African States and Civilizations to 1800

Catalog description

The first of two introductory surveys of African history offered by the Department of History. In this course, we focus on the formation of diverse states, kingdoms and empires in Africa and their integration into global economies through the expansion of trade in natural resources, human beings, and luxury commodities. The course will introduce students to specific themes such as sources of African history, pre-colonial African political systems, religious beliefs, gender relations, slavery and migration, art and architecture, as well as the African Diasporas. We conclude with a study of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and identification of prime factors in Europe’s colonial conquest of Africa. This course is the same as