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Undergraduate
Intro to Modern Africa (AFR 311k)
This course introduces students to the modern history of Africa, beginning from the nineteenth century to the present. The course starts with an overview analysis of the great changes of the nineteenth century, including the partition of the continent. The twentieth century forms the major concern, divided into two phases: the colonial and post-colonial. In the first phase, the imposition of colonial rule, the changes of colonial rule, and decolonization are the three principal themes. The second phase examines a variety of issues dealing with independence, the management of modern states, and the international environment.
Graduate
Imperialism and Globalization: Africa (HIS 382L)
The seminar will explore the major themes and controversies in the African experience of imperialism and globalization. The class will open with the complexity of the integration of Africa into European modernity, and conclude with reflections on the postcolonial conditions, with considerable attention to postcolonial theories and their relevance to Africa. The aim is for students to be involved in the many interpretations that scholars have given to African societies during the colonial era. A number of key literature will be selected on the following major themes: 1) background to nineteenth century Africa before the colonial conquest; 2) the origins and capacities of European expansion; 3) African reactions and resistance to that expansion; 4) the politics and economics of colonialism; 5) the effects of the First and the Second World Wars on the colonial system; 6) nationalist movements and the drive to independence; 7) the effects of colonialism on identity, philosophy and culture; and 8) the postcolonial experience in the context of globalization.
Undergraduate
United States and Africa (HIS 317L)
This course examines the political, economic and cultural relations between the United States and Africa from the early origins of the slave trade to the present. The class is intended to satisfy students with a strong interest in US history as well as those interested in the place of the US in the African Diaspora. Among the main issues to be examined are:the expansion and abolition of the slave trade, relations between the US and precolonial North Africa, recolonization and missionary societies, and US contributions to pan-Africanism.
Graduate
Epistemology to Afr/Black Studies (HIS 382L)
This course interrogates the rise and evolution of African studies/Black studies, focusing on three critical areas: 1) the historical development of scholarship and writing about Africa, race and the diaspora; 2) pedagogy, curriculum and educational institutions within and outside Africa; and 3) the methodologies, theories and perspectives relevant to this field since the mid-twentieth century. Students will read a variety of works centered on the intellectual origins of and debates surrounding African/Black studies, with special attention to colonialism, slavery, culture, power, and knowledge production. A sampling of topics includes the representations of African/Black studies in the public sphere; the attacks on multiculturalism and affirmative action; the relationship between ethnic and area studies; gender and sexuality; resistance and social movements; the intersections of race, capitalism and the state; and comparative race relations.
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