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Exploring Africa

Vak
2025-2026

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..

Course objectives

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 40: Flipped classroom guided self-study
Week 41-42: EUR African Economies
Week 43-44: TUD African Resources & Infrastructure
Week 45-46: LEI African Social Dynamics
Week 47: Integration & Conference

Mode 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

Assessment and Weighing

  • Formative assignments: 10%

  • Group assignment: 40%

  • Individual essay: 25%

  • Podcast: 25%

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

A resit is where possible the same subtest as the first, within the given timeframe.

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.

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 (only applies to LEI students).
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Guest students from TUD and EUR will be helped with their course enrollment.

Contact

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

Back to African Dynamics homepage.

Remarks

Not applicable.