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PIED1805 Contemporary Africas:History, Society and Culture20 credits semester 1• What issues concern Africans in relation topolitical and social development?• What is the importance of culture: music,dance, theatre and literature, in relation toAfrican identities?• What impact did colonialism and the West haveon Africa?• Are women oppressed in Africa?This module will focus on the history, society and culture of postcolonial Africa. It is intended to bean introductory course for students interested in, but not at present necessarily particularlyknowledgeable about, issues in contemporary African societies. By the end of the module studentswill have an understanding of a range of key issues relevant to the creation of contemporarysocieties in Africa. The module will begin with an overview of the recent history of the continent,and will move on to consider key topics such as the arts, development, language, politcs, genderand theology. In order to help nurture understanding of the range of African societies there will bea certain number of classes focussing on case studies from particular countries such as Egypt,Tanzania and South Africa.Timing: Weekly lectures Friday 2-3 Weekly seminars at a time to fit your timetable.Module Leader Professor Jane Plastow, English Workshop Theatre 3434722 email:J.E.Plastow@leeds.ac.ukAssessment 2 essays of 3000 wordsShort Reading List:Jean-Francois Bayart, The State in Africa, Longman, 1993Andrea Cornwall, ed, Readings in Gender in Africa, James Currey, 2005John Iliffe, Africans, a history of the continent, Cambridge University Press, 1995A.M. Mazrui, English in Africa after the Cold War, Cleveden, 2003Zakes Mda, Ways of Dying, Oxford University Press, 199519