Download TRENT UNIVERSITY

TRENT UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
History/International Development Studies 2402
The Emergence of Modern Africa since c.1880
Winter 09
This course examines the emergence of contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa though a broad survey of the
continent’s history from the European colonial conquest of the late 19th century to the independent states of
the present day. With reference to the colonial period, the course will focus on conquest and resistance, the
experience of colonial rule, African nationalism and decolonization. For the post-independence period, key
issues will include concepts of development and underdevelopment, the nation state in Africa, poverty and
debt, the impact of the Cold War and post-Cold War conflict. Rather than narrating a series of dates and
events, special attention will be given to historical processes, trends and debates. In tutorials, and to some
extent lectures, there will be a special focus on the 1994 Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda within historical
context.
Instructor: Prof. Tim Stapleton
Email: [email protected]
Office: ECC S101.5 (History Department office)
Phone: 748-1011 ext 7841
Tutorial Leader: Ms. Helen Vreugdenhil
Office: ECC 119.7
Email: [email protected]
Time/Location
Lecture: Friday, 9-10:50am, FPHL 117
Tutorials: Friday, 2pm and 3pm, GCS 111
Textbooks:
Erik Gilbert and Jonathan Reynolds, Africa in World History: From Prehistory to the Present, Upper Saddle
River, N.J.: Pearson, 2nd edition, 2008.
Stephen Kinzer, A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It, Hoboken, N.J.:
Wiley, 2008.
Evaluation:
Participation = 10%
Tutorial Assignment = 10%
Map Quiz (written in lecture) = 10%
Research Paper = 40%
Final Examination = 30%
Research Paper:
Students are free to select any topic relating to the history of Africa from c.1880 to the present day.
Students are encouraged to discuss their topics with the instructor and/or tutorial leader. Papers should be
2000 words long and have footnotes/endnotes as well as a bibliography. Papers must make extensive use
of appropriate secondary sources such as academic journal articles and books. Avoid using lecture notes or
course texts as cited sources in an essay. Late papers will NOT be accepted without an extension.
Map Quiz: This will cover the countries of present day Africa and their capitol cities.
Deadlines/Dates:
Map Quiz = 23 January
Research Paper = 6 March
Tutorials: A separate tutorial instruction sheet, including information on the tutorial assignment, will be
circulated by the tutorial leader. Readings for tutorials will come from Kinzer, A Thousand Hills. Tutorials
will be held biweekly. Groups will be organized during the first lecture.
Lectures:
(Readings for lectures are listed below and are from Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History)
9 Jan – Course Introduction/The Scramble for Africa and African Response
Reading: pp. 265-286.
16 Jan – The Colonial State and Economies to 1939
Reading: pp. 287-315.
23 Jan – Social Change and New Forms of Protest to 1939
Reading: pp. 316-362.
MAP QUIZ (during lecture period)
30 Jan – Africa and the World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-45)
6 Feb – African Nationalism and Decolonization (c.1945-80) Part 1
Reading: pp. 363-393.
13 Feb – African Nationalism and Decolonization, Part 2
Reading Week
27 Feb – African Nationalism and Decolonization, Part 3
6 Mar – The Rise and Fall of Apartheid in South Africa (1948-94)
SUBMIT RESEARCH PAPERS (during lecture period)
13 Mar – The Era of Independence: Africa and the Cold War (1957-89)
Reading: 394-420.
20 Mar – The Era of Independence: Post-Cold War (1989-present)
Focus on the 1994 Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda.
27 Mar – The Era of Independence: Post-Cold War
Focus on the DRC Civil War – “Africa’s First World War” (1998-2002)
3 April - Course conclusion
Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely
serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from failure in an assignment to suspension from the
University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in
Trent University’s Academic Dishonesty Policy which is printed in the University Calendar and on the
university web site at: http://www.trentu.ca/deansoffice/policies_dishonesty.php.
Access to Instruction: It is Trent University’s intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a
student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to
succeed in this course, the student should contact the Disability Services Office (BL Suite 109; 748-1281;
[email protected]) as soon as possible.