GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

This course aims to introduce students to key concepts, themes, and approaches to African politics using the interdisciplinary methods of global studies. The course has, among others, objectives such as: a) to create awareness and an understanding of major issues in African politics; and b) to familiarise the students with the approaches and theories applied by political scientists in analysing the political development in Africa.

This course will focus on building academic skills by encouraging students to acquire analytical skills on a variety of issues in the discipline of global studies through the study of politics in Africa. Furthermore, students will be exposed to readings and discussions that will develop and improve academic reading and writing skills in the social sciences, with the goal of sparking an interest in conducting social research. Overall, this course will also encourage students to develop an interest in and inclinations towards Africa-related issues, including areas beyond politics, in order to expand their capacity for wider course selection and career prospects.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3” and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

This course will focus on building an academic exchange and having discussions on each week's thematic areas. As an exercise to help students acquire reading and comprehension skills for academic articles, students will be expected to submit five key terms and one thesis statement from each assigned reading. The key terms and thesis statement will form the basis for in-class discussions. Students are also expected to familiarise themselves with the contemporary political discourse in Africa via BBC Focus on Africa. Although the instructor will use most of the time to explain the content of the class, students are encouraged to keep in mind that the style of the class is not a monologue but a discussion format. Students' input will be through class discussions and a research-based essay to be submitted for final evaluation. For all written assignments, students will receive written feedback with corrections and recommendations from the instructor. Students are also encouraged to consult the instructor after the class session (the instructor will be available for 30 minutes after class) or make an appointment through email.

あり / Yes

あり / Yes

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction I

a) Introduction to the course.b) Africa is not a country: states, capitals, people groups, languages.

2[対面/face to face]：Introduction II

Africa in global political discourse (reading James Ferguson's Global Shadows and Binyavanga Wainaina's How to Write About Africa).

3[対面/face to face]：Nation building in Africa

Emergence and crisis of the nation-state and its trajectories.

4[対面/face to face]：The politics of state in Africa I

Nationalism, one-party states, and military rule.

5[対面/face to face]：The politics of state in Africa II

Federalism, decentralization, neopatrimonialism, and political regimes.

6[対面/face to face]：Democracy and electoral politics I

Multiparty democracy, clientelism, and ethnicity.

7[対面/face to face]：Democracy and electoral politics II

Elections and electoral authoritarianism.

8[対面/face to face]：Review & Mid-term

In-class formulation of research questions and issues, context, and background. 

9[対面/face to face]：Politics of conflicts and revolts in Africa I

African civil wars and military coups d'état in post-independent states.

10[対面/face to face]：Politics of conflicts and revolts in Africa II

Post-conflict resolution, peacebuilding, power sharing, and transitional justice.

11[対面/face to face]：The politics of identity in Africa

Class, ethnicity, politics of belonging, religion and politics, and women in politics.

12[対面/face to face]：Regionalization and globalization in Africa.

The African Union (AU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

13[対面/face to face]：Japan and China in Africa

The African resource question; the Tokyo International Conference for Africa Development (TICAD) process; and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

14[対面/face to face]：Conclusion and End-term

Reflections on Africa in global political discourse & End-term evaluation report (an improved version of the mid-term report in essay format).

In order for the students to participate and express their thoughts in class and in writing, they need to make adequate preparations. Students are advised to set aside 2-3 hours of preparatory study and review time for this class. The instructor will issue guiding questions at the end of every class for the next reading. Attempting to answer these questions will help the students grasp the main theme of the assigned readings. At least twice in the semester, students will be asked to watch recommended news items and documentaries outside of class. 

The following text books will be reserved in the library for students' reference. Those who can manage to purchase the books are encouraged to do so. Cheeseman, N., Anderson, D., & Scheibler, A. (Eds.). (2017). Routledge Handbook of African Politics, Routledge.

A wide range of diverse materials and recommended readings may be provided in class for every session. Nevertheless, these two texts are highly recommended. a) Thomson, A. (2016). An Introduction to African Politics (4th ed.). London: Routledge. b) Englebert, P., & Dunn, K. (2014). Inside African politics. Cape Town: UCT Press.

20%: Identification of key terms and the main claim of the assigned readings.
20%: Pop Quizzes.
20%: Mid-Term Report.
40%: End-Term Evaluation Report (an improved version of the mid-term report).

The purpose of pop quizzes is to enhance students' comprehension of key concepts covered in the class. There will be five pop quizzes. The dates and timing of the pop quizzes will not be disclosed to the students. Out of the five pop quizzes, only the top four will be used for grading. Pop quizzes will be ten short answer identification questions that will cover the contents discussed in the class.

Both the midterm and end-term evaluations will be a reflection on the topics we have covered in class, emphasising the context, causes, and consequences of political themes from the lecture materials and required readings. While previewing the questions is not encouraged, the themes for essays may be provided ahead of time to allow students to conduct prior research. 

N/A

Students' personal learning materials such as A4 folders, pens, and pencils.

None.