African Politics

Module Code: PO4710

Module Name: African Politics

• ECTS Weighting: 15
• Semester/Term Taught: Michaelmas + Hilary Term
• Contact Hours: 1 hour seminars weekly plus fortnightly tutorials
• Module Personnel: Lecturer - Professor Christian Houle

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Identify and articulate theoretical aspects of governance and conflict in African states
• Discuss the roles of governance actors (public, private and civil society) in the environmental field.
• Critically debate the nature and impact of colonialism and post-colonial external influences on the economic and political health of African countries.
• Critically analyze and reflect on how ‘development’, ‘under-development’ and ‘dependence’ are part of a meta-narrative about Africa
• Discuss the causal factors leading to instability, deepening poverty and civil wars in the post-Cold War era
• Critically debate the nature and impact of external aid on the health and future of African economies.
• Critically analyze the debates of HIV/AIDS and its impact of state stability

Module Learning Aims

By the end of this course, students will be familiar with many topics related to politics in sub-Saharan Africa, such as decolonization and colonial legacies, economic development and crisis, authoritarian rule, weak and fragile states, ethnicity, civil conflicts, and democratization. The students will learn about the main theories explaining African politics.

Module Content

This course will explore the economic, social, and political challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa today, and focuses on issues related to its economic and political development, as well as civil conflict. The course covers the following themes: decolonization and colonial legacies, economic development and crisis, authoritarian regimes, weak and fragile states, ethnicity and conflicts, and democratization. In addition to exploring the literature relevant to each topic, the course looks at several specific African countries in greater detail.

Back to top

Recommended Reading List

Meredith, Martin. 2006. The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence. Free Press.
Bratton, Michael and Nicolas van de Walle. 1997. Democratic Experiments in Africa. Cambridge University Press.
J. Herbst. 2000. States and Power in Africa. Princeton University Press.

Back to top

Assessment Details

2 essays counting for 20% each
1 x 3-hour examination counting for 60% of the final mark

Back to top