Fall 2021 (September – December)

Undergraduate

Course Code & Section: ANTH 2620 A
Title: Ethnography of Sub-Saharan Africa
Course Description: Examination of selected areas of contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa through current anthropological research. Topics may include war and displacement, religion, politics, international development, history, popular culture, colonialism, witchcraft, health and kinship.
Course Delivery: ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS

Course Code & Section: HIST 2706 A
Title: Ancient and Pre-Colonial Africa
Course Description: Ancient African cultures and civilizations, the trans-Saharan trade system, and the trans-Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades from 600 BCE to the 19th century. (Field d)
Precludes additional credit for HIST 2705 (no longer offered).
Course Delivery: ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS

Course Code & Section: PSCI 3101 A
Title: Politics of War in Africa
Course Description: The recurrent crises of war, and political instability in Africa, along with regional and international efforts to resolve them.
Course Delivery: IN-PERSON SECTION. NOT SUITABLE FOR ONLINE STUDENTS

Course Code & Section: HIST 4701 A
Title: African History
Course Description: A 0.5 credit seminar course that examines a selected topic in the history of Africa. The particular topic will be specified each year it is offered.
Course Delivery: ONLINE

Graduate

Course Code & Section: INAF 5603 F
Title: Issues in Development in Africa
Course Description: Analysis of structures and processes of political, social, and economic change in intertropical Africa at scales ranging from the intrahousehold and local community to the state and international system. Integration of gender and the environment into analyses which draw on theories of political economy.
Course delivery: ONLINE.

Winter 2022 (January – April)

Undergraduate

Course Code & Section: HIST 2707 A
Title: Modern Africa
Course Description: The conquest and colonization of African polities by the European imperial powers from the late 19th century, the 20th century wars of decolonization, and the emergence of independent African nations, including their economies, politics, and culture.

Course Code & Section: HIST 3908 B
Title: Africa in the Modern World: Nationalism, Independence and Nation-building
Course Description: In the mid 20th century, most of Africa was freed from European colonial rule. The African nationalists assuming power of these “new nations” promised a new dawn for African dignity and development. As historical perspectives on this moment develop, however, deep complexities have emerged. Nationalism was pursued for various reasons by Africans of different gender, ethnic and class groups, and not all agreed on what dignity and development entailed. If the clearly defined task of ending colonial rule united them, the far less obvious project of “nation-building” could easily divide. Yet nationalism was a powerful and pervasive force in these decades, not easily defeated or denied. Public and private struggles to engage and control rapid and sweeping change were expressed in terms of nationalist projects that combined both a loyalty to being “African” and an ambition to be “modern,” a paradoxical pairing to much “outsider” thinking. This course turns to the emergent historical literature on the heady days of African nationalism and independence to explore the rich complexities historians are now bringing to light, with a focus on cultural and social history. This deeper understanding of these key decades is necessary to develop an adequate understanding of the hope and despair which mark discussions about contemporary Africa.

Course Code & Section: ANTH 4225 B
Title: African Diaspora in Americas
Course Description: Selected Topics in Anthropology. Topics not ordinarily treated in the regular course program. The choice of topic varies from year to year. Check with the department regarding the topic offered.

Course Code & Section: ANTH 4620 A
Title: Political Anthropology of Africa
Course Description: This course examines anthropological approaches to African political formations. We will read ethnographic writing and postcolonial theory to explore the varying means by which different groups seek to attain and transform power as well as the resistance (s) they face. Through an interrogation of the power relations and economic processes that shape dominant representations of the continent’s political landscape, we will gain critical insights on a range of topics including sovereignty, forced migration, belonging, religion, environment, gender, violence, and social movements.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or permission of the instructor.

Graduate

Course Code & Section: ANTH 5009 A
Title: Political Anthropology of Africa
Course Description: This course examines anthropological approaches to African political formations. We will read ethnographic writing and postcolonial theory to explore the varying means by which different groups seek to attain and transform power as well as the resistance (s) they face. Through an interrogation of the power relations and economic processes that shape dominant representations of the continent’s political landscape, we will gain critical insights on a range of topics including sovereignty, forced migration, belonging, religion, environment, gender, violence, and social movements.
Note: ONLINE. Blended, no course conflicts permitted.

Course Code & Section: ANTH 5708 Y
Title: African Diaspora in Americas
Course Description: Special Topics in the Anthropology of Africa. Topic varies from year to year, and will be announced in advance of the registration period.

Course Code & Section: WGST 5902 E
Title: Childhood & Youth in African Studies
Course Description: Advanced Topics in Women’s and Gender Studies II. Selected topics may include: gender, power and social inequalities; women’s writing; gender history; gender, sexuality and music embodiment; race, gender and imperialism; gender, criminology and criminal justice; queer theory; transnational feminisms.