Official policies language in accord with mcgill

OFFICIAL POLICIES
Language : In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have
the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. This does not apply to
courses in which acquiring proficiency in a language is one of the objectives. (Approved by Senate on 21
January 2009 – see also the section in this document on Assignments and Evaluation).
Academic Integrity : McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand
the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of
Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see for more
information). (Approved by Senate on 29 January 2003).
Late Penalties : There will be no extensions for written work unless a student has made prior arrangements
with the instructor. There will be a 2% penalty per each day that a piece of graded work is submitted late
(inclusive of weekends). Similarly, absence on the day of the mid-term exam is not permitted without
prior notice or a doctor’s note. Late submission of conference response papers will not be accepted.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1:
Wednesday, Sept 6
Introduction to the course.
Fri, Sept 8
Lecture: Africa – Geography and History
Readings
Reid, A History of Modern Africa , 2 nd Edition (2012), Ch. 1.
5

Week 2:
Mon, Sept 11
Lecture: Why Study the History of Pre-Colonial Africa?
Readings
Reid, ‘Past and Presentism,’ Journal of African History , 52, 2 (2011).
Wed, Sept 13
Lecture: Writing African History – The Issue of Sources
Readings
McCall, ‘Introduction,’ in Philips (ed.), Writing African History (2006).
Philips, ‘What is African History,’ in Philips (ed.), Writing African History (2006).
Falola and Jennings, ‘Introduction,’ in Falola and Jennings (eds.), Sources and Methods in African
History (2004).
Fri, Sept 15
Lecture: Key Themes 1 - The Idea of Africa
Readings
Mudimbe, The Invention of Africa (1988), Ch. 1
See also: Said, Orientalism (1979) – Africa is not this text’s central focus, and so it is not a compulsory
reading for this course. However, it is an incredibly influential book and it deals with many of the
prevalent themes discussed this lecture. I recommend every history student to read it at some point during
their undergraduate studies.
Week 3:
Mon, Sept 18
Lecture: Key Themes 2 – The Environment and the Foundations of African Civilizations
Readings
Iliffe, Africans: The History of a Continent , 2 nd Edition (2007), Ch. 1.
McCann, ‘Ecology and Environment,’ in Parker and Reid (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Modern
African History (2013).
Tue, Sept 19:
Add/Drop Deadline.
Wed, Sept 20
Lecture: Key Themes 3 – An African Political Culture?
Readings
Kopytoff, ‘The Internal African Frontier,’ in Kopytoff (ed.) The African Frontier (1987), especially, pp. 3-
33.
Hawthorne, ‘States and Statelessness,’ in Parker and Reid (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Modern
African History (2013).