The history of Africa is extraordinarily complex and rich in both tragedy and achievement. In this course, important issues in African history will be introduced including the following: how and why complex societies formed in Africa; the technological responses of different Africans to environmental changes; how various cultures, religions, and state ideologies helped to organize African social and political life; the effects of the trade in enslaved Africans on African social and political structures; the impact of European colonial rule on the continent; the political economy of post-colonial Africa; and some of the ways in which modern Africans have experienced the enormous transformations.

The history of Africa is extraordinarily complex and rich in both tragedy and achievement. In this course, important issues in African history will be introduced including the following: how and why complex societies formed in Africa; the technological responses of different Africans to environmental changes; how various cultures, religions, and state ideologies helped to organize African social and political life; the effects of the trade in enslaved Africans on African social and political structures; the impact of European colonial rule on the continent; the political economy of post-colonial Africa; and some of the ways in which modern Africans have experienced the enormous transformations which have occurred in recent decades from globalization, pandemic disease and different episodes of violence. Our goal will be to achieve both an analytic sophistication in understanding the historical processes which have defined different parts of Africa over time, and an appreciation for the ways in which Africans have explained and understood their experiences in a variety of media.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills