Modern African History

Calendar

SES#	TOPICS	DUE DATES
1	Introduction: Representations of Africa and of Africans Country assignments take place today.
Part I: An Overview of Africa before the 19th Century
2	The Slave Trade and West Africa to 19th Century	Map quiz (pass / fail)
3	Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa to 19th Century What were the major developments in your country in the 19th Century? Where did you get your information?
Part II: Colonial Conquest in 19th Century
4	19th Century and Colonial Conquest	Take-home exam essay #1 due
Part III: The Workings of Colonialism
5	An Overview of Colonial Rule Did colonialism create tribes? If so, how? If possible give an example from “your” country.
6	Forced Labor and Taxation Please take note of some of the colonial atrocities in “your” country.
7	Capitalism and Segregation in South Africa How did the African National Congress’s goals and assumptions contrast with those of Hendrik Verwoerd and the other supporters of apartheid? Did “your” country have a system similar to apartheid? Why or why not?
Part IV: Africans’ Everyday Response to Colonialism
8	Gender and Earlier Forms of Resistance: Aba Riots in Nigeria
9	Cultural Resistance: Female Circumcision Controversies in Kenya Were there any cultural clashes between the colonizers and the Africans in “your” country?
10	Leisure in Colonial Africa: Football and Flicks in Zanzibar and Zambia What are some of the ways in which Africans in “your” country spent their leisure time?	Take-home exam essay #2 due
Part V: Decolonization
11	Everyday Family Life in Rural Africa: An Example from Western Kenya
12	The Winning of Independence
13	Theories of Decolonization
14	Guerilla Warfare and Decolonization: The Case of Mau Mau Did your country experience any violence during decolonization?
15	The “End” of Apartheid
Part VI: Africa since Independence
16	Africa since Independence: Aid? Was structural adjustment good for Ghana, or for other African countries? Why or why not? What was your country’s experience with structural adjustment?
17	Crises in the 1990s: The Rwandan Genocide
18	Crises in the 1990s: AIDS Please be prepared to talk about “your” country’s experience with HIV/AIDS.
Part VII: African Entrepreneurship and China’s Involvement in Africa
19	Nollywood	Take–home exam essay #3 due
20	Matatus in Kenya Please be prepared to talk about some of the large-scale indigenous entrepreneurship activities in “your” country.
21	China in Africa Please be prepared to talk about some of the activities China is involved in with regard to “your” country.
Part VIII: The Afterlives of 21H.165: Modern African History
22	Brief presentations of your final papers
23	Brief presentations of your final papers	Final paper due