African Studies Course

AFRI L-400 Development and Globalization in Africa
Fall 2010
M W 9:30-10:45am, Kirkwood Hall 212

Course Description and Objectives

This course focuses on the history, practices, and experiences of development and globalization in Africa. Taking an anthropological approach, we explore Africa’s place in the contemporary world order, the politico-economic challenges African women and men face, and the ways in which they engage with the world in which they live in order to gain a critical understanding of development and globalization.

The introductory video provides a brief overview of the politico-economic structures put in place by the colonial powers while the article by historians Frederick Cooper and Randall Packard challenges us to think critically about development as discourse and practice. Against this background, we will delve into the complexities of development and globalization through book-length case studies and more narrowly focused articles. Readings, discussion, and selected videos illuminate how development policies and practices of colonial and post-colonial governments have interacted with and helped to reconfigure identities and local social and economic relations; the role of secular and faith-based NGOs and international institutions in development; the politics of commodity production; global capital investment and resource extraction; the responses of African youths to contemporary politico-economic realities; and the ways in which individual lives and social relationships are reconstituted through transnational migration.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Discuss approaches to development in Africa, their continuities and changes over time, and their intersections with globalization.

• Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural effects of development interventions in particular contexts, the ways in which Africans negotiate contemporary political-economic conditions, and the ways in which they engage forces of globalization.

• Synthesize and integrate information, and make connections between case studies.

• Analyze a case study, assess the research methodologies used by the author, and formulate further questions for research the way an anthropologist would.

Required Readings

• Hodgson, Dorothy L. 2001. Once Intrepid Warriors: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Cultural Politics of Maasai Development. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

• Schroeder, Richard A. 1999. Shady Practices: Agroforestry and Gender Politics in The Gambia. Berkeley: University of California Press.

• Bornstein, Erica. 2005. The Spirit of Development: Protestant NGOs, Morality, and Economics in Zimbabwe. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

The above texts are available at the University Bookstore. They are also on 1-day reserve in the Kent Cooper Room, Wells Library. Additional readings are listed in the course schedule below. Those marked [OC] are posted as PDF files on the OnCourse web site. Unmarked readings can be accessed through the electronic journals database in IUCAT. A tutorial explaining how to access electronic journals is available through the African Studies Collection home page (see below).

Course Requirements and Grading

The final course grade will be based on a maximum of 500 points, comprised as follows:

a) attendance and participation (100 points)*; and b) four 6-7 page essays of critical reflection that bring together course readings, films, discussion, and related research (100 points each)**.

*Attendance and active participation by everyone are crucial for the success of this course. Excused absences from class such as illness, family matters, or conflicting professional engagements require documentation or prior written notification.

Participation entails coming to class prepared to identify the main points of the readings, seeking clarification as needed, and engaging actively in class discussion. Students will take turns facilitating discussion individually or in small groups. Preparedness for discussion and in-class engagement will be documented periodically through short written summaries or reflections. Although no grades will be assigned, they will count toward participation.

**In lieu of a research paper, students will research sources that complement selected course topics and bring them into the discussion. The first two essays will focus primarily on the assigned readings. The third and fourth essays require additional research. For the third essay, students may choose between a focus on global (including Chinese) capital investment in Africa and the involvement of faith-based NGOs in African development. The essay due dates are noted in the course schedule. Instructions and expectations for each paper will be provided at least one week in advance.

Professionalism

You are expected to arrive in class on time and stay for the entire period. Arriving late or leaving early is a sign of disrespect for your fellow students and the professor. Announcements will not be repeated for those who do not arrive on time. If you have to miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed.