HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS OF AFRICA
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
None.
The final examination comprises two parts:
1) a two-hour written examination (to be taken without the help of readings or notes), aimed at assessing the knowledge of G. P. CALCHI NOVATI, Africa: la storia ritrovata. Dalle prime forme politiche agli Stati nazionali; M. ZAMPONI, Breve storia del Sudafrica. Dalla segregazione alla democrazia.
The test is structured as follows:
• 20 multiple-choice questions, worth 1 point each;
• Two open questions, worth maximum 5 points each.
To be admitted to the second part of the examination, a pass mark is required (at least 18/30) in the first part.
2) An oral examination (two questions) concerning the readings suggested for the “Monographic part” of the course and the other materials uploaded on the e-learning platform by the lecturer.
The mark of the oral examination (expressed on a scale of 30) will take into account the accuracy of the answers (worth 60% of the mark), as well as students’ analytical and presentation skills (worth 40% of the mark).
The final mark is the average of the two marks awarded in the written and oral examinations, both of which must be taken in the same exam session.
The pass mark is 18/30.
The course analyses the inheritance of colonialism in Africa by looking back to the crucial events that marked the history of the continent, and particularly the history of South Africa, during the early modern and modern period. Among the learning objectives we find:
• The knowledge of the main events and actors of the early modern and mondern history of the African continent, particularly the social, economic and political dynamics that contributed to the creation of South Africa.
• The ability to interpret the evolution of the African continent, and particularly South Africa, by assessing continuities, discontinuities, and historical variations in this process.
• The ability to use the acquired knowledge to understand the African past and present from a compara-tive angle.
• The capacity to use the acquired information and particularly to interpret and disclose the results of the debate concerning the history of South Africa among scholars and the mass media.
The course is structured in two parts.
A "general part" (of about 30 hours) outlines the history and main social, economic, and political features of the African continent. A special attention is devoted to the economic, political, and cultural legacy of slavery, the islamisation of the continent, the different colonial models, the rise of nationalism, the decolonization and the formation of new states between authoritarian tendencies and democratization.
The "monographic part" of the course (of about 34 hours) analyses the dynamics that have led to the creation of modern South Africa and the key role of one of the protagonists of South African history.
GENERAL PART
- G. P. CALCHI NOVATI, Africa: la storia ritrovata. Dalle prime forme politiche agli Stati nazionali, Carocci, Roma 2019.
MONOGRAPHIC PART
1) M. ZAMPONI, Breve storia del Sudafrica. Dalla segregazione alla democrazia, Carocci, Roma 2009
2) N. MANDELA, Lungo cammino verso la libertà: autobiografia, Feltrinelli, Milano 1994
3) N. MANDELA, Un ideale per cui sono pronto a morire, Garzanti, Milano 2014
The learning objectives will be achieved through 64 lecture hours. Students are expected to participate in the discussions and analysis of additional materials (documents and texts) provided by the lecturer, which will allow them to familiarize with the aims and methods of the historical research.
Office hour and location: Fridays from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate (Padi-glione Rossi, Via Rossi).
Students are required to previously schedule a meeting by sending an e-mail to the lec-turer (katia.visconti@uninsubria.it).