Topics: Africa In Context: Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development
Africa is the continent least understood by Americans; it is often presented by the media as a land of war, famine, drought, and poverty. This course will present Africa's contemporary reality, the positive as well as the negative by examining major current issues after briefly surveying Africa's history, geography, societies and culture. Themes covered will include: political developments; regional conflicts; human rights and fundamental freedoms; economic development (including the role played by international assistance); humanitarian crises and intervention; terrorism; population growth and urbanization; and public health crises (including Ebola and Covid-19). The course will focus on providing students with an in-depth understanding of the historical, as well as contemporary context to policy-making in Africa and provide them with an opportunity to analyze the successes and failures of policy implementation.
