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Semester 1

African Environmental History (HIST10505)

Subject

History

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 3 History courses at grade B or above, and please note that we will only consider courses with a specific focus on History (not including History of Art) towards these pre-requisites. We will only consider University/College level courses. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

This course explores the human-nature interaction in Africa from the Neolithic revolution through colonialism to post-independence. It examines how humans have interacted with nature to shape both landscapes and human relations.

Course Description

This course explores the interaction between humans, flora and fauna in the history of Africa. This is done in three distinct phases, (1) The pre-1800 period characterised by the origins of indigenous agriculture and contact with the Atlantic World, (2) The nineteenth and twentieth centuries when the African environment was under colonial domination, and (3) The post-independence period. In the first phase, the course examines the origins of indigenous agriculture, paying attention to the domestication of animals and plants. It further explores the spread of new crops to Africa. In the second phase, the course explores the environmental history of the continent during colonial rule, focusing on how the natural environment shaped relationships amongst the state, peasants and settler communities and how these interacted with nature. It explores various themes like animal diseases and the environment, wildlife policies and peasant reaction, forestry conservation, fisheries management, agriculture and soil conservation, and drought and famine ecologies. The last phase examines resource based conflicts and land reform and the environment in post-independent Africa.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 80%, Practical Exam 20%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a History or HCA exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in two 3rd year History courses each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. This includes courses in Economic History and Scottish History. Enrolment in a third course from this group will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the September Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

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