History (HIST) 205
Status:
Open
Delivery mode:
Individualized study online. Delivered via Brightspace.
Credits:
3
Areas of study:
Arts or Humanities
Prerequisites:
None
Course start date:
If you are a:
- Self-funded student: register by the 10th of the month, start on the 1st of the next.
- Funded student: please check the next enrolment deadline and course start date.
Precluded:
None
Challenge:
HIST 205 is not available for challenge.
Overview
History 205: Africa in the World: Between the Atlantic Slave Trade and the Postcolonial World involves a broad-ranging discussion that covers the situation of Africans in their continental homeland and the situation of people of African descent dispersed throughout the Americas as a result of the Atlantic slave trade. The course covers the situation of Africans in their continental homeland and the situation of people of African descent dispersed in the Americas as a result of the Atlantic Slave Trade. HIST 205 is about the effects of white/European exploitation and domination over African people in Africa and in the Atlantic World, but it is also about the varying ways in which Africans shaped the world in which they were dominated. This is a course about slavery. It is also about slave struggles to maintain their sense of humanity, and also their efforts to overthrow slavery as a system (as in the case of the Haitian Revolution). It is a course about colonialism in Africa and about racial domination and the decades-long struggles of Africans to end colonialism and attain full equality both in Africa and New World societies that denied them basic citizenship rights well into the sixties. The course concerns politics as well as African cultural expression in so far as politics and culture were mutually impactful on the lives of diasporic African people.
Outline
History 205: Africa in the World: Between the Atlantic Slave Trade and the Postcolonial World comprises five units as outlined below, which are further divided into lessons.
- Unit 1: The Atlantic Slave Trade and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World
- Unit 2: Africa and Africans in the New World During the Era of Abolition, 1808 to 1920
- Unit 3: Africa and Peoples of African Descent in the Era of Colonialism and Racial Segregation
- Unit 4: Africa and Peoples of African Descent Since World War II and the Struggle for Independence and Social Equality
- Unit 5: Africa in the World Today
Evaluation
Your final grade for History 205: Africa in the World is based on your performance on three written assignments and a final exam. The final exam is closed-book and invigilated; you will have three hours in which to write the exam.
To receive credit for HIST 205, you must achieve a grade of at least 50% on the final exam and a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent)to pass the course. Students who do not achieve a minimum passing grade of 50% on the final exam will be allowed to write a supplemental exam, for which a fee will be charged.
The three written assignments are book reviews of works by significant African authors. Each work addresses a different aspect of the course. Since you will be reading these books while you are completing the course units, you will need to allow time in your schedule for this extra reading, on top of the required reading for each of the five units. Be sure to plan your time accordingly.
The following table indicates the credit activity, the weighting for each credit assignment, the week you should begin the assignment, and the week it is due according to the suggested study schedule.
| Activity | Weight | Complete by |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Book Review of The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings, by Olaudah Equiano | 20% of final grade | Begin Assignment 1 in Week 4 of the suggested study schedule; submit completed Assignment 1 in Week 7 |
| Assignment 2: Book Review of Native Life in South Africa, by Sol T. Plaatjie | 20% of final grade | Begin Assignment 2 in Week 11 of the suggested study schedule; submit completed Assignment 2 in Week 17 |
| Assignment 3: Book Review of Wizard of the Crow: A Novel, by Ngugi Wa Thiong'a | 20% of final grade | Begin Assignment 3 in Week 19 of the suggested study schedule; submit completed Assignment 3 in Week 23 |
| Online Final Exam | 40% of final grade | |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Manning, Patrick. The African Diaspora: A History Through Culture. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. (Print)
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings. Penguin Classics, 1995, 2003. (Print)
Plaatjie, Sol T. Native Life in South Africa. Ohio University Press, 1991, Pan Macmillan South Africa, 2007. (Online)
Wa Thiong'a, Ngugi. Wizard of the Crow: A Novel. Pantheon Books, 2006. (Print)
The course materials for History 205: Africa in the World: Between the Atlantic Slave Trade and the Postcolonial World are a combination of print and online materials. The online materials are found on the course website. The offline materials are listed above. The course package you received by postal mail should have included these items. If you find that any items are missing from your course package, contact Course Materials at Athabasca University, toll free from anywhere in Canada or the United States at 1-800-788-9041, and select the option that connects you with the Course Materials department (ext. 6366). Students in the Edmonton and Calgary dialing areas are asked to call the Athabasca University offices in these locations to connect with the automated attendant, and then dial the four-digit extension. If you live outside of Canada or the United States, or if you do not wish to use the automated system, you may call 1-780-675-6366. You may also send an email message to cmat@athabascau.ca, or write in care of Course Materials, Tim Byrne Centre, 4001 Hwy 2 South, Athabasca, AB Canada T9S 1A4.
Important links
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 2, July 21, 2023
Updated October 18, 2023
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