New Lectures in History (300-0-22)

Topic

Colonialism and Genocide: 20th C. Europe and Afric

Instructors

Stefan Cristian Ionescu

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 301: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Genocide, considered by some scholars "the crime of crimes", has received increased attention from diplomats, academics, and the general public since the end of World War II. It has been a major topic in international law, scholarly studies, and debates. However, the connection between colonialism, its legacies, and genocide has been rather neglected. Only during the last several decades scholars have started to scrutinize many cases of genocide from the perspective of colonialism and postcolonialism studies. The goal of this course is to give students the opportunity to gain wider theoretical and empirical knowledge about several genocides that took place in different parts of Africa during the 20th century as a result of the European colonial rule and of its legacy during the postcolonial era focusing mostly on the twentieth century cases of the Herero and Nama Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Genocide in Darfur.
In order to provide in-depth explanations and increase knowledge about the character of colonial and postcolonial genocides, one therefore needs to place specific events in their proper historical, cultural, social, political, ideological and other contexts. After completing the course students will acquire solid knowledge about several cases of genocide, with a particular focus on the colonization processes and postcolonial struggles in Africa during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the contemporary debates on colonial genocides, prosecution, denial, and prevention.

Learning Objectives

Familiarize yourselves with the major concepts and the cases of genocide we examine in class. Read critically, understand and analyze works of history produced by scholars with different methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of colonialism and genocide. Improve your analytical, writing and communication skills through close readings of texts, class(online) discussions, writing papers. Learn to recognize historical arguments regarding controversial historical questions and to formulate and support an original historical argument using primary and secondary sources. Learn how to properly structure a thesis-driven paper, how to apply appropriate methods of citation, and how to use a clear writing style that conveys historical knowledge, ideas, and evidence in a mature, readily understood manner.

Evaluation Method

Papers; Canvas posts; class participation

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area

Associated Classes

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