Course Description
Examines the history of gender in Africa, that is, how notions
of masculinity and femininity changed over time. The origins of
gender constructs and how they were used to affect social,
political, and economic behavior. Ancient African notions of
gender were later affected by economic development and trade
(including slave trading); the spread of monotheistic
religions; European conquest and colonization; and, ultimately,
globalization.
Athena Title
The History of Gender Africa
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of gender in Africa by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of gender in Africa has shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward race, gender, and sex, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
- Week One: Introduction to the Course and Africa
- Week Two: Introduction to African History
- Week Three: Introduction to Gender in Africa
- Week Four: Before Patriarchy: Gender in Hunting and Gathering Societies
- Week Five: The Rise of Agriculture and Patriarchy in Africa
- Week Six: Early Patriarchy and Cultural Representations of Gender
- Week Seven: Gendered Politics at the Early Age of African Empires
- Week Eight: The Gendering of Marriage, Reproduction and Sexuality
- Week Nine: Gender Representations in the Spreading Monotheisms
- Week Ten: Gender, Slavery and Sex: From Queens to Concubines
- Week Eleven: Gender and the Atlantic Slave Trade
- Week Twelve: Gender and the European Conquest of Africa
- Week Thirteen: The Gendered Politics of European Colonialism
- Week Fourteen: Anti-colonial Resistance and Gender
- Week Fifteen: Post-colonial Gender in Africa: Is Feminism African?
