POLI2442 · Political Science
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
This course examines key questions and debates in the study of politics in Africa. Why and when is ethnicity salient in elections? If state boundaries in Africa are largely colonial creations, why are they so resilient? Why are some countries more prone to civil war? What is the relationship between elections and democracy? How do historical legacies impact contemporary politics? The goal of this course is to provide students with analytical tools to understand a number of questions that are of interest to contemporary politics in Africa. Using the methodologies of comparative politics, we will examine both broad cross-national patterns and focused case studies in this class.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.7 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.8 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.8 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.7 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~5
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
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Across time
Available section-level results across semesters.
Fall 2024
1 sectionFall 2022
1 sectionFall 2021
1 section