Course Detail
Course Description
| Course | Code | Semester | T+P (Hour) | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONTEMPORARY POLITICS in AFRICA | - | Fall Semester | 3+0 | 3 | 6 |
| Course Program |
| Prerequisites Courses | |
| Recommended Elective Courses |
| Language of Course | English |
| Course Level | First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Course Coordinator | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Name of Lecturer(s) | Lect.Dr. Zeliha Aslı ELİTSOY |
| Assistant(s) | |
| Aim | This course is designed as an advanced level introduction to politics in the African continent. Students will be introduced to key concepts and debates on African politics by placing contemporary issues within broader historical themes, trends, and issues that have shaped the continent’s past, across some 50 countries and nearly one billion people. Through lectures, readings, films and class assignments, this course will offer students an integrated interpretation of north and sub-Saharan Africa from the middle of the nineteenth century and the dawn of formal colonial rule through the period of independence until the present day. This course is not designed as a study of individual countries in Africa, but it is a theme-based course. The material that will be covered during the course is organized around broad issues such as the historic patterns of development of the state in Africa, the politics of identity, economic and political change in Africa, transnational issues such as migration, climate change, poverty and inequality, and the role of non-state actors on public policy and politics. By the end of this course, students will be expected to have become familiar with the key literature on African politics from multiple perspectives, and have a better understanding of common trends in this part of the world. |
| Course Content | This course contains; WEEK 1: Course Overview and Introduction to African Politics,WEEK 2: Studying African Politics Today: Concepts/Identifications,WEEK 3: Historical Context: Pre-colonial Africa,WEEK 4: Historical Context: Colonial Legacy in Africa,WEEK 5: The African Anti-Colonial/National Liberation Struggle,WEEK 6: Post-Colonial Africa: The African State System,WEEK 7: Identity Politics in Africa: Ethnicity, Class and Religion,WEEK 8: Conflict and Coercion: Military Rules and Interventions in African Politics,WEEK 9: Africa in International Politics: The External Involvement in African Politics,WEEK 10: Struggle for Democracy: Changing Patterns of Politics in Africa,WEEK 11: Governance and Market Economy: The Political Economy of African States,WEEK 12: Crisis of Governance and State Failure in Africa,WEEK 13: Regional Governance and African Unity,WEEK 14: Wrap up and Student Presentations. |
| Dersin Öğrenme Kazanımları | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| • This course will provide knowledge and understanding of major theoretical approaches, ideological perspectives and, concepts associated with the study of African politics. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • This course will provide an in-depth overview of the roles that enslavement, colonialism and the Cold War played in politics and socio-economic development policies in Africa. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • Students will have ability of engaging in informed dialogues about the major social, economic and political issues and debates which dominate politics in Africa today, and Africa’s place in international politics. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • In addition to the knowledge of a variety of countries on the continent, each student will have detailed knowledge of a particular country in Africa. | 13, 16, 5, 9 | A |
| • Students will have experience in interpreting sources and writing well-documented expositions of your own. | 10, 13, 9 | A |
| • Students will gain an ability of writing a research paper. | 10, 13, 16, 9 | A |
| Teaching Methods: | 10: Discussion Method, 13: Case Study Method, 16: Question - Answer Technique, 19: Brainstorming Technique, 5: Cooperative Learning, 9: Lecture Method |
| Assessment Methods: | A: Traditional Written Exam |
Course Outline
| Order | Subjects | Preliminary Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEK 1: Course Overview and Introduction to African Politics | |
| 2 | WEEK 2: Studying African Politics Today: Concepts/Identifications | - Hyden, Chapter 1: The Study of Politics and Africa (pg.1-24) - Bentahar, Ziad. 2011. “Continental Drift: The Disjunction of North and Sub-Saharan Africa.” Research in African Literatures, 42:1, pg.1-13 |
| 3 | WEEK 3: Historical Context: Pre-colonial Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 2: History: Africa’s Pre-Colonial and Colonial Inheritance (pg.7-10) - Mamdani, Mahmood. 1996. “Decentralized Despotism,” Chapter 2 in Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism (pg.37-48) |
| 4 | WEEK 4: Historical Context: Colonial Legacy in Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 2: History: Africa’s Pre-Colonial and Colonial Inheritance (pg.11-30) - Crowder, Michael. 1964. “Indirect Rule: French and British Style.” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 34:3 (pg.197-205) |
| 5 | WEEK 5: The African Anti-Colonial/National Liberation Struggle | - Poku, Nana K, and Anna Mdee, “Chapter 1: Colonialism, Racism and African Resistance,” in Politics in Africa: A New Introduction (pg. 6-28) - Tangri, Roger K. 1968. “The Rise of Nationalism in Colonial Africa: The Case of Colonial Malawi.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 10:2 (142-161) - Davidson, Basil. Documentary Film: “The Rise of Nationalism.” Africa: A Voyage of Discovery |
| 6 | WEEK 6: Post-Colonial Africa: The African State System | - Hyden, Chapter 3: The Problematic State (pg.50-71) - Young, Crawford. 2004. “The End of the Post-Colonial State in Africa? Reflections on Changing African Political Dynamics.” African Affairs, 103 (23-49) |
| 7 | WEEK 7: Identity Politics in Africa: Ethnicity, Class and Religion | - Thomson, Chapter 5: Social Class: The Search for Class Politics in Africa (pg.82-106) - Hyden, Chapter 9: Ethnicity and Conflict (pg.195-205) - Ellis, Stephen. 1998. “Religion and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Journal of Modern African Studies, 36:2 (pg.175-201) |
| 8 | WEEK 8: Conflict and Coercion: Military Rules and Interventions in African Politics | - Thomson, Chapter 7: Coercion: Military Intervention in African Politics (pg.129-148) - McGowan, Patrick J. 2003. “African Military coups d'état, 1956-2001: Frequency, Trends and Distribution,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 41:3, 339-370 |
| 9 | WEEK 9: Africa in International Politics: The External Involvement in African Politics | - Thomson, Chapter 8: Sovereignty 1: External Influences on African Politics (pg.149-173) - Hyden, Chapter 10: The External Dimension (pg.206-227) - Michel, Thiery. 1999. “Mobutu, King of Zaire,” Documentary Film |
| 10 | WEEK 10: Struggle for Democracy: Changing Patterns of Politics in Africa | - van de Walle, Nicolas. 2002. “Africa’s Range of Regimes: Elections without Democracy.” Journal of Democracy, 13:2 (Pg.66-80) - Brown, Stephen and Paul Kaiser. 2007. “Democratizations in Africa: Attempts, Hindrances and Prospects.” Third World Quarterly, 28:6 (pg.1131-49) - Merz, Jarreth. Documentary Film. “An African Election,” Ghana’s 2008 Presidential Elections |
| 11 | WEEK 11: Governance and Market Economy: The Political Economy of African States | - Thomson, Chapter 8: Sovereignty 2: Neo-Colonialism, Structural Adjustment, and Africa’s Political Economy (pg.175-197) - Collier, Paul and Jan Willem Gunning. 1999. “Why Has Africa Grown Slowly?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13:3 (pg.3-22) |
| 12 | WEEK 12: Crisis of Governance and State Failure in Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 10: Authority: The Crisis of Accumulation, Governance and State Collapse (pg.200-226) - Arriola. 2009. “Patronage and Political Stability in Africa.” Comparative Political Studies, 42:10 (pg.1339-1359) |
| 13 | WEEK 13: Regional Governance and African Unity | - De Melo, Jaime and Yvonne Tsikata. 2014. “Regional Integration in Africa: Challenges and Prospects,” in Monga, Celestin and Justin Yifu Lin (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 2: Policies and Practices - Adogamhe, Paul G. 2008. “Pan-Africanism Revisited: Vision and Reality of African Unity and Development.” African Review of Integration, 2:2 (pg.1-34) |
| 14 | WEEK 14: Wrap up and Student Presentations |
| Resources |
| - Hyden, Goran. 2006. “African Politics in Comparative Perspective.” Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. - Thomson, Alex. 2004. “An Introduction to African Politics.” London, New York: Routledge. |
Course Contribution to Program Qualifications
| Course Contribution to Program Qualifications | |||||||
| No | Program Qualification | Contribution Level | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1 | PC1. Students know the fundamental concepts, theories, research methods and analysis techniques used in the fields and sub-fields of Political Science and International relations. | X | |||||
| 2 | PC2. Students understand the political, economic, social, and cultural relations among political systems, international actors, states and non-state actors; analyzes the reasons for the issues and problems in these fields, develop skills for systematic and critical thinking for alternative solutions. | X | |||||
| 3 | PC3. Students of the program will be able to work at public and private institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. They will be able to involve in the foreign policy making, analysis, and implementation processes; manage project implementations, and shoulder responsibilities at different positions of decision-making processes. The multi-disciplinary perspective they have developed in the program facilitates following solution-oriented perspective at times of crisis, evaluating existing resolutions and developing new alternatives. | X | |||||
| 4 | PC4. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and report the findings to stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 5 | PC5. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and make scientific publications. | X | |||||
| 6 | PC6. Students will be able to work as group leader in public and private institutions, plan and administer events and activities. | X | |||||
| 7 | PC7. As a result of development of critical thinking, students stay open to change and development; adopt never-ending learning principle to their life. | X | |||||
| 8 | PC8. Students use the appropriate oral and written language skills and adopt professional ethics in their communication while sharing results, analyses, and solution suggestions with colleagues and stakeholders | X | |||||
| 9 | PC9. Students use English language skills in research and fields of expertise; easily follow international developments and communicates with international stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 10 | PC10. Students use fundamental computer skills in communication with colleagues and stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 11 | PC11. Students will be able to lead decision-making mechanisms, involve in policy making and analysis processes, and manage negotiation processes in public and private institutions. | X | |||||
| 12 | PC12. Students will be able to develop original and scientific solutions and knowledge in their fields of expertise, create projects and act as a consultant to decision-making mechanisms. | X | |||||
Assessment Methods
| Contribution Level | Absolute Evaluation | |
| Rate of Midterm Exam to Success | 40 | |
| Rate of Final Exam to Success | 60 | |
| Total | 100 | |
| ECTS / Workload Table | ||||||
| Activities | Number of | Duration(Hour) | Total Workload(Hour) | |||
| Course Hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Guided Problem Solving | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Resolution of Homework Problems and Submission as a Report | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Term Project | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Presentation of Project / Seminar | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Quiz | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Midterm Exam | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| General Exam | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Performance Task, Maintenance Plan | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Workload(Hour) | 0 | |||||
| Dersin AKTS Kredisi = Toplam İş Yükü (Saat)/30*=(0/30) | 0 | |||||
| ECTS of the course: 30 hours of work is counted as 1 ECTS credit. | ||||||
Detail Informations of the Course
Course Description
| Course | Code | Semester | T+P (Hour) | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONTEMPORARY POLITICS in AFRICA | - | Fall Semester | 3+0 | 3 | 6 |
| Course Program |
| Prerequisites Courses | |
| Recommended Elective Courses |
| Language of Course | English |
| Course Level | First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Course Coordinator | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Name of Lecturer(s) | Lect.Dr. Zeliha Aslı ELİTSOY |
| Assistant(s) | |
| Aim | This course is designed as an advanced level introduction to politics in the African continent. Students will be introduced to key concepts and debates on African politics by placing contemporary issues within broader historical themes, trends, and issues that have shaped the continent’s past, across some 50 countries and nearly one billion people. Through lectures, readings, films and class assignments, this course will offer students an integrated interpretation of north and sub-Saharan Africa from the middle of the nineteenth century and the dawn of formal colonial rule through the period of independence until the present day. This course is not designed as a study of individual countries in Africa, but it is a theme-based course. The material that will be covered during the course is organized around broad issues such as the historic patterns of development of the state in Africa, the politics of identity, economic and political change in Africa, transnational issues such as migration, climate change, poverty and inequality, and the role of non-state actors on public policy and politics. By the end of this course, students will be expected to have become familiar with the key literature on African politics from multiple perspectives, and have a better understanding of common trends in this part of the world. |
| Course Content | This course contains; WEEK 1: Course Overview and Introduction to African Politics,WEEK 2: Studying African Politics Today: Concepts/Identifications,WEEK 3: Historical Context: Pre-colonial Africa,WEEK 4: Historical Context: Colonial Legacy in Africa,WEEK 5: The African Anti-Colonial/National Liberation Struggle,WEEK 6: Post-Colonial Africa: The African State System,WEEK 7: Identity Politics in Africa: Ethnicity, Class and Religion,WEEK 8: Conflict and Coercion: Military Rules and Interventions in African Politics,WEEK 9: Africa in International Politics: The External Involvement in African Politics,WEEK 10: Struggle for Democracy: Changing Patterns of Politics in Africa,WEEK 11: Governance and Market Economy: The Political Economy of African States,WEEK 12: Crisis of Governance and State Failure in Africa,WEEK 13: Regional Governance and African Unity,WEEK 14: Wrap up and Student Presentations. |
| Dersin Öğrenme Kazanımları | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| • This course will provide knowledge and understanding of major theoretical approaches, ideological perspectives and, concepts associated with the study of African politics. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • This course will provide an in-depth overview of the roles that enslavement, colonialism and the Cold War played in politics and socio-economic development policies in Africa. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • Students will have ability of engaging in informed dialogues about the major social, economic and political issues and debates which dominate politics in Africa today, and Africa’s place in international politics. | 10, 13, 19, 9 | A |
| • In addition to the knowledge of a variety of countries on the continent, each student will have detailed knowledge of a particular country in Africa. | 13, 16, 5, 9 | A |
| • Students will have experience in interpreting sources and writing well-documented expositions of your own. | 10, 13, 9 | A |
| • Students will gain an ability of writing a research paper. | 10, 13, 16, 9 | A |
| Teaching Methods: | 10: Discussion Method, 13: Case Study Method, 16: Question - Answer Technique, 19: Brainstorming Technique, 5: Cooperative Learning, 9: Lecture Method |
| Assessment Methods: | A: Traditional Written Exam |
Course Outline
| Order | Subjects | Preliminary Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEEK 1: Course Overview and Introduction to African Politics | |
| 2 | WEEK 2: Studying African Politics Today: Concepts/Identifications | - Hyden, Chapter 1: The Study of Politics and Africa (pg.1-24) - Bentahar, Ziad. 2011. “Continental Drift: The Disjunction of North and Sub-Saharan Africa.” Research in African Literatures, 42:1, pg.1-13 |
| 3 | WEEK 3: Historical Context: Pre-colonial Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 2: History: Africa’s Pre-Colonial and Colonial Inheritance (pg.7-10) - Mamdani, Mahmood. 1996. “Decentralized Despotism,” Chapter 2 in Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism (pg.37-48) |
| 4 | WEEK 4: Historical Context: Colonial Legacy in Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 2: History: Africa’s Pre-Colonial and Colonial Inheritance (pg.11-30) - Crowder, Michael. 1964. “Indirect Rule: French and British Style.” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, 34:3 (pg.197-205) |
| 5 | WEEK 5: The African Anti-Colonial/National Liberation Struggle | - Poku, Nana K, and Anna Mdee, “Chapter 1: Colonialism, Racism and African Resistance,” in Politics in Africa: A New Introduction (pg. 6-28) - Tangri, Roger K. 1968. “The Rise of Nationalism in Colonial Africa: The Case of Colonial Malawi.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 10:2 (142-161) - Davidson, Basil. Documentary Film: “The Rise of Nationalism.” Africa: A Voyage of Discovery |
| 6 | WEEK 6: Post-Colonial Africa: The African State System | - Hyden, Chapter 3: The Problematic State (pg.50-71) - Young, Crawford. 2004. “The End of the Post-Colonial State in Africa? Reflections on Changing African Political Dynamics.” African Affairs, 103 (23-49) |
| 7 | WEEK 7: Identity Politics in Africa: Ethnicity, Class and Religion | - Thomson, Chapter 5: Social Class: The Search for Class Politics in Africa (pg.82-106) - Hyden, Chapter 9: Ethnicity and Conflict (pg.195-205) - Ellis, Stephen. 1998. “Religion and Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Journal of Modern African Studies, 36:2 (pg.175-201) |
| 8 | WEEK 8: Conflict and Coercion: Military Rules and Interventions in African Politics | - Thomson, Chapter 7: Coercion: Military Intervention in African Politics (pg.129-148) - McGowan, Patrick J. 2003. “African Military coups d'état, 1956-2001: Frequency, Trends and Distribution,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 41:3, 339-370 |
| 9 | WEEK 9: Africa in International Politics: The External Involvement in African Politics | - Thomson, Chapter 8: Sovereignty 1: External Influences on African Politics (pg.149-173) - Hyden, Chapter 10: The External Dimension (pg.206-227) - Michel, Thiery. 1999. “Mobutu, King of Zaire,” Documentary Film |
| 10 | WEEK 10: Struggle for Democracy: Changing Patterns of Politics in Africa | - van de Walle, Nicolas. 2002. “Africa’s Range of Regimes: Elections without Democracy.” Journal of Democracy, 13:2 (Pg.66-80) - Brown, Stephen and Paul Kaiser. 2007. “Democratizations in Africa: Attempts, Hindrances and Prospects.” Third World Quarterly, 28:6 (pg.1131-49) - Merz, Jarreth. Documentary Film. “An African Election,” Ghana’s 2008 Presidential Elections |
| 11 | WEEK 11: Governance and Market Economy: The Political Economy of African States | - Thomson, Chapter 8: Sovereignty 2: Neo-Colonialism, Structural Adjustment, and Africa’s Political Economy (pg.175-197) - Collier, Paul and Jan Willem Gunning. 1999. “Why Has Africa Grown Slowly?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13:3 (pg.3-22) |
| 12 | WEEK 12: Crisis of Governance and State Failure in Africa | - Thomson, Chapter 10: Authority: The Crisis of Accumulation, Governance and State Collapse (pg.200-226) - Arriola. 2009. “Patronage and Political Stability in Africa.” Comparative Political Studies, 42:10 (pg.1339-1359) |
| 13 | WEEK 13: Regional Governance and African Unity | - De Melo, Jaime and Yvonne Tsikata. 2014. “Regional Integration in Africa: Challenges and Prospects,” in Monga, Celestin and Justin Yifu Lin (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 2: Policies and Practices - Adogamhe, Paul G. 2008. “Pan-Africanism Revisited: Vision and Reality of African Unity and Development.” African Review of Integration, 2:2 (pg.1-34) |
| 14 | WEEK 14: Wrap up and Student Presentations |
| Resources |
| - Hyden, Goran. 2006. “African Politics in Comparative Perspective.” Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. - Thomson, Alex. 2004. “An Introduction to African Politics.” London, New York: Routledge. |
Course Contribution to Program Qualifications
| Course Contribution to Program Qualifications | |||||||
| No | Program Qualification | Contribution Level | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1 | PC1. Students know the fundamental concepts, theories, research methods and analysis techniques used in the fields and sub-fields of Political Science and International relations. | X | |||||
| 2 | PC2. Students understand the political, economic, social, and cultural relations among political systems, international actors, states and non-state actors; analyzes the reasons for the issues and problems in these fields, develop skills for systematic and critical thinking for alternative solutions. | X | |||||
| 3 | PC3. Students of the program will be able to work at public and private institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. They will be able to involve in the foreign policy making, analysis, and implementation processes; manage project implementations, and shoulder responsibilities at different positions of decision-making processes. The multi-disciplinary perspective they have developed in the program facilitates following solution-oriented perspective at times of crisis, evaluating existing resolutions and developing new alternatives. | X | |||||
| 4 | PC4. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and report the findings to stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 5 | PC5. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and make scientific publications. | X | |||||
| 6 | PC6. Students will be able to work as group leader in public and private institutions, plan and administer events and activities. | X | |||||
| 7 | PC7. As a result of development of critical thinking, students stay open to change and development; adopt never-ending learning principle to their life. | X | |||||
| 8 | PC8. Students use the appropriate oral and written language skills and adopt professional ethics in their communication while sharing results, analyses, and solution suggestions with colleagues and stakeholders | X | |||||
| 9 | PC9. Students use English language skills in research and fields of expertise; easily follow international developments and communicates with international stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 10 | PC10. Students use fundamental computer skills in communication with colleagues and stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 11 | PC11. Students will be able to lead decision-making mechanisms, involve in policy making and analysis processes, and manage negotiation processes in public and private institutions. | X | |||||
| 12 | PC12. Students will be able to develop original and scientific solutions and knowledge in their fields of expertise, create projects and act as a consultant to decision-making mechanisms. | X | |||||
Assessment Methods
| Contribution Level | Absolute Evaluation | |
| Rate of Midterm Exam to Success | 40 | |
| Rate of Final Exam to Success | 60 | |
| Total | 100 | |