2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST2430 The History of Africa since 1900

20 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Professor Shane Doyle
Email: S.D.Doyle@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This course will analyse:- the impact of colonial rule on Africans' lives; the development of nationalism; - the rise and fall of Apartheid; and the decline of the state from the 1970s.It will also examine:- the importance of ethnicity; - changes in the role and status of women; the spread of Christianity; and radical Islam; and famine, environmental change, rapid population growth and AIDS.Content note: to discuss these themes effectively it is necessary for us to read/look at/discuss material which covers some topics which may be challenging for you, including gender violence, racist language, and mass murder. The module tutor can provide more information on this if required.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1) analyse and evaluate conflicting historical interpretations;
2) understand and synthesise secondary texts;
3) acquire a knowledge of Africa's history during the colonial and post-colonial eras.

Skills outcomes
Enhances Common Skills listed below:
- High-level skills in oral and written communication of complex ideas.
- Independence of mind and self-discipline and self-direction to work effectively under own initiative.
- Ability to locate, handle and synthesize large amounts of information.
- Capacity to employ analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to engage constructively with the ideas of their peers, tutors and published sources.
- Empathy and active engagement with alternative cultural contexts.

Syllabus

This course will analyse the key political developments of the last century: the impact of colonial rule on Africans' lives; the development of violent and non-violent forms of nationalism; the rise and fall of Apartheid in South Africa; the decline of the state from the 1970s; and the democratisation movement in the 1990s.

The course will also place heavy emphasis on social change, since this has been Africa's most significant contribution to modern world history. It will examine the importance of ethnicity; changes in the role and status of women; the spread and Africanisation of Christianity; the rise of radical Islam; and the reasons why the impact of famine, environmental change, rapid population growth and AIDS has been so extreme in Africa. Finally, the course will consider the various development strategies adopted by different countries, and analyse the reasons why Africa is still the world's poorest continent.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Tutorial	9	1.00	9.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

- Exam preparation
- Researching, preparing, and writing assignments
- Undertaking set reading
- Self-directed reading around the topic

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contributions to class discussions, an assessed exercise or exercises worth 10% of module marks, an assessed essay.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	2,000 word primary source analysis	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		40.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Online Time-Limited assessment	48 hr 00 mins	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		60.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 18/10/2024

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