Monday 28 August 2017

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LISTS- POLI 449: POLITICS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES-WESTERN AFRICA



DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
SEMESTER 1 – 2017/2018 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE SYLLABUS


POLI 449: Politics in Developing Countries - Western Africa (3-CREDITS)
Instructor: Dr. Hassan Wahab                     Lecture Period: Mon. – 1:30pm - 3:20pm
Venue: Jones Quartey Building (JQB) 24    Office: Political Science Department #13
Office Hours: Tues. 10:00am or by appointment     Email: hwahab@ug.edu.gh


Course Summary:
The focus of this course is Western Africa, the westernmost region of the African continent.
During the course, we will try to understand the complexity, variety and fluidity of politics in
this part of the Africa. Perhaps more than any other continent, politics are not always what they
seem on the surface; they vary tremendously from place to place; and they change sometimes
quickly and radically. While the course focuses more heavily on the events of the last two
decades, approximately one quarter of the course delves into the political history of the precolonial,
colonial and independence eras.

Course Objectives:
The course is organized around four main sets of issues:
1) the legacies of the past for African politics today;
2) the economic challenges continuing to face Africa;
3) the prospects for democracy in Africa; and,
4) Africa’s relationship with other countries, donors, and NGOs.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, I expect students to not only learn about politics of developing
countries-Western Africa, but also, I expect them to be able test theories about democracy, state
building, political economy, participation, citizenship, etc., and teach us about other parts of the
world.

Academic Honesty:
All University policies regarding academic honesty will be strictly enforced. Plagiarism,
cheating or academic misconduct in any manner will not be tolerated. While most examples of
misconduct are blatantly obvious (i.e., you may not pay someone to take your final exam for
you!), knowing when and how to acknowledge and appropriately cite sources is something you
may have to learn. For example, even if you acknowledge the source, you cannot stay too close
to the language of the original source when paraphrasing. If you are not sure about anything,
please do not hesitate to see me, and we can go over it together. I would encourage you to
familiarize yourselves with the University’s policy regarding academic misconduct. This policy
is available at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.

Students with Special Needs:
Students with special needs should register with the Office of Students with Special Needs,
located in the University of Ghana Computing Services (UGCS) building, next to the
Student Financial Aid Office; Tel: +233-24-457-5177; E-mail: ossnug@gmail.com. Please
contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate accommodation can be arranged.

Assessment:
There will be TWO exams in this course: (1) Interim Assessment, and (2) the Final Exams. The
format for the exams will be one or a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short
essay, long essay questions and research paper.

Interim Assessment (IA): this will be an in-class exam on the sixth week of the semester. The
exam, worth 30% of the final grade, will be based on the content of the readings, lectures, and
discussions covered at that stage of the course.

Final Exam: Worth 70% of the final grade, this exam will be based on the content of the
readings, lectures, and discussions covered over the entire course. It may also include a research
paper.
 
Grading Scale: Please refer to the Undergraduate Handbook

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change any readings, dates and requirements listed in this
syllabus. If this occurs, every effort will be made to announce the changes well in advance. You
are responsible for any changes made and announced in class.

Course Policies
Regular attendance is a key determinant of success in this course and is required. While students
are expected, nay, required, to do their readings before they come to class, the readings serve as a background, not as a substitute, for the lectures and class discussions. Not only do I expect
students to attend classes, I also expect students to ask questions and participate in class
discussions. I strongly encourage students to ask questions during class. I will not entertain
students who come to me immediately after a class session to ask questions pertaining to that
class when they could have asked those questions during the class to the benefit of all students.
Before class begins, please turn off your cell phones, MP3 players, etc. You may use laptops and
tablets to take notes during class. If you choose to do so, you MUST ask permission from me.
The use of cell phones in my class is PROHIBITED. If your cell phones rings/vibrates up to
three times in class during the course of the semester, you will be asked to leave my class for DISRUPTION
. Additionally, please refrain from: frequently arriving late for class; talking,
sleeping, texting, or studying other materials in class; and leaving class early. In general, please
be polite and respectful to everyone in this class. I reserve the right to apply appropriate
sanctions for consistently discourteous classroom behavior in accordance with the University of
Ghana policies.


During both the IA and final examinations, please note that you may NOT be allowed to leave the examination room until you have submitted your exam.

NOTE: I have indicated my office hours above. Please respect that. I reserve the right to NOT see any student who shows up in my office outside my office hours and without appointment.

Required Books:
1. Achebe, Chinua.1988. A Man of the People. Random House
2. Boahen, Albert A. 1989. The Ghanaian Sphinx: Reflections on the Contemporary History
of Ghana, 1972-1987. Accra: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Course Reading and Class Schedule:

Week 1: Introduction to the Course
Readings:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Western_Africa

Week 2: AFRICAN POLITICS BEFORE COLONIAL RULE: CLANS, CHIEFS, KINGS
AND THE SLAVE TRADE

Readings:
on pre-colonial political organization:
Simiyu, V.G. 1988. “The Democratic Myth in the African Traditional Societies.” In Walter
Oloyugi and E.S. Atieno Odhiemebo, eds., Democratic Theory and Practice in Africa.
Heinimann.
Page 4 of 7
Awonor, Kofi. 1990. Ghana: A Political History from Pre-European to modern Times. Accra:
Sedco, pp. 32-72.
on the slave trade:
Schraeder, Peter. 2004. Short section entitled: “Early Contacts with Europe and the Arab World”
in “Political Economic Impacts of Colonialism (1884-1951) in African Politics and Society, p.
49-57.
on implications of colonial view of indigenous African political systems:
Crowder, Michael. short section entitled: “Pre-colonial Africa: The Myth and the Reality” in
“Introduction” to West Africa Under Colonial Rule. London: Hutchinson, p. 10-17.

Week 3: THE NATURE OF COLONIAL RULE IN AFRICA
Readings:
Herbst, Jeffrey. 2000. “The Europeans and the African Problem.” In States and Power in Africa:
Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 58-96.
Young, Crawford. 1994. “Constructing Bula Matari.” In The African Colonial State in
Comparative Perspective. New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 124-133.

Week 4: LEGACIES OF COLONIALISM IN AFRICA
Readings due:
Ekeh, Peter P. 1975. “Colonialism and the Two Publics in Africa: A Theoretical Statement.”
Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 17: p. 91-112.
Additional Readings to be provided

Week 5: NATIONALIST POLITICS IN AFRICA
Readings:
Freund, Bill. 1998. “The Decolonization of Africa, 1940-1960.” In The Making of Contemporary
Africa: The Development of African Society Since 1800, Second Edition. Bloomington: Indiana
University Press, p. 191-233.
J. Ade Ajayi, “Expectations of Independence,” Daedalus 111/2 (Spring 1982), p. 1 -9.

Week 6: INDEPENDENCE IN WESTERN AFRICA:
Readings:
“Ghana.” Atlantic Monthly. May 1964. vol. 213, Issue 5, p. 28 (4 pages)
Additional Readings to be provided


INTERIM ASSESSMENT (IA)


Week 7: POST-COLONIAL AFRICA: THE CREATION OF THE ONE-PARTY STATE
Readings:
Zolberg, Aristide. Excerpts from “The Achievement of Unanimity” (Chapter 3) and “The
Creation of a New Institutional Order” (Chapter 4) p. 87 -92; 93-98; and p. 122-127 in Creating
Political Order: The Party-States of West Africa. Chicago: RandMcNally, p. 66-127.
Week 8: POST COLONIAL AFRICA: THE POLITICS OF PERSONAL RULE
Readings:
Jackson, Robert and Carl Rosberg. 1984. “Personal Rule: Theory and Practice in Africa,”
Comparative Politics 16 (4) July: p. 421-442.
McGowan, Patrick. J. 2003. “African Military Coups D’etat, 1956-2001: Frequency, Trends and
Distribution. Journal of Modern African Studies. 41 (3) p. 339-372.

Week 9: COUPS AND MILITARY INTERVENTIONS
Readings:
Achebe, Chinua. A Man of the People.
Boahen, Albert A. The Ghanaian Sphinx

Week 10: THE POLITICS AND IMPACTS OF ECONOMIC REFORM AND WORLD
BANK-LED DEVELOPMENT: PROPONENTS AND CRITICS

Readings:
Collier, Paul and Jan Willem Guinning. “Why Has Africa Grown Slowly?” Journal of Economic
Perspectives 13 (3) (Summer 1999), p. 3-22.
World Bank. 1994. “Why Africa Had to Adjust.” From Adjustment in Africa: Reforms, Results
and the Road Ahead: Summary. Washington: World Bank.
Gyimah-Boadi, E. 1995. “Ghana: Adjustment, State Rehabilitation and Democratization.” In
Thandika Mkandawire and Adebayo Olukoshi, eds., Between Liberalisation and Oppression:
The Politics of Structural Adjustment in Africa. Dakar: CODESRIA, p. 217-229.
Nicholas D. Kristof. “You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor.” New York Times, March 27,
2007, p. A19.
“Microfinance: Time to Take the Credit.” The Economist, March 17, 2007, p. 16.
Boafo-Arthur, Kwame. 1999. “Ghana: Structural Adjustment, Democratization, and the Politics
of Continuity.” African Studies Review, 42 (2), pp. 41-72.

Week 11: DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS AND CONSOLIDATION
Readings:
Widner, Jennifer. 1994. “Political Reform in Anglophone and Francophone African Countries.”
In Jennifer Widner, ed, Economic Change and Political Liberalization in Africa. Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press.
Schaffer, Frederic. 1998. Democracy in Translation: Understanding Politics in an Unfamiliar
Culture. Ithaca: Cornell University Press (chapter 5, p. 116-138).
van de Walle, Nicolas. 2002. “African’s Range of Regimes: Elections without Democracy.”
Journal of Democracy, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 66-80.
Gyimah-Boadi, E. 1999. “Ghana: The Challenge of Consolidating Democracy.” In Richard
Joseph, ed., State, Conflict and Democracy in Africa. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Dennis Galvan. 2001. “Political Turnover and Social Change in Senegal.” Journal of Democracy,
vol. 12, no. 3, p. 51-62.
 
Week 12: CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA
Readings:
Gyimah-Boadi, E. 2004. “Civil Society and Democratic Development.” In E. Gyimah-Boadi,
ed., Democratic Reform in Africa: The Quality of Progress. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers
 
Week 13: THE POLITICS NON-STATE PROVISION AND STATE PROVISION OF
WELFARE IN AFRICA

Readings:
MacLean, Lauren M. 2010. “The Paradox of State Retrenchment in sub-Saharan Africa: The
Micro-Level Experience of Public Social Service Provision.” World Development, vol. 39, no. 7,
pp. 1155-1165.
Cammett, Melani C. and Lauren M. MacLean. 2011. “Introduction: the Political Consequences
of Non-state Social Welfare in the Global South.” Studies in Comparative International
Development, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 1-21.
Carbone, Giovani. 2011. Democratic Demands and Social Policies: the Politics of Health Reform
in Ghana. Journal of Modern African Studies, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 381-408
 
Week 14: TERRORISM; STATE COLLAPSE AND WARLORD POLITICS
Readings:
Chothia, Farouk. "Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?" BBC News, January 11, 2012.
Mills, Greg, and Jeffrey Herbst. 2007. "Africa, Terrorism and AFRICOM." The RUSI Journal,
vol. 152, no. 2, pp. 40-45.
William Reno. 1998. “Sierra Leone’s Transition to Warlord Politics.” Warlord Politics and
African States. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, p. 113-145.
Ismael Beah. “The Making and Unmaking of a Child Soldier: One Boy’s Tortuous Entanglement
in an African Civil War.” New York Times Magazine, p. 36-, January 14, 2007, p. 36-43; 66-70.
“Last U.N. Troops to Leave Sierra Leone as Mandate Expires.” New York Times, January 6,
2006, p. A3.

Week 15: REVISION

Week 16: FINAL EXAMS

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