Tuesday 2 February 2016

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST- POLI 358: CONFLICTS AND SOCIETY IN AFRICA

                                           

                                         DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
                                                SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
                                    SECOND SEMESTER 2015/2016 ACADEMIC YEAR
                                                               COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Code and Title: POLI 358.  CONFLICT AND SOCIETY IN AFRICA
Credits: 3 credit hours
Lecture Period and Venue: Mondays 17:30-19:20 at JQB09
Prerequisites: None
Course Instructor: Dr. Kumi Ansah-Koi
                                     Office Location: Kweku Folson Block, Political Science Department
                                     Office Hours: Tuesdays, 14:00-17:00
                                      E-mail: kakoi@ug.edu.gh or kktak55@gmail.com
Teaching Assistant:  Noble Setsoafia Kwasitsey
                                     E-mail: nksetsoafia@st.ug.edu.gh
             
Course Overview: In popular thought many people see Africa as conflict-laden and conflict-struck, if not conflict-prone. It is indeed a fact that many of the intractable, horrendous, and nightmarish conflicts of this day and age are taking place on the African continent. The genocidal Rwandan Civil War, the Al-Shabaab Imbroglio engulfing Somalia and Kenya (to name only two concerned African states), the on-going Boko Haram menace now spreading beyond its original Nigerian national boundaries, the natural resource/religion based conflict in the Central African Republic, the mess in post-Gaddafi Libya, and the activities of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.   
In this course we pursue the themes of society and conflict in Africa. The focus of the course is really on contemporary African society and its conflicts.
However, we do not entirely rule out the very consequential historical antecedents and pertinent episodes, such as the trade in African Slaves and its attendant conflicts, the 1884/85 Berlin Congress that precipitated the European Partitioning and Colonization of Africa, the Algerian War for Independence in particular and the African Liberation Struggle in general, the anti-Apartheid Struggle, and a lot more.



Course Objectives/Goals:
Upon successful completion of this course students would have a thorough grasp of the changing societal contexts and influences marking the conflict terrain in Africa. They would also have a grasp of the issues and circumstances marking the wide and complex spectrum of conflicts in Africa.
Focus in the course spans the entire spectrum of Pre-Conflict, Conflict (Management/Resolution) and Post-Conflict (Transitional Justice; Peace Building/Making; National Reconciliation) as well as stages of the entire wide diversity of Conflicts in Africa.

Learning Outcomes:
Students will at the end of the course be able to:
1.      Engage with current literature on African conflict.
2.      Identify conflicts in Africa and summarize the factors responsible for their existence.
3.      Critically examine the complexity of factors associated with African conflicts.
4.      Critically evaluate the role of various organizations such as the UN, AU and ECOWAS in conflict situations.
5.      Provide analysis of possible solutions o conflicts by integrating theoretical perspectives with practical place-based solutions.
Course Delivery: Regular attendance at, and full participation in, lectures and tutorials are insisted on in this course. Students would have to closely follow current affairs and developments on the African continent. BBC Africa, for example, should be regularly listened to. Video clips, and other multi-media presentations and assignments, are integrated into the teaching modality of this course.
Plagiarism policy: Students are expected to duly cite all sources used in assignments. Failure to do so will result in an automatic fail grade for those found culpable.
Assessment and Grading: End of Semester examination will consist of six essay questions covering the entire course; out of which students would be required to answer only three.
An assignment, to be given in class mid-way through the course, would constitute the mandatory 30% Interim Assessment grade.  
Grading Scale:
Letter Grade
Marks
A
80-100
B+
75-79
B
70-74
C+
65-69
C
60-64
D+
55-59
D
50-54
E
45-49
F
0-44


Reading List/Required Text:
Weekly readings will be provided in class and on the Sakai platform. In addition, students are expected to read material from the following sources:
1.      The Constitutive Act of the AU
2.      ECOWAS Non-Aggression Treaty of 1970
3.      The ECOWAS Protocol on Mutual Assistance on Defence
4.      The ECOWAS Protocol on Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution
5.      Deng, F. M., & Zartman, I. W. (Eds.). (1991). Conflict resolution in Africa. Brookings Institution Press.
6.      Hart, J. A., & Spero, J. E. (2013). The politics of international economic relations. Routledge.
7.      Zartman, I. W. (1989). Ripe for resolution: Conflict and intervention in Africa. Oxford University Press on Demand.
Websites
15.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world/africa

Other Information:
This course outline is subject to modifications as and when necessary. The Sakai platform will always have the most current version.
It is the responsibility of students to regularly check on Sakai for latest information regarding this course. The instructor will not be held liable in cases where students miss relevant information as a result of failure to do so.
All exams are mandatory and students who miss them do so at their own expense. Students who miss exams for health reasons will have to seek written permission from the Head of Department.
Use of mobile phones during lecture hours is prohibited.
Students with physical challenges and learning disabilities should not hesitate to communicate their needs to me early in the semester.
All public holidays will be observed accordingly. Provision will however be made to accommodate missed lecture periods.
I am committed to creating an atmosphere of inclusivity. No student should feel discriminated on basis of religious orientation, physical ability, nationality, sexual preference or gender. If you feel threatened at any point during lectures, do not hesitate to draw my attention to it.
Course Syllabus/Delivery Plan
Week
Date
Lecture Theme/Topic
Comments
1
February 1
The Matrix: Africa and/in Global Context
Introduction
2
February 8
1.      Society and State in Africa.
2.      Conflicts Studies: Basic Paradigms

3-4
February 15
Conflicts in Africa:
1.      Causation: The Grudge/Grievance versus Greed Debate.
2.      Environment/Context
3.      Typology
4.      Nature/Manifestation
5.      Cost/Impact

5-6
February 22- February 29
Conflicts in Africa: Case Studies. Selection would be drawn largely from the following:
a.       Religion and Conflict:
                                i.            The Central African Republic Conflict
                              ii.            The Boko Haram Mess
                            iii.            Al Shabab (in Somalia and Kenya)
                            iv.            Al Qaeda in the Maghreb
                              v.            The Lord’s Resistance Army

b.      Identity/ Ethnicity and Conflicts in Africa War       
                                i.            The Nigerian Civil War
                              ii.            The Sahara Arab Republic
                            iii.            The Rwanda Civil War

c.       Natural Resource and Conflicts in Africa                        
                                i.            The Angolan Civil War
                              ii.            The Sierra Leonean Civil War
                            iii.            The Congo Mess
                            iv.            The Biafran War                                              
                              v.            The Ivorian Civil War
                            vi.            The Great Lakes Regional War                                            

d.      Power/Political Struggles and Conflicts in Africa         
                                i.            The Liberian/Sierra Leonean Civil Wars
                              ii.            The African Liberation Struggles                                                The Ivorian Civil War
                            iii.            The anti-Apartheid Struggles
                            iv.            The Arab/Spring pro-democracy                              Conflicts

e.       Geographical/Border/Boundary Disputes 
                                            i.            Nigeria/Cameroon
                                          ii.            Ghana/Ivory Coast
                                                       
                                                               

7
March 7
Independence Holiday
Mid-term Assignments
8-9
March 14-21
Conflicts in Africa: Themes we shall closely pursue include the following:
(a) Children and Conflicts in Africa (Child Soldiers, etc.)
(b) Women/Gender and Conflicts in Africa
(c) Arms Proliferation and Trafficking
(d) Foreign Dimension to African Conflicts
(e) Migration, Displacement, Refugees and African Conflicts

10
March 28
Easter Break

11
April 4
International Organisations and the Management/Resolution of African Conflicts: The UN, AU and ECOWAS.

12-14
April 11-April 25
Peace Building/Making Post- Conflict Settlement in Africa:
Transitional Justice, Peace Settlement, National Reconciliation, etc.
Course Review






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