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Regional Specialization: West Africa

Vak
2014-2015

Admission requirements

Free and compulsory for students enrolled in the RESMAAS program and in the 1 year MA African Studies. Those from other MA programs may be admitted with prior registration (contact coordinator)

Description

West Africa, from Senegal to Chad and from the Sahara to the River Congo, is in many aspects a unique region. For the uninformed outsider West Africa’s culture stands out clearly in cultural expression through cloths, music, cultural heritage, compared to East and Southern Africa. Historically the Mali empire, Ghana, Songhay, diverse Fulbe empires, Oyo, Asante and Dahomey have formed and unified certain parts of West Africa, demarcating various cultural areas (Mande, Fulani, Diula, etc), and developing, or straddling, the division between the more Islamic parts of West Africa and the Christian/animistic southern parts. These frontiers are at the same time arbitrary as migration and mobility is an essential element of West African cultures. Furthermore West Africa is marked by a typical ecology of gradual transition from humid to (semi)-arid, which in turn defines to a certain extent the livelihood systems of these areas. Mobility for many reasons, i.e. trade, spread of religion, displacement, has shaped the West African society and geography. Colonization of the typical West African “trade-economy” type had a heavy impact on social formations and formed the prelude to today’s political situation, though not exclusively. Also the consequences of pre-colonial history are still present today. A comparison between Anglophone (British colonized) and francophone (French colonized) countries gives a unique perspective on the influence of colonial politics on these countries. Each country in West Africa formed after the colonial period has its own typical features, and one could situate them on a continuum from Arabized to African, from Anglophone to Francophone, from dry Sahel to dense forest countries.

Course objectives

The course provides knowledge about the region in terms of:

  • historical processes

  • current events

  • canonical studies

  • recent trends in research agenda’s.

Timetable

Mondays 10.00-12.00 hrs

Mode of instruction

Lectures

Course Load

  • The course comprises 10 EC and the total course load is thus 280 hrs

  • 36 hrs of these will be spent attending lectures (6 lecture of 2 hrs x for 3 regions)

  • 4 hrs will be spent in planning examination papers, determine topics, guidance on the structure and presentation

  • 100 hrs to be spent on studying compulsory literature: 100 pages literature per week

  • 140 hrs for writing a final paper

Assessment method

Evaluation of paper submitted at the end of the course

Blackboard

Yes. Available for registered students.

This course is supported by Blackboard. Blackboard will be used to provide students with an overview of current affairs, as well as specific information about (components of) the course. Please see:
Blackboard

Reading list

Provided a week before the first meeting of class and posted on Blackboard

Registration

Enrollment through uSis for the course and the examination or paper is mandatory.

Prospective students, please check the Study Abroad/Exchange website
for information on how to apply.

Remarks

Among the instructors listed above, Dr. Akinyoade Akinyinka will be the course instructor and he will streamline the link among the various guest lectures and look into the evaluation of students’ papers and that they get comprehensive and timely feedback on their essay.

For further information and questions, contact:
Azeb Amha
Academic Coordinator
P O Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, NL
Tel. +31-71-527-3364
amhaa@ascleiden.nl