Program Overview

Introduction to African Studies

The University of Copenhagen offers a comprehensive course in African Studies, providing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Africa and its place in the world. This course is designed to introduce students to the history, development, and main debates within the field of African Studies.

Course Description

African Studies is the interdisciplinary study of Africa and Africa in the world past and present. This course provides an introduction to African Studies as an academic field, including the history, development, and main debates within the field. The course further introduces the interdisciplinary approaches central to African Studies, paying attention to historical and contemporary ideas and representations of Africa. It examines the relationship of Africa in and to the world, provides an overview of the main conceptual debates within the field, and discusses the kinds of knowledge African Studies produces, the significance of doing African Studies, and the implications of theorizing from the South.

Learning Outcomes

The aim of the course is for students to acquire the following qualifications:

• Knowledge of significant aspects of African Studies as an academic field
• Knowledge of approaches to Africa and Africa in the world
• Knowledge of historical and contemporary representations of Africa and their implications
• Knowledge of key theoretical debates relevant for African Studies
• Skills in appreciating and employing interdisciplinary approaches to Africa
• Skills in processing and orally communicating knowledge during the course
• Competences to reflect critically and independently on topics and themes from an area studies perspective

Literature

Suggested literature includes:

• Ampofo, Akosua Adomako. 2016. ‘Re-viewing Studies on Africa, #Black Lives Matter, and Envisioning the Future of African Studies’, African Studies Review, 59 (2): 7-29.
• Desai, Gaurav, and Adeline Masquelier (eds.), 2018. Critical Terms for the Study of Africa. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press
• Falola, Toyin, and Christian Jennings. 2002. Africanizing Knowledge: African Studies across the Disciplines. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers.
• Goldstone, Brian, and Juan Obarrio. 2016. ‘Introduction: Untimely Africa?’, in Brian Goldstone and Juan Obarrio (eds.), African Futures: Essays on Crisis, Emergence and Possibility, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 1-19.
• Guyer, Jane. 1996. African Studies in the United States: A Perspective. New Brunswick, N.J.: African Studies Association.
• Lonsdale, John. 2005. ‘African Studies, Europe & Africa’, afrika spectrum, 3: 377-402.
• Pailey, Robtel N. 2016. ‘Where is the ‘African’ in African Studies?’, African Arguments, 7 June 2016.
• Spies, Eva and Rüdiger Seeseman, 2016. ‘Pluralicity and Relationality: New Directions in African Studies’, Africa Today, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 132-139
• Zeleza, Paul. T. 1997. Manufacturing African Studies and Crises. Dakar: CODESRIA Book Series.
• Zeleza, Paul Tiyambe, 2006. ‘The disciplinary, interdisciplinary and global dimensions of African studies’, International Journal of African Renaissance Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp.195-220.

Mandatory Formal Requirements for Course Registration

The course is only open for CAS MA students and professional master students.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course is organised in sessions of 2 hours twice per week over 7 weeks in the first half of the first semester. The course will be based on lectures combined with classroom discussions, requiring an active participation from the students.

Workload

• Category: Class Instruction, Hours: 28
• Category: Preparation, Hours: 122
• Category: Exam Preparation, Hours: 59
• Category: Exam, Hours: 1
• Category: Total, Hours: 210

Assessment

The course assessment includes:

• Oral examination
• Type of assessment details: Oral. a) active participation through two oral presentations based on the set course reading list and attendance (75 percent) or b) a 20-minute oral exam on a selected question with 20 minutes of preparation time.
• Aid: All aids allowed except Generative AI
• Marking scale: completed
  ot completed
• Censorship form: No external censorship

Course Information

• Language: English
• Course code: TAFAIAS75U
• Credit: 7,5 ECTS
• Level: Full Degree Master, Part Time Master
• Duration: 7 weeks, first half of the semester
• Placement: Autumn
• Schedule: First lesson is in week 36 - ends in week 43
• The course is also available as continuing and professional education

Study Board

The study board for this course is the Study board of African Studies.

Contracting Department and Faculty

The contracting department is African Studies, and the contracting faculty is the Faculty of Theology.

Course Coordinators and Lecturers

The course coordinator and lecturer is Alena Thiel.