Undergraduate Course: Understanding Africa (LLLJ07012)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Lifelong Learning (SPS) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This is a for-credit course offered by the Office of Lifelong Learning (OLL): only students registered with OLL should be enrolled.
This course will examine the fundamental issues and problems faced by Africa from a socio-political perspective. We will consider: the history and institutions of pre-independent Africa; the characteristics of different African states; the post-Cold war era and crisis of the 1990s; and contemporary issues such as the collapse of states, natural resources, and globalisation. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Lifelong Learning - Session 2, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
100 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Assessment Methods
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should be able to:
* Demonstrate the knowledge of the creation of African states;
* Understand the basis of the socio-economic development of the continent;
* Relate changes in the balance of world power to African collapse in the 1990s;
* Understand the contemporary situation in Africa and identify likely future issues;
* Engage in further African studies, by way of in-depth courses and selecting appropriate sources. |
Assessment Information
| Open Studies 10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Introduction:
General introduction to the course and discussion of useful textbooks.
2. Pre-colonial Africa and the Diffusion of Islam:
This class will focus on how and why Europeans arrived in Africa, and what they found when they got there.
3. The Colonisation of Africa:
This class will look at the process of colonisation, from the Berlin Conference (1884-85) onwards. It will also examine the legacy of different models of colonisation for present-day states.
4. Nationalism and Independent States:
This class explores the influence of Pan-Africanism, Pan-Negrism and Negritude on African nationalism and the creation of African states.
5. Organisation of African Union and the Second Decolonisation:
This class will concentrate on interstate organisations in Africa, particularly the successes and failures of the OAU regarding the decolonisation process and state formation.
6. Crisis and Collapse of the State:
This class investigates the major contributing factors of the economic and political crises of the 1980s which led to the collapse of many African states.
7. Resource Curse or Resource Blessing?
Natural resources have always been very important for the destiny of many African territories/states. This class looks at the effects that competition for resources in the 1990s had on several regions.
8. Old or New Super-Powers? USA and China in Africa:
This class will examine how shifts in the balance of world power have affected Africa and will look at who the major players are today. |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Essential:
Thomson, A., 2004. An Introduction to African Politics (2nd ed.), London: Routledge.
Recommended:
Cooper, F., 2007. Africa Since 1940. The Past of the Present. Cambridge University Press.
Nugent, P., 2004. Africa since independence: a comparative history. Houndmills, Eng: Palgrave Macmillan.
Pollock, G., 2007. Back to the Future: Understanding China's Return to Africa and its Implications for U.S. Policy, Journal of Public and International Affairs, 18, pp. 55-79.
Robinson, D., 2004. Muslim Societies in African History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Chapters 3-4.
Web sources:
All Africa Global Media: www.allAfrica.com
BBC World Africa: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/default.stm
IRIN humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org/IRIN-Africa.aspx. |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Combination of lectures and discussion. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr James Mooney
Tel: (0131 6)50 3077
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Diane Mcmillan
Tel: (0131 6)50 6912
Email: |
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