Course Description
Africa's colonialism and its legacy; post-colonial politics; trading relationships; issues of migrant labor; debates over population growth and economic change; environmental degradation; urban development; and agriculture and food security.
Athena Title
Africa in the Global Economy
Non-Traditional Format
The course will be taught as part of the Maymester program in Tanzania, involving lectures and field trips.
Prerequisite
GEOG 1101 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to get students to understand the historical processes which have shaped Africa’s development. Having taken this course, students should have a better understanding of how historical processes have shaped the economic, political, cultural, and social geography of Africa and how this historical legacy will continue to shape the possibilities for the continent’s development into the 21st Century, even within the context of a changing global economy.
Topical Outline
Introduction to course Topic 1: Colonialism’s impact upon the continent (focus upon transformation of traditional economic and political systems; Africa’s resource base and its exploitation in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial period). Topic 2: Debates concerning demographic change and economic development (issues of demographic transition and population growth, demographic structure of the population, impact of epidemics such as AIDS on population and future demographic structure) Topic 4: Contemporary agricultural practices and food security (focus upon varied agricultural practices, control of land, issues of famine and food imports, impact of Green Revolution on food production) Topic 5: Contemporary urban development patterns (examination of pre-colonial urban geography; impacts of colonialism on urban geography of the continent; aspects of contemporary urban life [e.g., dual economy, dynamics of temporary markets, phenomenon of the shanty town]). Topic 6: Africa and global trade (focus upon pre-colonial trading systems and how they were transformed during the colonial period; contemporary trade patterns b/w Africa and rest of the world; debates over terms of trade and dependent development). Topic 7: Migrant labor flows (issues of contemporary migrant labor flows within the continent, w/ case study of apartheid South Africa and colonial/ post-colonial East Africa) Topic 8: Post-colonial politics: Africa and global institutions (examination of Africa’s debt crisis, relationship with bodies such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization).