GEOGRAPHY 446: SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA SPRING 2004.
Professor: Dr. Peter A. Kwaku Kyem Office: Diloreto: 208-011
Telephone: 860-832-2801. E-mail: Kyemp@mail.ccsu.edu
Meeting Times: Tuesdays 5.30 - 8.00 p.m. Office Hours: By appointment
Course Objectives: This course explores the contemporary geography of Africa, a continent so rich in human and natural resources, yet saddled with social, political and economic problems. The course seeks to provide insights into the spatial patterns, socio-cultural, political and economic processes that have shaped the continent, their causes and consequences on the African people. Given that Sub-Saharan Africa’s development continues to lag behind other regions of the world in spite of the region’s numerous natural resources, there is the need to understand the persistent stagnation as a basis for re-orienting the negative perception and attitudes towards the region. Such a new posture is basic to any meaningful attempt at fashioning suitable development policies and programs to unleash the region's potential contributions to the global economic and environmental problems. Furthermore, with increasing depletion of resources and extinction of several plant and animal species in Western developed nations, Africa's rich forests and abundant resources will play a critical role in the future development of nations and in the preservation of healthy environments.
The course will examine the problems and prospects of development in the region by investigating the intra-regional factors affecting the continent's development. We shall as well investigate the external influences on the region, and how such influences have historically, between them, impacted Africa’s development, including the associated conflicts (e.g., political and environmental). To broaden our understanding of the processes involved and their impacts, we shall adopt a topical rather than regional approach to the study and employ both capitalist and socialist perspectives as our tools of analysis. Specifically, the course is designed around the following basic questions:
· What opportunities, constraints and dilemmas do the physical environment, the historical landscape (in particular, the colonial experience, and Africa's contemporary position in the global political economy offer the people in their development efforts?
· What have been the responses of the people to their environmental, historical, political and socio-economic circumstances and why?
· Are there appropriate measures that can be adopted to promote development in Africa? What are the chances of their success?
· How was Africa’s colonial experience important in conditioning the state structure and economies we see on the continent today?
Class Format: As an Independent study, students would be required to read relevant chapters of the text prior to each days’ class and be prepared to discuss views and answer questions about the chapters. In order to make it meaningful, relevant, and useful for students, our discussions would be supplemented with videos and sets of slides. Documentary films (Basil Davidson's Africa series and a similar African series by Ali Mazrui, an African Historian) would be used extensively to bring home what we read in books. These films tell the African story from ancient civilization, pre-Colonial Africa through the introduction of Capitalism to the conflicts and possibilities these events have unleashed on the continent.
Course Requirements:
1. Assignments:
Students would be required to read, summarize, comment on, and answer questions on views presented in articles, films and or books written about Sub-Saharan Africa. The summary of such articles/books will form a major part of student's preparation toward each class. Video presentations would be preceded with questions to guide students in the critical evaluation of views presented in such videos. The summaries and questions on slides and videos will form an integral part of students' evaluation.
2. Examinations
There will be two tests and a Final Test. The tests comprise of multiple-choice, and short/essay type questions about topics explained in class up to the time of each test. Questions would also be set on materials from articles, films, and slides covered and used in the course of the lectures.
3. Country Reports
Students would be required to compile 3 Country Reports detailing the location, historical and physical conditions of the country, its past history and contemporary problems. These reports would be given a week in advance and must be typed - double spaced - and not less than 8 pages in length. Details of the requirements would be given in class. The awarding of points for the project would be determined by the quality of the analysis and the report itself. Criteria will include a demonstrated understanding of the issue, critical appraisal, logic and clarity. It is expected that the written submission will conform to high standards of grammar and style. Although the penalty may vary from one kind of written work to another, bad grammar and style would be penalized in all grading of written work submitted in this course.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is an extremely serious academic offense and carries penalties varying from failure in an assignment to debarment from the university. Definitions, procedures, and penalties for dealing with plagiarism are set out in CCSU's Policy on Plagiarism, which is printed out in the University Calendar.
Absenteeism: In view of the short time, you will receive an Incomplete Grade if you absent yourself from class for more than 3 lectures. If you have an emergence (sick, etc) you may have to obtain official notice from the University authorities.
Books and Reading requirements
Most of the reading will be drawn from the books selected for the class. This will occasionally be supplemented by additional readings from the Internet, from books or from short photocopies distributed in class.
Required Text Book:
Stock, Robert. 1995. Africa south of the Sahara: A geographical interpretation. London and New York: The Guilford Press. This is the core text, and we will read for the class. The author is a geographer. It may be a little dry in parts, as well as too geographically focused in its review of the literature, but is overall an excellent text. I have also assigned this for strategic reasons: many students seem to feel lost in a course without a core/comprehensive textbook.
Recommended Texts:
1. Aryeetey-Attoh, S. (1997) Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall.
2. Grove, A.T (1993) The Changing Geography of Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. World Bank. 2000. Can Africa claim the 21st century? Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. This book is a very recent document. Every three or four years since 1981 the World Bank has published a major document for broad public consumption, detailing Africa’s current woes and the Bank’s latest diagnosis and cures.
LECTURE SCHEDULE (Tentative and subject to change: Check This Website for Details)
First Week: January 27th 2004:
The nature and scope of the course, Africa in Maps: CHAPTER 1 Lecture
1
Weeks 2 & 3: February 3 & 10, 2004
Africa’s
Physical Environment – Geology, Relief, Drainage – Climate, Vegetation and
Soils - Opportunities and Constraints offered by the Physical Environment. CHAPTER
2 Lecture 2
Fourth Week: February 17th 2004
Historical Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa’s Past, the
Pre-Colonial Africa. CHAPTER 4
Fifth Week: February 24th 2004
Historical Geography: The Colonial Legacy – Early contacts with Islam,
European conquest and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Scramble for Africa and
the Struggle for Independence. CHAPTERS 5&6
Sixth Week: March 2th 2004 (TEST 1)
Historical Geography: The scramble for Africa and the struggle for Independence. Chapter 5: Documentary Film: Freedom Now (PBS)
Seventh Week: March 9TH, 2004
Culture, Conflict and Change in Africa. CHAPTER 3
Eight Week: March 16th, 2004 [Assignment]
Africa and the World Economy: Ideology and Economic Development in Africa. CHAPTERS 22-24 Lecture PowerPoint: Humad_Dev.Indicators
Ninth Week: March 30, 2004
Rural Economies and the food Crises:
Aagricultural Production and the Food Crises in Africa. CHAPTERS 10-12
Tenth Week: April 6th 2004
Nigeria: the politics of Accommodating Diversity: Chapter 25. Documentary Film: Ali Mazrui History Powerpoint Timeline
Eleventh Week: April 13th 2004 (TEST 2)
South Africa, Aparthied and Beyond Chapters 26 & 27.
Twelfth Week: April 20, 2004
Mandela and post-Apartheid South Africa. CHAPTERS 26 & 27. Documentary Film: Nelson Mandela
Thirteenth & 14th Week: April 27th 2004
Which Future? ICT Revolution and Africa’s Development, Democracy and Africa Powerpoint_Notes: Review_questions: Documentary Film: Ali Mazrui
Revision
March 2 - Test 1
April 13th - Test 2
March 20th – 29: SPRING BREAK
May 13 – 14: READINGS
May 17 – 22, 2004: EXAMS
Useful Websites:
1. Websites and Discussion Forums for Individual African Countries
(e.g. Ghana: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/ghana.php
2. BBC News About Africa: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/default.stm
3. News From Various African Countries: http://allafrica.com/
4. News from Various Countries. Choose Country News for display of News about individual countries. http://www.africast.com/country.php?strCountry=Ghana
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
AND MAGAZINES FOR REFERENCES ON AFRICA
African
Development
African Business, World Development,
Journal
of Contemporary African Studies
West Africa, African
Affairs,
African
Urban Quarterly
African Report, Journal of Development Studies
African
Economic History
African Confidential, Africa South of the Sahara
African
Studies Review
The Courier, African Contemporary Records
Journal
of Modern African Studies
Africa Now, Africa Record
Review
of African Political Economy
Africa Today