Postgraduate Course: Contemporary African Issues and Debates (PGSP11076)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Contemporary African Issues and Debates (CAID) aims to allow students to frame and interrogate a range of contemporary debates using the theories and skills brought up in the parallel Political Economy of Modern Africa core course. The debates attempt to tackle issues that are common to much of sub-Saharan Africa today. Adhering to the usual caveat about diversity across the continent, the course acknowledges that Africa is an amalgamation of societies ¿ something which is not always appreciated by those who consider Africa a country. CAID attempts to transcend such views through analysing issues that are commonly discussed in various fora both inside and outside the continent.
Each week students will prepare and lead a seminar on a key contemporary issue relating to Africa. This is with a view to further shaping students' own thinking and analytical skills, bridging the conceptual focus of Political Economy of Modern Africa with the student-led discipline of the dissertation. In keeping with these aims, the course is non-prescriptive and the topics are not 'taught' in a lecture-style presentation before the debate. |
| Course description |
The debate motions will be announced at the first meeting. The prescribed reading, based on discussions in advance between the lead debaters and course convenor, will be made available on Learn the week before the debate. At the first meeting students can choose to debate from the following topics:
China in Africa
Corruption
Development
Democracy
NGOs
'Female genital mutilation'
The ICC
Language
Peacekeeping
Religious Fundamentalism
Sexual promiscuity and HIV/AIDS
The course convenor is willing to consider other topics for debate if sound justification for them is made.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should have a knowledge and understanding of multiple perspectives of contemporary issues, with specific reference to:
1. Understanding the background and context of selected contemporary issues in Africa.
2. Locating relevant literature in a supervisor-supervisee -like relationship.
3. Constructing original academic arguments based on secondary research.
4. Understanding the relationships between concepts, theories and critiques of contemporary African issues and developments.
Particular skills developed will include:
1. Undertaking and presenting scholarly work
2. Participating in group discussion
3. Making appropriate use of library and IT resources
4. Theoretically and contextually framing potential research questions
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Reading List
Background reading
There is no expectation that you purchase any books for CAID. There are no prescribed texts for the course, although a splendid survey to Africa's present and past (post-independence) is:
Nugent, P. 2004 [or the second edition, 2012]. Africa since Independence: A comparative history. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan
Also try:
Cooper, F. 2002. Africa Since 1940: The past of the present. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
If you know nothing about African history, a basic introduction is:
Reid, R. 2012. A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the present. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
A recent overview publication on African politics is:
Anderson, D., Cheeseman, N., eds. 2013. Routledge Handbook of African Politics. London: Routledge
A broad range of literature in one volume is:
Grinker, R.R., Lubkemann, S.C., et al, eds. 2010. Perspectives on Africa: A reader in culture, history, and representation. Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell
The following literature is a small mixture of popular pieces and 'classics' that may help to frame some of the debates.
Bayart, J.-F. 1993. The State in Africa: The politics of the belly. New York: Longman
Bayart, J.-F. 2000. 'Africa in the World: A vision of extraversion'. African Affairs. 99 (395). pp. 217-267
Bond, P. 2000. Elite Transition: From apartheid to neoliberalism in South Africa. London: Pluto Press
Chabal, P., Daloz, J.-P. 1999. Africa works: Disorder as political instrument. Oxford: James Currey
Chabal, P. 2009. Africa: The politics of suffering and smiling. London: Zed Books
Chachage, S. 2010. The University as a Site of Knowledge: The role of basic research. In Chachage's Intellectual Versatility, ed. Shivji, I, pp. 1-25. Dar es Salaam: University of Dar es Salaam
Dowden, R. 2008. Africa: Altered states, ordinary miracles. London: Portobello Books
Kidula, J.N. 2006. 'Ethnomusicology, the Music Canon, and African Music: Positions, tensions, and resolutions in the African academy'. Africa Today. 52 (3). pp. 99-113
Masolo, D.A. 2004. 'Philosophy and Indigenous Knowledge: An African perspective'. Africa Today. 50 (2). pp. 21-38
Melberg, H. 2006. The Relevance of African Studies. Paper presented to The Nordic Africa Institute: 6 November 2006
Mohan, G., Zack-Williams, T. 2005. 'Oiling the Wheels of Imperialism'. Review of African Political Economy. 104 (5). pp. 213-214
Nyamnjoh, F., B. 2004. 'From Publish or Perish to Publish and Perish: What 'Africa's 100 Best Books' tells us about publishing in Africa'. Journal of Asian and African Studies. 39 (5). pp. 331-355
Teferra, D. 2004. 'Striving at the Periphery, Craving for the Centre: The realm of African scholarly communication in the digital age'. Journal of Scholarly Publishing. 35 (4)
Among the best Africanist journals are African Affairs, Africa, Journal of Modern African Studies, and Journal of Southern African Studies. Others are African Studies, African Studies Review, Critical African Studies (a CAS-led online journal), Journal of Contemporary African Studies and Review of African Political Economy. Development journals include Economic Development and Cultural Change, World Development, Development Policy Review and the Journal of Development Studies.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas Molony
Tel: (0131 6)50 6976
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Jessica Barton
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: |
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