93419 - History And Institutions Of Africa (50)

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in International relations and diplomatic affairs (cod. 8048)

Learning outcomes

The course provides students with essential knowledge about the history of contemporary Africa, and with the instruments to undertake a critical analysis of political phenomena (particularly conflicts and democratic transitions) that are currently taking place in the African continent. At the end of the course students are expected to have learnt how to unpack critical factors of change across Africa's main regions in the colonial and postcolonial period, as well as how to map actors and challenges connected to current transformations of the nation-state.

Course contents

The course examines the contemporary history of the African continent starting from the late pre-colonial period. The first half of the course addresses the colonial scramble, the different models of colonisation, the impact of different systems of domination on African societies, and decolonisation. The second half of the course discusses the political trajectories of countries after independence, the crisis of the African State, the policies of economic development, and democratisation. 

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

A.M. Medici, A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, L'Africa contemporanea, Firenze, Le Monnier-Mondadori, 2017.

Non-attending students:

A.M. Medici, A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, L'Africa contemporanea, Firenze, Le Monnier-Mondadori, 2017.

A. Pallotti, Alla ricerca della democrazia. L'Africa sub-sahariana tra autoritarismo e sviluppo, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2013.

Teaching methods

The course is organised as a set of lectures followed by extensive class discussion.

Assessment methods

Attending students: two intermediary written tests that will take place during the course and a final oral exam (the oral exam will assess all the topics addressed by the course).

Each of the two written tests is structured along 4 open questions. Students will have 120 mins to complete the task. Dates and times of the written cannot be changed. Students who will not be able to attend one of the two written tests for reasons of force majeure, will be examined on these contents during the final oral exam.

Marks of the two written tests and the final colloquium are expressed on a scale of thirty. Each of the three exams accounts for 33.3% of the final mark. The final mark is the arithmetic mean of the three partial marks.

Non attending students: oral exam.

Teaching tools

Additional resources in the form of a collection of maps ("Atlantino") is available at the information desk of the R. Ruffilli library, and at the ufficio didattico of the Political Science Faculty "Roberto Ruffilli".

Office hours

See the website of Davide Chinigò

SDGs

No poverty Reduced inequalities Partnerships for the goals

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.