This course provides students with an understanding of contemporary Africa by surveying key issues in the history of the region and by introducing the dynamism and diversity of its cultures. Issues explored in the course include: pre-colonial political systems, slavery and its legacies, European colonization, 20th century liberation movements, and post-colonial state and nation building. Throughout the course, students will be asked to question previous historiographical approaches to the region through a critical engagement with primary source documents from the late 1400s to contemporary times.

On these pages you will find the syllabus and other material (assignments and readings) used in the course.