HIST: 4580

Professor Hilliard

Office Hours: (by appointment only) Tu-Th 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Office: WootenRm. 245

Telephone: (940) 565-4972

E-Mail:

(emails will be answered within 24 hours, excluding Fridays and weekends)

AFRICA TO THE 19TH CENTURY*

Course Description and Objectives:

This course will examine the early history of the African continent in addition to the historiographical debates surrounding the study of Africa. It will, in particular, explore the history of ancient Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, early Christian Africa, and the West African merchant empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. It will also examine the nature of the debate between Eurocentric and Afrocentric scholars as it relates to the history of this vast continent. It will also use documentary and feature films as a means of creating a more multi-dimensional experience of the African continent.

Required Texts:

Falola, Africa: African History Before 1885

Hilliard, Intellectual Traditions of Pre-Colonial Africa – [special order – Internet]

Shillington, The History of Africa

Course Requirements and Grading:

Mid-Term Exam30%

Final 30%

Term Paper30%

Periodic Quizzes5%

Africa Project5%

The Term paper (10 to 12 pages typed) must present a factual, well-reasoned examination of an issue relating to African History BEFORE THE 17TH CENTURY. This paper must demonstrate clarity of thought and an effective use of source materials. Term papers will also be expected to follow accepted practices of form and style for academic writing, and make accurate use of citations, footnotes, bibliography. Do not hand in a term paper that does not use citations.

The Africa Project represents an opportunity for students to explore the expressive cultures of Africa, through presentation of a creative work inspired by the subject matter of this course. It may involve such activities as the writing of a poem, short story, essay, artistic expression in preparing a drawing, sketch, sculpture, craft making, cooking an African recipe, a short dance, singing or instrumental performance, and so forth. Students’ “Africa Projects” will be presented before the class. As this project represents an opportunity to express your own creativity, please refrain from merely reciting someone else’s poetry or writings. The grading of these projects is pass/fail.

*This syllabus is not a contract and may be modified in the course of the semester.

DISABILITY STATEMENT

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

Historiography

What is historiography?

Post-modernism

Deconstructing

Ken Wilber’s Four Quadrant System

Urban/civilization Biases

Who are the Khoisan?

Ethnocentrism

Black & White Africa

The Hamitic Hypothesis

Taxonomic shifts

Construction of race

Early Humans

Theories of African origins

Ancient Egypt

The Dynasties of Ancient Egypt

Cultural Achievements

The Religion of Eternal Life

Akhenaton

Daily Life

Ancient Egypt (continued)

Why the cat has nine lives

The Egyptian view of the self

The Gnostic tradition

Egyptian Women

Legal rights

Family Matters (incest?)

Occupations

Hatshepsut

Cleopatra

Ancient Nubia

The gnostic tradition in egyptiannubian religion

nubian prehistory

Kerma & The rise of kush

meroitickush

Later Egyptian History

Alexander the Great

The Library at Alexandria

early African Christianity
The Apostle Mark

Egyptian Influences

Alexandrian Theologians

Origen

Athanasius

Coptic Monophysites

Monastic orders

Coptic Apocrypha

Carthage-Numidia Theologians

Tertullian

Cyprian

Augustine

Ancient Ethiopia

Christian Nubia

Founding of Axum

The Zagwe dynasty

The Solomonid Dynasty

The Muslim Penetration of EthiopiaSomalia

Islamic Diffusion

Muhammad’s revelation

The Umma

The Conquest of Egypt

The Maghrib

Arabization of North Africa

States & Decentralized Societies of the Western Sudan

Ancient Ghana

Ancient Mali

Songhay

The Hausa States

West African Coastal States

Ife

Benin

Oyo

Decentralized Societies

Kinship systems

Economic bases of subsistence societies

traditions & Religions

East Africa and the SwahiliCoast

Great Zimbabwe

Monomatapa

Trading City States of the SwahiliCoast

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