ASTK15449U COURSE: African politics

Volume 2016/2017
Education

Elective in the specialization "International Relations, Diplomacy and Conflict Studies"

 

Bachelorlevel: 10 ECTS


Masterlevel: 7,5 ECTS

Content

The African Politics provides a survey of political development in Sub-Saharan Africa, concentrating on the events since independence to the present. This course primarily focuses on the current issues of political and economic development across Africa, drawing on a wide variety of examples and cases. Such aspects as the state and state institutions, democracy, party systems, military coups and rule, bureaucracy and corruption, ethnicity, national and regional integration, political violence and civil conflict, as well as various economic strategies for development will receive primary attention.

Learning Outcome

 

‘The objective of this course is to enable the students to:

• Describe the evolution of post-colonial politics and economic development in Africa.

• Present the key theoretical orientations and understandings related to this evolution.

• Apply the major theories to actual cases.

• Compare and analyze the main theoretical trends relating to the political and economic evolution of the continent over the past sever decades.

• Combine and synthesize contributions to the current academic debates about the nature of the state in various African contexts.

• Evaluate the validity of the various theorists’ arguments.

• Harbeson, John and Donald Rothchild (eds.), AFRICA IN WORLD POLITICS: ENGAGING A CHANGING GLOBAL ORDER (New York, NY: Westview Press), 2013, 5th edition.

• Taylor, Scott D,  GLOBALIZATION AND THE CULTURES OF BUSINESS IN AFRICA. FROM PARTIMONALISM TO PROFIT (Bloomington, IL: Indiana University Press), 2012.

• Bach, Daniel and Mamoudou Gazibo (eds.), NEOPATRIMONIALISM IN AFRICA AND BEYOND, London, UK: Routledge, 2012 (260 pages)

• Additional required readings will be posted on Absalon. 

This course will combine several types of instruction and collaborative learning. This includes lectures, several videos, group discussions/work and student presentations.
Feedback:
I provide regular feedback on student written assignments, along with several group activities designed to have students discuss their papers in small groups and with the class.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Total
  • 28
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination
Written
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner