TOPICS IN AFRICAN HISTORY AND POLITICS

This course aims at introducing students to the history, geography, and politics of Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Islam as a socio-political agent and contemporary security challenges. It is designed for students with no prior knowledge of African history, it emphasizes English-language sources and avoids reliance on Arabic or local languages.

Modern and contemporary history of the Africa. For a general picture see Parker, John, African History. A Very Short Introduction, 2007.

1. Understand the historical foundations of Sub-Saharan African states and their interaction with North Africa. 2. Analyze the role of Islam in shaping political and economic systems across the Sahel and Horn of Africa. 3. Evaluate the drivers of Islamist militancy and its intersection with global terrorism. 4. Assess the impact of international actors (e.g., EU, China, Gulf States) on African security and development.

The course is structured around three themes: 1. North Africa-Sahel Relations: Historical trade networks, economic interdependence, and Islamic diffusion. 2. Islamist Movements and Terrorism: Ideologies, actors, and conflicts in the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and Red Sea regions. 3. International Competition: Geopolitical rivalries in emerging strategic zones (e.g., Red Sea, Gulf of Aden).

Villalón, Leonardo A (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel. 1a ed. Oxford University Press, 2021 (chapters 1-3, 5, 9, 16, 32, 37, 39). Further readings McDougall, J. Saharan Frontiers: Space and Mobility in Northwest Africa, 2012 (chapters 1, 4) Mann, Gregory. From Empires to NGOs in the West African Sahel: The Road to Nongovernmentality. 1a ed. Cambridge University Press, 2014 (parts I and II.) Thurston, Alexander. Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel: Local Politics and Rebel Groups. Cambridge University Press, 2020 (Introduction, chapters 1-3, 5-6)

A balanced combination of various teaching techniques including lectures, discussions, teamwork and other class activities as well as video materials will be implemented
 Lessons will be based on lectures with slides in class which will introduce students to the specific topic, and seminar. Attendance is mandatory, absences for internships are not justified (only in special cases authorized by the Area Director) other absences must be announced and motivated.


The assessment includes: quizzes, power point presentation (or a paper).
Work evaluation: Team work (10%) answers to the quizzes (10%), power points (20%) for a total of 40% of the final mark.
- Partecipation to class work: 10% If a student cannot attend the course will prepare a paper (3000 words max) - the Midterm written exam: test with 20 multiple choice questions (1 point for correct answer, -1 for wrong answer); and 10 open-ended questions (3 points with correct answer down to -3 for wrong, partial or incomplete answer), for a total of 30%. The duration of the exam is one hour. 
 
- the final oral exam deals with the second part of the program (after the Midterm) for a total of 30%. 

 Subsequent sessions:
Traditional oral exam on the whole program. Please note: the results of laboratory tests also apply to subsequent exam sessions. Guidelines for assignement: In all power point and written assignments, you should give your own evaluation of the subject based on the readings with proper citation and bibliography. Please engage in the texts and cite whenever is possible. Please do not use ChatGPTor similar AI tools. Plagiarism and the use of AI tools for the assignments will result in an automatic failure for the course. Citing your sources: For references, please use footnotes. When you cite a source in a footnote, please use the author’s last name and book or article title, and add the complete reference in the bibliography. Attach a full bibliography providing full publication data for each text cited in your power point, or paper or thesis.

Criteri per l’assegnazione dell’elaborato finale/ Thesis assignment criteria: final score 30/30 and good analytical skills. If the grade is 28/30, the teacher may consider an experimental thesis if attendance and participation in the course activities have been commendable.