Course Description
Teaches students about the organs and operations of the African Union and prepares students to participate in the academic simulation of the activities of the continental organization. Students will prepare a report on the simulation, with particular attention to their assigned committee's agenda topics.
Athena Title
Model African Union
Non-Traditional Format
Students will be required to meet weekly to review African Union documents and research the development of resolutions. Graduate students will prepare a research paper on one of the simulation agenda topics.
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The course will provide students with a better, deeper, and clearer understanding of the critical historical and contemporary issues affecting the African continent. More precisely, the objectives of the course are: (1) To teach and illustrate to students contemporary methodologies for the critical examination of historical issues that have shaped and affected the nature and general development of the African continent. (2) To equip students with tools for analytical review on how contemporary events, such as the formation of the African Union, affect development on the African continent. (3) To provide students with a better understanding of the historical and contemporary issues surrounding the challenges facing the African continent, particularly in terms of development. (4) To show students the manner and extent to which the several critical issues affecting the African continent are interrelated. (5) To make students more receptive of cultural differences between Africans on one hand and Africans and Americans (and Westerners) on the other. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings and engage in directed research that will prepare them to debate the issues currently in front of the African Union. Students will be expected to participate in either the Southeast or National Model Union (depending on the semester of enrollment). A final paper summarizing their research on the topic they presented during the debates will be expected at the end of the semester.
Topical Outline
Reasons and purpose of the African Union The African Union Constitute Act Tools and organs of the African Union Other outline items will be dependent on the agenda of the African Union as well as focused sections in its constitutive act at the time of the course.