Admission requirements
This is course is meant for History and Bachelor African Students. However, students who are interested in Africa may join the course. The course takes place in Leiden.
Description
This course is designed to provide a general introduction to the history of Africa from the ancient time to post-independence. In its most general terms, this course seeks to familiarize students with the history of African people, cultures and economies and offers them a historical context for understanding Africa today. This entails that at the end of this course students will have a good grasp of the general chronology of the history of the continent; they will also have a broad understanding of both the history of African societies and that of international dynamics that shaped the region. On a methodological and theoretical level, students will be encourage to question received wisdom and challenge established knowledge on Africa by critically engaging with mainstream discourses on Africa.
Issues covered during the course will be among others:
Africa and human origins
Ancient African Civilisations
The Rise of monotheistic religions in Africa
Slavery and slave trade
Apartheid and anti-racism
Colonialism and African resistance
Decolonisation and independence
Post Cold War Africa
Course objectives
At the end of the course the student has acquired:
Knowledge and understanding of history, its processes, structure, actors, factors and events, and has familiarised him/herself with the academic understanding of history and the history specific to the chosen area, with an emphasis on the last two centuries. Furthermore, the student has acquired a basic understanding of the theories used in the field of History and those with specific relevance to the Area History. Finally, the student has acquired basic research skills which he/she has put into practice for the first time in the shape of a small individual research project.
Knowledge and understanding of the concepts and conceptual structures relevant for the study of history from an area perspective , i.e. Local, national, regional but also transnational and from a comparative, international, and global perspective.
A basic understanding of the methodologies used in the field of history.
Timetable
The timetables are avalable through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Choose from:
Lecture
Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover issues both inside and outside the readings.
**Skills Lab **
There are four skills lab sessions and these will focus on the fundamental academic skills necessary for successfully writing a research paper.
Assessment method
Possibilities (Note that in case of mid-term examinations the weighting must be specified and how the final mark is established):
Written examination with closed questions (eg multiple choice)
Written examination with short open questions
Written examination with essay questions
Take home examination/assignment
Active Participation/coöperation in class/group
Essay, paper
Oral examination
Abstract, oral presentation.
Assessment
**Midterm exams: **
Written exams with one and ¼ page answer
**Final Exams **
Written examination with one and ¼ answer
Weighing
Midterm Exam 50%
Final Exams 50%
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note of the following:
The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of midterm and final exams whose average needs to be 5.5 or higher
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The resit may consist of the same subtests as the first opportunity, but this is not compulsory. The alternative is to combine subtests for the resit. Offering a resit is mandatory.
If the end grade is insufficient (Lower than 6.0) or the weighted average of midterm and final exams is lower than 5.5, there is a possibility of retaking the full 60% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier Midterms and Final Exam grades. The resit exam consists of the entire issues covered in the course. Please note that if the resit exam grade is lower than 5.5 you will not pass the course.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
The following are two main text books used for this course. Students are encouraged to buy paper versions of these books (also available second hand), for its easier and more effective to read on paper than infront of the screen. However, these books are also available online and for free to students enrolled at Leiden University, via LU Library. Additional ex gratia material will be circulated.
Robert O. Collins and James D. Burns, A History of Sub-Saharan Africa. Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. (also available online at LU Library)
Phillip Naylor, North Africa: A History from Antiquity to the Present. Revised Edition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015.
Registration
Enrolment through My Studymap (Login | Universiteit Leiden) is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats
Remarks
-