History of Imperialism and Nationalism in Africa

Catalog description

A selective overview of the history of iumperialism and nationalism in Africa. HIST/ AFR 479 History of Imperialism and Nationalism in Africa. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. History/African Studies 479 will provide a selective introduction to major developments and issues concerning Africa's colonial and postcolonial history. The beginning of this course will concentrate on the meanings of imperialism and nationalism and the fact that there is no "single" African experience with either of them. This will be followed by a discussion of 19th and 20th century political history in specific contexts in North, East, West, and Southern Afria. The course concludes with a review of African decolonization and the most notable manifestations of recent nationalism on the continent. Special attention will be given to the methods of colonial takeover, methods of African resistance, the West's role in Africa, and Africa's formative role nstruon the West. Religion, the military, and racial/ethnic identity politics will be recurring themes in the course. The actual time devoted to each topic and the sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor. The objective of the course is to intrroduce to the causes, nature, and consequences of modern imperialism in Africa. In doing so, students will receive a comprehensive history about a region of the world that is often misunderstood and misrepresented. Also, the course emphasizes critical thinking and analytical writing. The course will consist of polls, pratice discussions, quizzes, response papers, and a final project. As a general education course, this class will provide an introduction to African political history for students of anyn major. Students majoring or minoring in History, African Studies, International Relations, or Political Science will learn vocabulary and information that is basic to the field and broaden their knowledge of History.