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 Building Blocks of African Studies 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 inside and outside the continent. |
| Course description |
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 Building Blocks of African Studies with the student-led discipline of the dissertation.
A sample of covered topics includes Peacekeeping, Forced displacement, International Criminal Court (ICC), Conflict and its depictions, Sexuality policies and politics, Slacktivism and arm chair activism.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students will be assessed on three formal assessments, two of which are part of a formative assessment and feedback process, and the third of which is summative:
(i) participation in seminar discussions (10%); students will be marked by transparent criteria and consideration will be given to students¿ diverse communication and learning styles and language skills, and students are expected to demonstrate growth and improvement in the quality of their comments and contributions in class over the course of the semester
(ii) presentation on topic chosen in week 1 of the course (20%); students will be marked in accordance to the nuances described in (i), according to transparent criteria concerning presentation content and style, and on the one-page handout they will create to accompany the presentation, comprising a written assessment of their development of the argument and supporting sources
(iii) 3,000-word essay (70%) due after the final class (exact date will be specified in week 1; feedback, as well as terms and conditions of assessment will be in line with School and University guidance and best practices); essay topic will be different from presentation topic
|
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the background and context of selected contemporary issues in Africa.
- Locate relevant literature in a supervisor-supervisee -like relationship
- Construct original academic arguments based on secondary research
- Understand the relationships between concepts, theories and critiques of contemporary African issues and developments.
|
Reading List
Background readings:
Anderson, D., Cheeseman, N., eds. 2013. Routledge Handbook of African Politics. London: Routledge.
Chabal, P., Daloz, J. P. 1999. Africa works: Disorder as political instrument. Oxford: James Currey.
Cheeseman, N. 2015. Democracy in Africa: Successes, Failures, and the Struggle for Political Reform. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Cooper, F. 2002. Africa Since 1940: The past of the present. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nugent, P. 2004 [or the second edition, 2012]. Africa since Independence: A comparative history. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.
Specific readings will be provided for each topic, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and online outlets like academic blogs and government, NGO, and activist reports
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
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
|
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Maggie Dwyer
Tel: (0131 6)51 5076
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Jessica Barton
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: |
|
© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 21 October 2015 12:45 pm
|
University Homepage