Africa in Global Politics

IGA 632 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Africa is the world’s most youthful continent and by the end of this century its 54 countries will be home to one in three people on Earth. This course examines contemporary African policy trends – challenges and opportunities – through the prism of national, sub-regional and international politics. We first grapple with the African origins of the international system through slavery, colonialism, and the liberation struggles that inaugurated our current political era. We then shift toward contemporary patterns of conflict and change, interrogating democracy and development, conflict and peacebuilding. Finally, we spend significant time on African futures – including climate change, migration and Diaspora dynamics, South-South collaboration, China relations, social movements, and more – to understand how African leaders and policymakers are making an impact on the continent and beyond.