COURSE SYLLABUS Term: 2015-1 (Fall 2015) HIST 496X: Topics in History: African History Instructor Information: Dr. Valerie Pennanen 522 Office Number: Phone Number: (219) 473-4294 Email: vpennanen@ccsj.edu Hours Available: Mondays, 8:30 10 A.M. and 1 6 P.M. Tuesdays, 12 noon 1:30 P.M. Wednesdays, 8:30 10 A.M. and 1 3 P.M. Thursdays, 12 noon 1:30 P.M. Or by appointment Instructor Background: B.A., Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Greek (Bryn Mawr College); M.A. and Ph.D., Classical Art and Archaeology (The University of Michigan); teaching experience in classics, art history, art appreciation, liberal studies, world literature, world civilization, global perspectives (history and literature courses), and basic writing courses. Instructor Name Course Information: Course Time: Monday, 7 10 P.M. Classroom: Prerequisites: Required Books and Materials: TBA EWPC 103 104 and HIST 110, 115, or 120 Kevin Shillington, History of Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 3rd edition 2012). Note- taking supplies: loose- leaf paper, pens, highlighters, three- ring binder; hole- puncher (for class handouts, so you can insert the handouts into your binder). Students are strongly urged to purchase post- it notes to mark the weekly readings in our textbook, as well as subject dividers to help organize weekly notes in the binder. Learning Outcomes/ Competencies: Students in this course will: Know the basic geography of Africa and understand how geography and climate shaped 2400 NEW YORK AVE.! WHITING, IN 46394! TEL. 219-473-7770! 773-721-0202! FAX 219-473-4259
early African societies. Know basic chronologies, key dates, and important names in African history. Understand the impact of religious beliefs (from indigenous faiths, Islam, and Christianity) and religious differences upon African history. Report on specific topics in African history, including the history of specific countries. Investigate the rise, fall, and enduring achievements of early African civilizations. Investigate the importance of oral tradition in various African cultures. Analyze patterns of commerce, migration, conquest, and colonization and how these patterns affected life in Africa. Evaluate past and contemporary problems in African history. Course Description: This course surveys the history of African peoples and civilizations, from earliest times through the present day. Learning Strategies: Reading assignments, mini- lectures, oral reports, required discussions of readings and of supplementary material (including films) presented in class, and a final research paper. Experiential Learning Opportunities: Student participation throughout the term is vital to the success of this class, and each student will deliver four oral presentations. Grading Scale: Grade Points A 100-93 A- 92-90 B+ 89-87 B 86-83 B- 82-80 C+ 79-77 C 76-73 C- 72-70 D+ 69-67 D 66-63 D- 62-60 F 59 and below Major Assignments: Class Participation Assessments: Written homework Oral presentations (4) Final research paper Discussions of assigned readings plus thoughtful responses to supplementary material, as presented in class 30% of grade 20% of grade 30% of grade 20% of grade 2
Course Schedule: Class Date Week 1 Monday, August 31 Africa: birthplace of humanity. Early cultural achievements. The wet phase and Neolithic revolution. Early pastoralism and further development of farming. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 30 54, complete Worksheet # 1, AND prepare Oral Presentation # 1. Week 2 Monday, September 14 Worksheet # 1 due. ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROUND ONE (topics in ancient Egyptian history). Cultural highlights of ancient Nubia. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 54 79, complete Worksheet # 2, AND decide on your term paper topic. Week 3 Monday, September 21 Worksheet # 2 due; Term Paper Topic also due. Tonight s class will focus on the following topics: the Carthaginian Empire; North Africa during the Greco- Roman period; and the story of the Kingdom of Aksum. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 79 113, complete Worksheet # 3, and prepare Oral Presentation # 2. Week 4 Monday, September 28 Worksheet # 3 due. ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROUND TWO (topics in the history of ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhay). Following these presentations, tonight s class will focus in depth on oral traditions about Sundiata, the great West African hero. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 114 143, complete Worksheet # 4, AND actively begin your term paper research. Week 5 Monday, October 5 Worksheet # 4 due. Tonight s class will focus in depth on the following two topics: the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia; and classic Swahili history and culture. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 144 175, complete Worksheet # 5, AND continue with your term paper research. Week 6 Monday, October 12 Worksheet # 5 due. Tonight s class will focus in depth on the following two topics: the Great Zimbabwe; and 3
Egypt from the Fatimid period through the era of Ottoman Turkish rule. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 176 217 (note that from this point on, the weekly reading assignments will be of substantial length so please, allow ample time to complete them!) and complete Worksheet # 6. Week 7 Monday, October 19 Worksheet # 6 due. Tonight s class will focus in depth on the following topics: the Kingdom of Benin; the Transatlantic slave trade; and the story of Nzingha, great heroine of Angola. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 218 279 and complete Worksheet # 7. Week 8 Monday, October 26 Worksheet # 7 due. Tonight s class will focus on the following topics: the founding of the states of Sierra Leone and Liberia; the story of the Zulu king Shaka; and an overview of 19 th - century South Africa. HOMEWORK: Read Shillington 280 342 and complete Worksheet # 8. Week 9 Monday, November 2 Worksheet # 8 due. Tonight s class will focus on the late 19 th - century Scramble for Africa (excerpts from Chinua Achebe s historical novel Things Fall Apart will be used to supplement this discussion). HOEMWORK: Read Shillington 343 388, complete Worksheet # 9, AND prepare Oral Presentation # 3 in conjunction with your term paper research. Week 10 Monday, November 9 Worksheet # 9 due. ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROUND THREE (topics related to term paper research). Following these presentations, tonight s class will examine highlights of traditional African folklore, relating it to both topical and universal concerns. HOMEWORK: Prepare Oral Presentation # 4 in conjunction with your term paper research; ALSO, begin WRITING your term paper! Week 11 Monday, November 16 ORAL PRESENTATIONS, ROUND FOUR (topics related to term paper 4
research). Following these presentations, tonight s class will examine highlights of modern and contemporary African literature in the context of recent African history. HOEMWORK: Read Shillington 389 432, complete Worksheet # 10, AND continue writing your term paper. Week 12 Monday, November 23 Worksheet # 10 due. African independence stories including both struggles and triumphs (details TBA). HOMEWORK: Skim Shillington 433 481, AND finish writing your term paper! Week 13 Monday, November 30 TERM PAPER DUE. A discussion of contemporary African issues. Week 14 Monday, December 7 (exam week meeting) I reserve the right to change this schedule to meet the needs of the class. TBA. IMPORTANT NOTE: I hope to secure a guest speaker for the final session of our class, but in any event, please be sure to come as usual you will be graded tonight (just like every other night) on participation, and your term paper will be returned to you as well. Responsibilities Attending Class You cannot succeed in this class if you do not attend. We believe that intellectual growth and success in higher education occur through interaction in the classroom and laboratories. However, we do not want to penalize students for participating in college- sponsored events. When you miss class because of a college event, you must give notice of your absence in advance, and you are responsible for all missed work. Being absent doesn t excuse you from doing class work; you have more responsibilities to keep up and meet the objectives of this course. History Support Area Attendance Policy: In the event that you must miss class due to an official, CCSJ- related commitment (for instance, an athletic event in which you are playing), you are expected to provide at least 48 hours advance notification via e- mail to your History instructor(s). If a sudden, serious circumstance (personal illness or family emergency) prevents you from attending class, you should make it a high priority to notify your History instructor(s) as soon as possible. You may make up work for a session that you missed due to legitimate reasons, provided that you abide by your instructor s rules governing extensions (please see below, Turning In Your Work). Please keep in 5
Turning In Your Work Using Electronic Devices Participating in Class See above, page 2. Doing Your Own Work mind that frequent absences from class will NOT be tolerated, and absences due to trivial reasons will NOT be excused. A student who misses more than 9 hours of class time, total, will receive a grade of FW on his or her transcript. Punctuality: Please make it a top priority to arrive on time to class each week. Repeatedly coming in late (especially if you are more than 5 or 10 minutes tardy) is disruptive, and it will result in a 10- to 20- per cent (depending on how severe the problem is) lowering of your class discussion grade for the evening in question. Thank you for your attention to these important matters. You cannot succeed in this class if you do not turn in all your work on the day it is due. Extensions on written homework and oral presentations will be granted ONLY in case of illness, family emergency, or unavoidable conflicts due to other commitments you have for CCSJ. Please remember that extensions are not granted automatically; you must request them. THERE IS A LIMIT OF TWO EXTENSIONS PER STUDENT PER SEMESTER, AND 7 DAYS IS THE MAXIMUM LENGTH FOR AN EXTENSION. Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, etc. for the full duration of each class. If there is an important reason why you must have your phone or pager turned on (e.g. illness at home, work situation), please speak to me about it before the class meets. If you turn in work that is not your own, you are subject to judicial review, and these procedures can be found in the College Catalog and the Student Planner. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. Using standard citation guidelines, such as MLA or APA format, to document sources avoids plagiarism. The Library has reference copies of each of these manuals, and there are brief checklists in your Student Handbook and Planner. Withdrawing from Class PLEASE NOTE: All papers may be electronically checked for plagiarism. After the last day established for class changes has passed (see the College calendar), you may withdraw from a course by following the policy outlined in the CCSJ Course Catalog. Student Success Center: Disability Services: Resources: The Student Success Center provides faculty tutors at all levels to help you master specific subjects and develop effective learning skills. It is open to all students at no charge. You can contact the Student Success Center at 219 473-4287 or stop by the Library. Disability Services strives to meet the needs of all students by providing 6
academic services in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. If you believe that you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability, contact the Disability Services Coordinator at 219-473- 4349. CCSJ Alerts: Calumet College of St. Joseph s emergency communications system will tell you about emergencies, weather- related closings, or other incidents via text, email, or voice messages. Please sign up for this important service annually on the College s website at: http://www.ccsj.edu/alerts/index.html. In addition, you can check other media for important information, such as school closings: Internet: http://www.ccsj.edu Radio: WAKE 1500 AM, WGN 720 AM, WIJE 105.5 FM, WLS 890 AM, WZVN 107.1 FM, WBBM NEWS RADIO 78 TV Channels: 2, 5, 7, 9, 32 7