Ethnicity and the State in Africa

Catalog description

The course will explore ways in which African states address issues of ethnicity and ethnic nationalism in their respective societies. (Conceptions and forms of ethnicity e.g., ethnic group, ethnie or ethnic community, ethnic nationalism - will be explored.) All African countries are multi-ethnic or have its functional equivalent. The course will explore various forms of state (unitary, decentralized, federal, con-federal) and analyze how each form of state addresses issues of multi-ethnicity. The different experiences of selected countries will be compared and evaluated. Students will do research and make class presentations on a topic they will select from an approved list of research topics / case studies, and will make class presentations on their research findings. The research paper requires proper documentation and bibliographic information, using the ASA or Chicago style guide