HIST 339 - History of Southern Africa

3 Credit Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Laboratory Hours

This course examines the rich complexity of southern Africa, its varied cultures and diverse societies. By interpreting primary and secondary sources, students explore the impact of European colonization on Southern African societies, examine the interactions of various settler groups and indigenous societies and trace the socio-economic changes wrought by South Africa’s incorporation into the industrial-capitalist world system. In the second half of the course, students do research to examine the rise and fall of apartheid and assess Nelson Mandela’s role in the process of creating a modern multicultural state. Special attention will be given to analyzing different ideologies and strategies that shaped the liberation struggle as well as the question of how gender has shaped and still shapes the indentities of South Africans and their social interactions.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Also offered as AFAM 339.