TAFAHEL15U Helping Africa?

Volume 2013/2014
Content
In the current debate about Africa two extreme perspectives can be identified. An Afro-optimistic approach illustrated by statements as the following from business and government leaders during the closing session of the 21st World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, May 2011: ‘African countries should now focus on converting optimism in the continent's future into action’.
The other is the Afro-pessimism approach illustrated by the following statement: ‘The basket-case African continent, mired in strange pathologies such as "resource curses," "poverty traps," and "blood diamonds" which hasn't changed much since the 1960s’.

This course aims to problematize recent "development" initiatives on the African continent. Looking into specific African as well as external development initiatives and there implications for Africa and the Africans with special focus on poverty reduction.

One of the elements in the course is to critically discuss actors in Africa's development, such as: The African Union, African States, externals donors (including China and India), non-states actors including the private sector, and the role they are playing in achieving poverty alleviation in Africa.

Another element will be to discuss and reflect on specific initiatives such as: Development aid, the millennium development goals and African development initiatives such as NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development). We will also discuss Africa's role on the international scene focusing on issues related to “the war on terror” and climate change (both mitigation and adaptation issues) by exploring both the drives as well as possible implications on the continent.

The course will also look into the role of the private sector with detailed study and critical discussion of specific poverty-related business activities in Africa. The business activities that are chosen will reflect a variety of contexts and types of business, illustrating the possibilities and challenges for business and the activities effects on the African people and poverty reduction. The chosen contexts of the specific poverty-related business activities are microfinance, entrepreneurship, Brand Aid, tourism and innovation-based development.
Learning Outcome

Academic goals
The aim is for the student to acquire the following qualifications:

  • Ability to select, in consultation with the instructor, a relevant sub-topic within the overall focus area of the thematic course. The sub-topic will often be empirical in nature and geared towards specific conditions inAfrica, but it can also be more theoretical.
  • Ability to independently and critically select relevant literature on the sub-topic to be studied.
  • Ability to independently and critically analyse the sub-topic in question and to place it within the overall context of the thematic course in question.
The course will consist of the combination of lectures with active student participation, and presentations by a number of external experts from the private sector, NGOs and researchers. The participants are provided with introductory literature by the facilitator of the course. Active student participation is expected.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Course Preparation
  • 272
  • Exam
  • 120
  • Total
  • 420
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period
January 2014
Criteria for exam assesment

The grade of 12 is given at the exam when the student demonstrates:

  • Confident ability to identify and define a sub-topic and an issue of relevance to the overall theme of the thematic course.
  • Confident ability to independently and critically select relevant literature on the sub-topic to be studied.
  • Confident ability to independently and critically analyse the sub-topic in question and the chosen literature.
  • Confident ability to conduct an interdisciplinary analysis of the sub-topic in question and to place it within the overall theme of the thematic course in question.
  • Confident ability to communicate academic material in a clear, concise and well-argued manner.
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 45 min.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period
January 2014
Criteria for exam assesment

The grade of 12 is given at the exam when the student demonstrates:

  • Confident ability to identify and define a sub-topic and an issue of relevance to the overall theme of the thematic course.
  • Confident ability to independently and critically select relevant literature on the sub-topic to be studied.
  • Confident ability to independently and critically analyse the sub-topic in question and the chosen literature.
  • Confident ability to conduct an interdisciplinary analysis of the sub-topic in question and to place it within the overall theme of the thematic course in question.
  • Confident ability to communicate academic material in a clear, concise and well-argued manner.