Take-Home Exam Essays
There will be three essays due for completion throughout the course. Each will account for 15% of the final course grade.
Essay #1
Pick ONE question only:
- Shillington seems to suggest that it was largely Europeans and African chiefs and leaders who led the social-economic and political changes that took place in Africa between the 16th and 19th centuries. Do you agree with him? To what extent were the actions of ordinary men and women important to these changes?
- Discuss some of the ways in which the ecology and physical environments of eastern and central Africa helped structure the history of these regions between 16th and 19th centuries?
- Please explain the connections (if any) between the trans-Saharan trade and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The paper should be 2–3 pages long, double spaced.
This essay is due during Session 4.
Essay #2
Please write a paper in which you analyze colonial power in the context of African leisure in Zanzibar and British central Africa. Was colonial power all encompassing? How does colonial power with regard to African leisure compare to that in other areas we have previously examined, areas such as labor recruitment, female circumcision, taxation, etc., for example? Please make sure that your paper has a sophisticated thesis and that it is written clearly and eloquently. If you need help please consult the Writing and Communication Center.
The paper should be 3 pages long, double spaced.
This essay is due during Session 10.
Essay #3
Please find at least FIVE substantive newspaper articles on the Ibrahim Prize, and use them to write a 3–5 page paper analyzing the prize, and especially whether you think the prize encourages good governance in Africa. YOUR PAPER MUST HAVE A THESIS.
You must read this article:
Auletta, Ken. “The Dictator Index.” New Yorker, March 7, 2011.
And this interview with Paul Kagame:
Barber, Lionel, and David Pilling. “Transcript: Rwanda President Paul Kagame,” Financial Times, August 27, 2017.
Also spend some time studying the Mo Ibrahim Foundation website before you write your paper.
This essay is due during Session 19.
Final Essay
Please pick ONE of the following books, read it carefully, and write a critical 5–7 page book review (NOT A BOOK REPORT). THE PAPER MUST HAVE A THESIS.
Noah, Trevor. Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Spiegel & Grau, 2019. ISBN: 9780399588198. [Preview with Google Books]
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Dreams in A Time of War: A Childhood Memoir. Anchor, 2011. ISBN: 9781846553776. [Preview with Google Books]
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Sarah Crichton Books, 2008. ISBN: 9780374531263. [Preview with Google Books]
Cole,Teju. Every Day Is for the Thief. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2015. ISBN: 9780812985856. [Preview with Google Books]
Bâ, Mariama. So Long a Letter. Waveland Press, Inc., 2012. ISBN: 9781577668060. [Preview with Google Books]
Aidoo, Ama Ata. Changes: A Love Story. The Feminist Press at CUNY, 1993. ISBN: 9781558610651. [Preview with Google Books]
Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2004. ISBN: 9780954702335.
Please read this guide to help you write the review.
This essay is due during the final session.
