Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2023 - HIST 231 D100

History of Africa to the 19th Century: From Ancient Times to the Slave Trade (3)

Class Number: 4842

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Tue, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 14, 2023
    Fri, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A general, introductory survey of Africa's rich pre-colonial past, its vibrant cultures and sophisticated technologies, far-reaching commercial and political networks, and dynamic (and internally differentiated) social systems. Also discusses the trans-Atlantic trade in African slaves and the arrival of Europeans on African shores. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Stories in Ancient and Medieval Africa: Glyphs, Griots, Art, and Cultural Materials

In this class we will explore African experiences in early history, from the Kingdoms of the Nile through to the Atlantic trade era, focusing on transformations and early globalization in African societies. How did people learn, pass down, and recount important stories, and what roles did history play in local communities, regional politics, and international relations? Students will be introduced to diverse topics including: early states in Egypt and Meroë, metallurgy and the Bantu expansion, introduction and spread of Islam and Christianity, Saharan and Sahelian trade routes, Muslim trading societies of the Swahili coast, pastoral kingdoms of highland southern Africa, Northern Africa and the Ottoman World, West/Central African kingdoms and the rise of Atlantic Trade, and early white settler societies in Southern Africa. Students will also learn about how scholars have used and understood sources of the African past, including documents, oral histories, linguistics, artwork, monuments and materials. In lectures and tutorials we will draw information from a textbook as well as primary sources, scholarly articles, African literature, film, and current news sources to gain multiple perspectives on Africa’s rich ancient and medieval past.

Grading

  • Tutorial Participation (incl. 5% geography quiz) 25%
  • Student Job 5%
  • Midterm Quiz 20%
  • Written/Creative Project (incl. proposal) 25%
  • Final Quiz 25%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  • Toyin Falola & Timothy Stapleton,  A history of Africa. Oxford University Press, 2022
  • Djibril Tamsir Niane, Sundiata: An Epic Of Old Mali, 2nd Ed., Pearson, 2006.
  • Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. (any edition)

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html