Aims and Assessment

To examine the causes and effects of civil wars and other forms of political violence upon African states and societies in the period since independence.
To use a multidisciplinary approach – including literature from international relations, political science, economics, anthropology and development studies – to explore how what is often depicted as irrational barbarity is better understood as an explainable historical phenomenon.
To explore the transformative effect of violence as an agent of historical change within post-colonial African societies.
To discuss the ways in which memorialisation of violence has informed political processes and social relations in the aftermath of conflict in the cases discussed.
To allow students to deploy skills acquired through their study of history to date in the study of complex and, in some cases, ongoing situations in order to form methodologically-rigorous and historically-grounded explanations of the contemporary world.
To familiarise students with a diverse range of primary source material – including sources produced by aid agencies, international organisations, state governments, journalism and oral testimony – used by historians of post-colonial Africa.

The assessment for this module is determined by whether or not the student will be basing a Dissertation on the module:

For students who are not basing a Dissertation on this module: a two-hour exam and a 4,500 word essay
For students who are basing a Dissertation on this module: Three-hour exam

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