Africa Since 1800: From Colonial Rule to Independence

The course aims to introduce students to the on-going profound and diverse changes that the African continent experienced and the equally complex responses from men and women, young and old during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Exploring the wide-ranging debates about the origins of modern Africa, the course seeks to equip students with critical analytical tools with which to understand its complex pasts and African's place in world history and in the contemporary world. The course explores diverse encounters between African societies and the world since 1800 and stresses the complex ways in which diverse Africans engaged and came to terms with these historical forces and their complex outcomes. The course focus will include the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, colonial conquest and rule, socio-economic changes and the decolonization process. Through a selection of regional case studies, the course will cover the entire continent so as to understand the diversity of the historical forces that have shaped contemporary Africa.

DP requirements: 100% of required coursework and course evaluation.

Assessment: 50% coursework; 50% one two-hour examination in October.

The University of Cape Town awards credits based on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to determine course and contact hour recommendations per course. 1 NQF credit represents roughly 10 notional hours of work which includes study time, assignments and examinations. Notional hours may very per courses depending on the course level and modality therefore, CEA recommends using NQF credits as a basis to determine U.S. equivalencies (1 NQF=.222 semester credits)