2017-18 Academic Catalog

This course considers major actors and developments in sub-Saharan Africa from the mid-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries. With a critical awareness of the ways that Africa's past has been narrated, it balances coverage of the state and economy with attention to daily life, families, and popular culture. The majority of the reading assignments are drawn from contemporary documents, commentaries, interviews, and memoirs. These are supplemented by works produced by historians. Students will analyze change, question perspectives, and imagine life during the age of European imperialism. Written assignments include a book review, examinations, and identifying and editing a primary source text.