Module manager: Dr Jeremiah Arowosegbe
Email: J.O.Arowosegbe@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Most African colonies became independent in the 1950s and 1960s amid hopes that this would be the prelude to an era of democracy and development. By the end of the 1980s, the continent was characterized by instability, authoritarianism, poverty, war and famine. In a small number of countries, the state itself had begun to disintegrate. And yet, a popular narrative that has emerged in recent years has been that of ‘Africa rising.’ In the wake of crisis and stagnancy in the Western world, positive GDP growth rates and the increasing frequency of elections in African countries are argued to herald an ‘African renaissance’. This module will evaluate the credibility of such narratives and analytical positions. It is a module designed for students who are interested in understanding the nature of politics in Africa and the many social, political and developmental challenges that continue to confront the continent.
On completion of this module students will be able to analyse contemporary politics in Africa and understand the nature of the post-colonial state. Students will become familiar with the legacies of the violent and rapid processes of state formation in Africa and their lasting impact on the sovereignty of African states. They will be able to understand some of the enduring legacies of colonialism for contemporary politics, including dependency, uneven development, racial capitalism, ‘arbitrary’ borders, ‘neo-colonialism’, gender and class inequalities, and ethnic-identity politics. Students will understand developments in democratic politics in Africa, including the progress towards constitutional liberal democracy. They will be encouraged to identify some of the challenges to consolidating democratic norms and practices, however, including the global and national dynamics of corruption, authoritarian renewal, violence, and social inequalities. They will also be encouraged to consider how contemporary geo-political rivalries between former colonial states and emerging powers influence contemporary power dynamics and political struggles in Africa.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the legacies of colonialism on African state formation, politics and society today.
2. Engage scholarly debates around dependency theory, racial capitalism, neo-colonialism, inequality, development, and geopolitics in Africa.
3. Identify some of the local and global challenges facing African states.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Retrieve, organise, and produce detailed summaries of information to advance ideas and arguments
5. Identify and explore critical contemporary issues to evaluate and criticise the arguments of others.
6. Develop nuanced arguments and communicate these effectively to others.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for each summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | . | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 02/05/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team