Professor: Kiros Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 9 Total Enrollment: 11 Class Composition: Froshs: 1 Sophs: 2 Jrs: 4 Srs: 4 Concs: 5 Non-Concs: 4 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 2.29 Course Average: 2.21

"Contemporary African Philosophy" is a seminar that exposes and introduces students to African philosophy, specifically its form, content and potential uses. The class addresses a variety of philosophical problems and investigates different issues the discipline has faced over time. The class also constrasts African philosophy with European philosophy. The professor lists no prerequisites, although students recommend that a previous class in or some basic familiarity with philosophy.

Students appreciated the discussion-based lecture style and the professor's background in the subject. The class was focused on discussions and respondents were split on their opinions of it. About half thought Professor Kiros led discussion well while the other half felt he did not lead enough. Many students felt that the class lacked the enough structure to be as effective as it could have been. Some felt that the syllabus was unclear, and that meandering discussions were unhelpful. However, the majority of students said that Professor Kiros was sensitive to their needs and interests.

With few exceptions, the class found all the assigned readings interesting and relevant. They especially enjoyed the comparisons between the works of Kant and those of the Ethiopian philosopher Zara Yacob. Students were required to write three papers -- one three-page, one five-page and one ten-page -- and create a final oral presentation - a workload they found manageable.

Almost all respondents reported spending an average of three to five hours on class work outside of class, though a few spent either a lot more or less time. In general, this met their initial expectations. Overall, respondents ranged in their final opinions of the class. Some recommended it as a great introduction to African Philosophy for any concentration; others suggested shopping it first.

View AF/0106 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.