Prospectus

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Africa Today

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

Students are admitted who have passed the first two years of the BA programme; in their programme they have done at least 30 ECTs Africa oriented courses.

Description

Project based course. In this course we will focus on current issues, such as Migration / Climate Change / Racism, etc. that requires a multidisciplinary approach for problem solving thinking. Students follow the general lecture series together (6 lectures), and work in their seminar workgroup on a ‘consultancy’ like project report; Or on a documentary; Or on an online publication for a wider audience.
The topic for the project will be announced in class.
This results in a conference where the BA programmes from Humanities present the results of their respective project based courses; this is also a moment that the students from the different BA programmes work together and get to know each others approaches.

Course objectives

Program specific learning objectives
The student will be able to:

  • Apply acquired knowledge on a specific theme, still to be determined.

  • Contextualize [content] knowledge and skills on African Issues.

  • Identify sources that can be used to develop a critical analysis of an African Issue.

Learning objectives transferable skills
The student can:

  • Understand and translate societal challenges into research questions and then collect, critically analyse and evaluate relevant literature and use it to take a critical stance on the academic debate.

  • Answer the questions or support the statements and formulate a clear conclusion.

  • Identify the key ideas in texts or assignments and use relevant criteria to interpret and assess - these ideas, identifying and considering different perspectives.

  • Make choices based on the assembled information in order to reach a critical assessment and, - where necessary or agreed on, communicate that assessment to an audience.

  • Devise and propose more comprehensive and theoretically sound suggestions to improve his/her own work and that of others.

Teamwork skills and Persuasion:

  • Build teamwork competencies, including effective communication, listening and providing constructive feedback, conflict management, task delegation, individual and group responsibility, and integrating multiple perspectives into the group project and presentation.

  • Students that take the lead to obtain independence and learn to feel responsible as an individual and within a group.

  • Present results in a didactical/attractive way

The student will be able to:

  • Take on various roles within a team (chair, note-taker, organizer).

  • Give constructive feedback to team members; ask searching questions, pose fundamental questions, identify a strength in the speaker (fellow student), formulate areas for improvement with respect to an assignment, presentation or a person’s performance in a team.

  • Draft appropriate criteria for peer feedback on an assignment or presentation.

  • Process feedback received, for example in a self-reflection report and/or an evaluation form.

  • Take part in a critical discussion of a presentation as part of a ‘peer group’.

  • Ask questions and make critical comments.

  • Formulate a persuasive argument in answer to a given problem definition.

  • Give a persuasive and inspiring oral presentation about the results of the project.

Self-directed learning
You will be able to:

  • Formulate a realistically defined research question for a joint project.

  • Draw up a personal research plan/action plan and timetable for a joint project.

  • Monitor your own process of learning and writing, identify and resolve problems, and when necessary adjust the plan.

  • Determine, whether independently or in consultation, the distribution of roles within a project group, and fulfil your role.

  • Reflect on your contribution to a group project.

Timetable

The timetables are avalable through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lecture/Seminar-workshop/shared learning

Assessment method

Assessment (see above)

  • Active Participation/coöperation in class/group (20 %)

  • Essay, paper (20%)

  • Collaborative work (20%)

  • End product and presentation (40%)

Weighing

See above

Resit

Not possible in fact

Inspection and feedback

During the end conference, but also in the seminar-workshops

Reading list

Will be announced 30 days before the course starts in the syllabus that will be presented on brightspace

Registration

Enrolment through My Studymap (Login | Universiteit Leiden) is mandatory.

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

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