation
[ To develop cultural competency skills in understanding how the Afrocentric perspective is infused
in program strategies to strengthen the positive self-concept and actualize the potential of Black
children and youth
[ To facilitate exposure to action research and the application of planning theory to program
development and evaluation/assessment
[ To ultimately learn from and share with the African-American community effective strategies for
utilizing its unique socio-cultural values and resources to meet the contemporary challenges
facing African-American children and youth
C. Class Format
The class will incorporate a seminar format, with an emphasis on active learning. Students will be organized into groups based on a shared field placement, and these groups will form their own identity from traditional African empires or societies. Each group will organize cooperatively and allocate its own tasks. Also each cooperative group will be assigned materials for class discussion, and produce a program profile report based on the field placement research.
Phase I Student Learning Outcome: Awareness of Community
4 Weeks We will meet in the classroom reviewing Black child development models,
program development strategies and evaluation research procedures—in preparation
for the program profile research and report.
Phase II Student Learning Outcome: Involvement With Community
10 Weeks This period will revolve around the field placement and program profile research.
During placement we will communicate through e-mail and scheduled meetings
re: group progress interim written reports. (Week 10 represents a transition to Phase III.)
Phase III Student Learning Outcome: Commitment to Service
2 Weeks Class sessions will resume to finalize and present the program profile research,
and discuss lessons learned about commitment to community service.
Course Study Areas
1. Overview of Community Service in the African-American Community
2. Formation & Demographic Profile of
the
3. Review of Black Child Development Models
4. Action Research Approach & Planning Theory
5. Applied Theoretical Black Child Development Strategies
6. Constructing a Praxis in Community Service Learning
7. Program Profile on Strategies for Black Child Development
Course Requirements
1. Read assigned materials and participate in class discussion
2. Take the mid-term exam
3. Complete the field placement (at least 3 hours per week)
4. Conduct the program profile research and produce an oral and written report
D. Participation Requirements
Overall, every student will be required to participate in community service activities, and contribute towards the program profile. Students will be given a "schedule of performance" that outlines their participant observation tasks for each week Students will also perform all community service activities, as mutually agreed between themselves and the program directors. During the community service placement there will be mandatory scheduled progress reports in class during the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th weeks. Students will be required to fulfill the following:
w Read assigned materials and participate in class discussions
w Perform all preparatory written and oral assignments & take the mid-term exam
w Complete the requisite hours of community service
w Conduct the program profile research
w
Produce an oral and written report.
Pan African Studies Department
CLASS PROJECTS
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” (Frederick Douglas)
Over the past thirty years California State University, Northridge has gone through drastic changes. The name of the campus has changed along with its design. What was once a predominately white, middle – class school is now one of the most ethnically diverse California campuses. It is safe to say that without the type of radical and urgent action, which was taken on November 4th 1968, this school would not be close to what it is today. The attaining of the Afro-American Studies Department led to the Chicano, Asian-American and Native-American studies’ departments on this campus. Archie Chatman and his team of revolutionaries set the tone and demanded change. Their legacy and the legacy of this department will forever be included in the history of this school, this state, and this country in a time when sitting still could no longer be an option. It was a time when making moves and being “radical” was a way of everyday life and a means of survival. The influence and result of their actions could not have been foreseen, but if success is measured by the difference one makes, the Valley State Black Student Union (BSU) of 1968 was a local and national success. The student revolt on November 4th should never be forgotten. It is a piece of every CSUN minority, and an important part of the Civil Rights movement. The “Valley State 19” went to prison to fight for our freedom and equality. Their contribution to the students on this campus is immeasurable.
The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to equip all students with as much knowledge and information about the establishment of the Pan African Studies Department as possible. Through an array of surveys, interviews and factual data we, as a class, have attempted to eradicate myths about the formation of the Pan African Studies Department. Our additional objective is to share with you the minds and hearts of our students, professors and Black student organizations.
d We know that students benefit from the Pan-African Studies Department, but do we know exactly how it was formed?
Out of the 76 students surveyed, 71% of lower division PAS majors and 54% of upper division non-PAS majors were unfamiliar with the formation of the department.
d In addition, how many students are informed about November 4thand how it relates to the formation of the Department?
Our findings indicate that 67% of the upper division PAS majors and 81% of the upper division non-PAS majors
had no information about the significance of November 4th as the date the department was formed.
d Do you feel that the Department has lived up to its original objectives?
Statistics show 41% of the lower division students and 29% of the upper division students felt that the Department
has, while 35% of the lower division students and 53% of the upper division students felt that the department had
“somewhat” achieved its objectives.
d What knowledge does today’s students have of the BSU movement on campus?
BSU is the 1st Black organization formed on the Northridge campus but 76% of the lower division students and 45% of the upper division students had no information of the BSU movement on campus. On the bright side 47%
of the upper division students had some information of the BSU movement on campus.
MYTHS:
d Black students in 1968 held up the president of Valley State at gun point
d Some black students kidnapped the president and barricaded Sierra Hall until the school president said it
was okay to have a Black Studies department.
d Some professors wanted to give black people an opportunity to explore their culture and their own roots,
so they decided to form this department.
d November 4th is when they got the go ahead to make the PAS department recognized by the university.
d The University was honored to establish this department on this campus and congratulated the BSU
members for their efforts in diversity.
FACT:
The Pan African Studies (PAS) Department was founded by the Black Student Union (BSU) due to racism and unequal educational opportunities at CSUN (formerly San Fernando Valley State College). Students fought, protested and demanded that the President establish the Department. On November 4, 1968, the BSU took over the Administration Building (currently Student Services Building) in the CSUN’s President’s office, in order to address these inequities and underrepresentation of Black students and faculty. On 1-8-69 and 1-9-69 the BSU, other CSUN student groups, and Black community members held massive demonstrations in the “free speech” area (formerly in front of the Matador Bookstore) demanding that the CSUN administration honor the November 4th agreement. The administration responded with a massive show of force by the Los Angeles Police Department, who were brought on campus to squelch and prevent these mass demonstrations. There were many occasions of excessive police violence and brutality, and 275 students were arrested. Several student activists were charged with felony crimes, and were tried, convicted, and served time in prison. This is the only university in the U.S. that charged Black student activists with felony crimes during the struggle to establish a Black Studies Department.
Click here for the rest of the SANKOFA FACT SHEET.
Click here to access the SANKOFA Newsletter.
E-mail Address: DrRGray@aol.com
My Spiritual Pan African Studies Project PYRAMID Project EXCEL Afrocentric Projects
Heritage Pathways CA State Univ., Northridge DuBois-Hamer Institute UCLA Community Collaborative K-12 Curriculum Development
CSUN CSUN DuBois-Hamer Institute Program Development
Program Evaluation
