Lesson, Lesson Plan or Course Syllabus on Africa and/or Diaspora Critique
Your name: Abdul Awali
Title of the Resource: Introduction to African Diaspora Studies
Source (web address): https://faculty.ithaca.edu/seversley/docs/syllabi/African_Diaspora/
| Summary of the resource you selected? |
| A course on the introduction to African Diaspora Studies. The course will study origins and roots of African people across different settings. |
| Who is the target audience (learner level) for this resource? |
| It’s an introductory college class. |
| Does the author have a clear idea of what they want students to do? Why or why not? |
| Yes, the author has a clear goal because the course objectives are clearly defined and all assignments for the course is fully laid out. |
| Are the objectives chosen appropriate for the target audience they outlined? |
| Yes. |
| Are there any learning objectives that you would revise, and how would you revise them? |
| I will not make any revision. |
| Are there other learning objectives that could be added? |
| The objective is broad enough for an introductory class. |
| Do the assessments seem to match the objectives? Give an example. |
| Yes, they match. The final exam for the course is a book review of “Between the World and Me.” In the book the author talks about the reality of being black in the U.S. And in the objectives, it is stated that students should be able to understand issues in the African Diaspora. |
| Do the learning activities match the objectives? Give an example. |
| Yes, one of the objectives is for students to learn about historical linkages of Africa between the U.S. And in the learning activities, students are supposed to read an article titled “Everyday Africa New Jersey” in which the author talks about African culture in America. |
| Do the activities prepare the students for the assessment? Explain how. |
| Yes, it does. The assessment topics are covered in the activities. The activities include classroom discussion and watching films about the topics in the assessment. |
| Do you have any suggestions for special needs students? Give an example. |
| Yes, I would suggest a text-to-speech device since the class has a lot of reading. |
| Do the plans for technology use in the resource seem appropriate? In particular I want you to think about how you can use technology and the Internet to teach that lesson. |
| Other than the internet there seem to be no requirement for any special technology use for the course. The class can be easily converted to online only if they can find a way to hold their discussion. |
| Do the plans for course materials seem appropriate for the activities? How might you improve them? |
| There is a lot of reading activities and it would be hard to catch up if anything interrupted school. I would suggest they implement a break somewhere through the course to catch up or reflect. |
| What are the strengths of this resource? Use specific examples. |
| The resource is very well organized. All the reading requirements are listed out down to the page numbers. The course has an open class policy meaning that people not formally taking it can attend which I think will increase the interaction. |
| What are the weaknesses of this resource? Use specific examples. |
| Not all the assignments are listed on the syllables. |
| How would you improve this resource? Use specific examples |
| I would add some short quizzes or make it clear in the syllables that there are quizzes. |