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Exploring Africa

Vak
2024-2025

Admission requirements

Admission to the Minor. See Target Group.

Description

This course takes an in-depth look at the African continent from different perspectives, interweaving sustainable multiple disciplinary approaches. The main objective is to gain a basic understanding of African realities in context of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 and the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030.

A flipped classroom in the first week introduces the steering agendas. In the following weeks, three modules are presented through interactive seminars that stimulate collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Module I: African Economies - offered by EUR Rotterdam School of Management explores African socio-economic realities

Module II: Resources & Infrastructure - offered by TU Delft Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, explores resources and infrastructure realities in Africa

Module III: Social Dynamics - offered by the African Studies Centre Leiden University, explores African socio-developmental states

The course concludes with a one-day conference during which students present their group reports..

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of Exploring Africa, students will have:

  1. Knowledge & full understanding of:
  • The relevance of the AU and UN development agendas in Africa;

  • Socio-economic state of affairs and novel paradigms in African context;

  • The engagements between human and material agents in African settings;

  • Current socio-developmental challenges and opportunities in Africa;

  • Shared responsibility and the interlinkages between disciplines.

  1. Skills & competencies to:
  • Integrate approaches that address sustainable development in a multidisciplinary way;

  • Distinguish innovative business approaches to address ‘wicked’ challenges;

  • Consider the role artefacts play in the relationship between humans and their world;

  • Identify social dynamics that promote and complexities that hamper sustainable development;

  • Academically discuss cross-cutting issues that impact African realities.

Timetable

Week 39: Flipped classroom guided self-study
Week 40-41: EUR African Economies
Week 42-43: TUD African Resources & Infrastructure
Week 44-45: LEI African Social Dynamics
Week 46: Integration & Conference

Modes of instruction

Guided self-study
Online and classroom lectures & seminars
Conference

Course load

10 EC x 28 hours= 280 hours

  • Flipped classroom: 38 hours

  • Lecture contact hours: 162 hours

  • Integrated Assignments: 80 hours

Assessment method and weights

Online AU and UN agendas discussion &quiz: 10%
Group assignment: 50%
Individual essay: 40%

Resit, inspection and feedback

Same subtest as the first, within given timeframe.

Brightspace

Leiden University Brightspace platform will be used for:

  • Announcements

  • Timetable

  • Course information

  • Documents

  • Discussions

  • Submitting assignments

  • Grades

  • Calendar

Reading list

Prescribed reading available in the syllabus (Strive to mostly use library and open source online publications).

Registration

See Target Group.

Enrolment through MyStudymap is mandatory.

Registration à la carte and contract education
This course is part of the African Dynamics LDE Minor and can only be taken within the framework of participation in the minor.

Contact

Minor Coordinator: Madi Ditmars minorafricandynamics@asc.leidenuniv.nl

Back to African Dynamics homepage.

Remarks

Not applicable.