73148 - International Relations of Africa

Learning outcomes

The course analyses the Africa's international relations in historical and political perspective.

Course contents

The first part of the course examines the early phase of interaction among African countries after independence and in particular the creation of the Organisation of African Unity. The second part analyses the regionalisation of security in Africa after the end of the Cold War. Relations between Africa and the European Union will be critically scrutinized. The third part of the course examines the creation of the African Union and and the genesis and outcomes of the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

The course is organized in lectures and seminars, as detailed in the following program. Lectures (16 hours in remote on MS TEAMS) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. Seminars (12 hours) aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials and exercises. For the seminar section of the course, students will be divided in two groups according to their preferences and according to rules concerning the current pandemic emergency: one group will do the seminar in classroom (12 hours) and another group will do the seminar remotely on MS TEAMS (12 hours), for a total of 28 hours for each student. Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the session and - in the case of seminars - active participation through presentations of existing scholarship and case studies will also be expected. Regardless of the health-related conditions and the specific organization of the course, students will be able to follow the lessons of the entire course remotely on MS TEAMS.

Readings/Bibliography

Reading for students attending classes

B. E. Whitaker, J. Clark, Africa's International Relations. Balancing Domestic and Foreign Interests, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 2018.

E. Schmidt, Foreign Intervention in Africa.From the Cold War to the War on Terror, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.

H. Solomon, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism in Africa, Basingstoke, Palgrave. 2015.

Reading for students non attending classes

B. E. Whitaker, J. Clark, Africa's International Relations. Balancing Domestic and Foreign Interests, Boulder, Lynne Rienner, 2018.

E. Schmidt, Foreign Intervention in Africa.From the Cold War to the War on Terror, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.

A. Pallotti, Dossier: Unione Europea e Africa, in Afriche e Orienti, vol. 13, n. 1-2, 2011 (da pagina 5 a pagina 92).

P. Carmody, The New Scramble for Africa, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2011.

H. Solomon, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism in Africa, Basingstoke, Palgrave. 2015.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars

Assessment methods

For students attending classes

The final grade is determined by the paper each student is required to write (max 6.000 words) (max 8/30) and the final oral exam (max 22/30).

For students non attending classes

Oral exam.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Arrigo Pallotti