HISTORY 261

Professor George Drake

Spring Semester 2000-2001

Carnegie 207

ARH 102

SOUTHERN AFRICA

INTRODUCTION:

First taught in the Spring of 1996, this course grows from the experience of Professor Drake as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho from 1991 through 1993. His interest in the region began at that time and, though not an expert, he brings an abiding interest to the subject.

The course will provide an overview of the Southern African region and some countries such as Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho will receive special consideration. More than half of the course will concentrate on South Africa, particularly in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

 

ASSIGNED READING:

Colin McEvedy

The Penguin Atlas of Africa

1995

Sindiwe Magona

To My Children’s Children

1995

Rian Malan

My Traitor’s Heart

1991

Nelson Mandela

Long Walk to Freedom

1994

Mark Mathabane

Kaffir Boy

1986

Solomon Nkiwane

Regional Security and the Confidence Building Process: The Case for Southern Africa in the 1990’s

1993 (on reserve in Burling Library).

Kevin Shillington

History of Southern Africa

1987 or

J.D. Omer-Cooper,

History of Southern Africa

1994

Leonard Thompson

A History of South Africa

1995

Steve Biko

I Write What I Like

Xeroxed selections from the 1986 edition.

Xeroxed Documents

Chronicles of Basutoland

 

Xeroxed Selections

Geography

(several sources)

Xeroxed Selections

The South African Constitution

 

Xeroxed Selections

The Mail and Guardian Weekly

(newspaper)

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:

The most persistent and important assignments are the readings. You will learn much from careful and thoughtful interactions with these materials. Written assignments will consist of papers and examinations.

Grades will be determined as follows:

Percentage of final grade

A.

Examinations:

 
 

1.

Geography: (Friday, February 2)

10%

 

2.

Geography: (Friday, February 2)

35%

 

3.

Total

45%

     

B.

Papers:

 
 

1.

There will be one essay with an accompanying tutorial. The essay is due in class on Friday, April 13, with the choice of topic due on Friday, April 6. Tutorials will take place in the week of April 16.

 

   

Essay and Tutorial

25%

 

2.

Two Question/Observation Pages:

20%

C.

Class Participation:

10%

   

Total

55%

   

Grand Total

100%

D.

Explanation of Assignments:

 
 

 

Examinations: These will be explained prior to being administered

Essay/Tutorial: You will write one essay (approximately five pages in length), the topic to be chosen from a list to be distributed well in advance of the due date. Tutorial groups will be formed according to topics and each tutorial group will meet to discuss the essays in meetings to be scheduled during the week of April 16. Essays will be exchanged in class on the due date (April 13). Your choice of essay topic will be submitted on April 6. Essays are not exhaustive treatments of a subject. Rather, they advance focused and well organized arguments based on a solid understanding of the issues.

Question/Observation pages: You are to submit two Question/Observation pages, selected from your reading of the following books: Magona, Mathabane, Malan, Mathabane and Biko (xeroxed selections). Thus, you will write on two books. See the weekly schedule for due dates. The choice of the two books is yours, though you should remember that the essay assignment occurs late in the course as do the Biko and Mandela readings. This is an exercise in concise expression and usually it is best to focus on a single issue or question.

Class Participation: You share responsibility with the professor and fellow students for the success of this course. Therefore, you are expected to attend regularly and participate in class discussion.

 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Week I

 
   

Monday, January 22

Introduction

   

Wednesday, January 24

Geography of Southern Africa (no class)

 

Reading:

Penguin Atlas: Introduction; pp. 8-20; 32-36; 40-44; 56

   

Friday, January 26

Geography of Southern Africa

 

Reading:

Penguin Atlas: pp. 66 to the end

   

Week II

 
     

Monday, January 29

Geography of Southern Africa

 

Reading:

Shillington (maps) pp 6, 13, 16; Xeroxes from Bunnett,

Physical Geography in Diagrams for Africa

     

Wednesday, January 31

Geography of Southern Africa & Regional Considerations

 

Reading:

Xeroxes from the Secondary School Atlas; Shillington, Chapts. 1-3

     

Friday, February 2

Geography Test

     

Week III

   
     

Monday, February 5

The Southern African Region

 

Reading:

Shillington, Chapts. 4-8

     

Wednesday, February 7

The Southern African Region

 

Reading:

Shillington, Chapts. 9-13

     

Friday, February 9

The Southern African Region

 

Reading:

Shillington, Chapts. 14-18; Nkiwane, Introduction, Chapts. 1-2 ( on reserve)

     

Week IV

   
     

Monday, February 12

Lesotho

 

Reading:

Nkiwane, Chapts. 3-7; Xeroxes, Chronicles of Basutoland: pp. 25-26; 186; 196; 318; 511-517 (Moshoeshoe)

     

Wednesday, February 14

Lesotho

 

Reading:

Xeroxes, Chronicles of Basutoland : pp 156 (land tenure); 203-209 (Battle of Berea); 244-48 (First Battle of Thaba Bosiu); 322-27 (diamond mines)

     

Friday, February 16

Lesotho

 

Reading:

Xeroxes, Chronicles of Basutoland: pp. 344-52; 359-63; 365-68; 372-80 (the Gun War); 469-70; 472-73; 523-25; 532-37 (culture)

     

Week V

   
     

Monday, February 19

Zimbabwe

 

Reading:

Review Zimbabwe sections of Shillington

     

Wednesday, February 21

Namibia

 

Reading:

Review Namibia sections of Shillington

     

Friday, February 23

South Africa (introduction)

 

Reading:

Thompson, Preface; Chronology; Chapts. 1-2

     

Week VI

   
     

Monday, February 26

South Africa (Europeans arrive)

 

Reading:

Thompson, Chapts. 3-4

     

Wednesday, February 28

South Africa (Europeans expand)

 

Reading:

Thompson, Chapts. 5-6

     

Friday, March 2

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Thompson, Chapts. 7-8; Appendix

     

Week VII

 
     

Monday, March 5

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Mathabane: Part I (Road to Alexandra)

     

Wednesday, March 7

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Mathabane: Part II (Passport to Knowledge)

     

Friday, March 9

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Mathabane: Part III (Passport to Freedom)

     

Week VIII

 
     

Monday, March 12

Catch Up

 

Question/Observation page on Mathabane due in class

     

Wednesday, March 14

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Magona (Early Days and Growing Up)

     

Friday, March 16

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Magona (The World Goes Awry)

     

SPRING BREAK: MARCH 17--APRIL 1

     

Week IX

   
     

Monday, April 2

South Africa (Apartheid)

 

Reading:

Magona (A Hard Finishing-School, and Forced to Grow)

 

Question/Observation page on Magona due in class

     

Wednesday, April 4

South Africa (self-examination)

 

Reading:

Malan, Book One (Life in This Strange Place), pp. 13-108

     

Friday, April 6

South Africa (self-examination)

 

Reading:

Malan, Book Two (Tales of Ordinary Murder), pp. 109-235

 

Choice of essay topic due in class

     

Week X

   
     

Monday, April 9

South Africa ( self-examination)

 

Reading:

Malan, Book Two (Tales of Ordinary Murder) pp. 236-334

     

Wednesday, April 11

South Africa (self-examination)

 

Reading:

Malan, Book Three (A Root in Arid Ground) finish the book

 

Question/Observation page on Malan due in class

     

Friday, April 13

Catch -Up

 

Essays due in Class

     

Week XI

   

(April 16-20)

Tutorials (no class meetings)

     
 

Reading:

Begin reading Mandela (parts one and two)

     

Week XII

 
     

Monday, April 23

South Africa (Black Consciousness)

 

Reading:

Biko Xeroxes: #5 Black Souls in White Skins; #6 We Blacks # 8 Some African Cultural Concepts; #9 The Definition of Black Consciousness

     

Wednesday, April 25

South African (Black Consciousness)

 

Reading:

Biko Xeroxes: #10 The Church as seen by a Young Layman; #11 White racism and Black Consciousness; #14 Black Consciousness and the Quest for a True Humanity; #17 American Policy towards Azania; #19 On Death

 

Question/Observation page on Biko due in class

     

Friday, April 27

Toward the New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mandela (parts three-four)

     

Week XIII

 
     

Monday, April 30

Toward the New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mandela (parts five-seven)

     

Wednesday, May 2

Toward the New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mandela (parts eight-nine)

     

Friday, May 4

Toward the New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mandela (parts ten-eleven)

 

Question/Observation page on Mandela due in class

     

Week XIV

 
     

Monday, May 7

The New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mail and Guardian (selections); The South African

 

Constitution (selections)

     

Wednesday, May 9

The New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mail and Guardian (selections)

     

Friday, May 11

The New South Africa

 

Reading:

Mail and Guardian (selections)

     

Final Examination 9:00 a.m. Monday, May 14


 

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