African Development

African Development is a Social Science class taught by Frank Holmquist.

Course Description
This course is centered on three major issues: 1) History: what did pre-colonial African politics and economics look like? What was the nature and impact of the Atlantic slave trade? How and why was European colonial rule imposed? How did Africans respond? What was the origin and nature of nationalist ideology, organization, and leadership in the struggle for independence? 2) Current difficulties: How should we understand and explain the gathering crises in African politics and economics? 3) Development policy, reform, and recovery: What are current development policies in different policy arenas (such as agriculture, industry, and education)? How successful are they and what changes may be needed to put Africa on the road to economic recovery? There will be an emphasis on writing through regular submission of short essays as well as a research paper. Particular attention will be paid to framing papers, crafting arguments, and marshaling evidence. The topic of the research paper will be formulated in consultations with the student and the instructor. This course will be taught in conjunction with a three week workshop that students will be expected to attend focusing on rural development taught by a visiting professor from the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, India. Workshop times TBA.

Learning Goals

 * Presenting
 * Reading
 * Writing