POLS 303

Contemporary Politics of Africa

Area Studies courses cover the government and politics of selected nations within a distinct geopolitical area of the world in order to provide understanding of the institutions and dynamics of the area. This Area Studies survey course is designed to give students an understanding of past and contemporary African politics. The impact of language, culture, religion, colonialism, neo colonialism, free market, ideology, liberation and revolutionary movements, ethnic conflict and resolution, rise of populist leadership, indigenous politics, impact of global economic integration, and foreign and domestic policies will be examined in the region on a country-by-country basis. The course includes an examination of dominant political institutions, actors, processes, and belief systems within the context of political culture and an analysis of area political economy and foreign policy in the environment of global interdependence. Countries to be covered include but are not limited to Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The course concludes with a summation of the region as it stands today and an assessment of where it is likely to go in the near future

Units: 3.0

Hours: 54 hours LEC