Background to African Civilization and Culture: Origins to 17th C. (255-1-20)
Instructors
David Lee Schoenbrun
8474917278
Harris Hall - Room 303
David Schoenbrun, PhD, is a teacher, author, and filmmaker. He is a past Director of the Program of African Studies, at Northwestern University. He has worked in Egypt, Ghana, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
From the Sahara southwards, for the past three millennia, Africans combined complex agricultures, high quality metallurgy, and rich cultural-empirical knowledge of ecological process, changing their environments, creating cities, global trade networks, and new political systems along the way. This course introduces you to these stories and helps you distinguish varieties of cause and consequence in untangling the changing and mutually constitutive relationships between technology, environment, and culture. No prior knowledge of Africa or Environmental History needed.
Learning Objectives
Recognize historical arguments. Assess quality of the relationships between historical evidence and interpretation. Understand the politics of historical knowledge.
Evaluation Method
In-Class Mid Term; In-Class Final; Participation
Class Materials (Required)
All the assigned readings will be uploaded on Canvas
Class Notes
Concentration: Africa/Middle East
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Distro Area