Hunter College, CUNY

Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies

AFPRL 202 Dr. Derek Ramlal

African History: 1600 CE-Present Office: W1732
Fall 2024 Sundays 12:10pm-3:00pm Office Hours: By Appointment
Room: Online E-mail: [email protected]

Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the study of African History from 1600 CE-Present. The
physical, human, economic, political, social, and cultural features of African History since 1600
CE are surveyed. The overall objective is to use historical inquiry and analysis to provide
students with a deeper knowledge and understanding of modern Africa.

Expected Learning Outcomes:

 Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources.
 Evaluate evidence and perspectives critically and analytically.
 Produce well-reasoned written/oral reports using evidence to support a conclusion.
 Identify and apply the fundamental methods of historical research which entails analysis
and interpretation of primary documentation
 Survey the various courses taken by African civilizations as well as reactions to foreign
pressures on the African continent from 1600-present.
 Analyze the interrelationship between traditional African societies and westernizing
forces.

Required Readings:
 Dewitte, Ludo. The Assassination of Patrice Lumumba. Translated by Renee Fenby and
Ann Wright. (Verso, 2002).
 Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999).
 Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom. (Back Bay Books, 2013).
 Rodney, Walter. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. (Verso, 2018).

 Books are available on PDF format on Blackboard

Additional readings will be placed on Blackboard

Course Grades:
Final grades are calculated by way of either standard grading or students may opt for the extra
credit option. It is not uncommon for students to request extra credit however; it is important to
remember that extra credit is based on an “extra” assignment and not a replacement for other
requirements. Though the extra credit requires more work to be completed and submitted, as
seen below, the extra credit option reduces the percentage value of the other requirements and
the extra credit assignment itself carries a value of 20%. If interested in the extra credit option,
please see the Extra Credit Assignment information file which is available on Blackboard.
Please e-mail the professor with any questions.
Standard Grading:
Attendance at Zoom meetings and Participation in Discussion Board ------------------------25%
Writing Assignments----------------------------------------------------------------------------------25%
Midterm Examination -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25%
Final Examination--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25%

Grading with Extra Credit Option:

10-12 Page Extra Credit Research Writing Assignment-------------------------20%
Attendance and Participation in Discussion Board -----------------------------------20%
Writing Assignments----------------------------------------------------------------------20%
Midterm Examination --------------------------------------------------------------------20%
Final Examination-------------------------------------------------------------------------20%

Learning Objectives/Expectations
1. Class Meetings:
Zoom meetings will be held every Sunday from 12:10pm-3:00pm. Please find meeting
information on Blackboard. Students are expected to attend and attendance will be taken.
Participation is encouraged during the meetings however, do not send direct message to the
professor during zoom meetings; anything that must be sent to the professor privately should
be done so via email.

2.Discussion Boards:
Students are divided into groups and each group will receive approximately one discussion board
question per week (see syllabus below for dates.) Discussion topics pertain to either book
readings or class notes (see syllabus below for topics.) Students are expected to participate in the
group discussion board a minimum of 2 times per discussion forum in the form of one response
to the discussion question and one reaction to another student’s discussion post. To know what
group you are in, look for the group that your name falls under when you initially log on to the
course. When you log on to the course on Blackboard, on the entry screen which is the same as
the “Content” link; there will be an item entitled “Groups and Discussion Board” where you can
find what group you are in. To access the discussion board, please click on discussion board (on
the left of the screen) then click on your group’s discussion question and then click “Create
Thread” to post your answer. Only address discussion questions for your group. Students are
required to submit authentic and comprehensive posts responding to discussion questions raised
by the professor which pertains to each reading. Students may submit as many discussion board
postings as they wish but (once again) must submit at least 2 postings per reading (one for the
discussion question and one reaction to another student’s discussion post.) Each discussion
board posting should be at least 5-7 sentences in length. Credit bearing sentences must include
content related to the discussion question/prompt. Sentences communicating salutations,
agreeing or disagreeing etc. are non-credit bearing sentences. In the event of no participation
from other group members in a timely manner, responding to another posting will not be
possible; in such cases students may post a follow up to their original posting in order to fulfill
the two posting requirement; this may only be done in extreme cases. The professor will
facilitate and monitor all discussions and posts to maintain the accuracy of the information
discussed. Students will not be able to submit their discussion posts after the due date.
Discussion Board Postings are due by 11:59pm of the due date. Students who do not submit
their discussion board postings will not receive credit.
3. Writing Assignments:
Each student is expected to complete 2 writing assignments. Each assignment must be in the
form of a synopsis on a course related topic. Topics and themes will be specified on Blackboard.
Each writing assignment must be 1-5 pages in length and provide a general overview of the
topic. Students can find the due dates for the writing assignments on the syllabus below. Please
click on the Assignment link (also on the course entry screen/course content link) to access and
submit the writing assignments. Students can better understand the grading criteria for the
writing assignments by utilizing the rubric which is available on Blackboard. Writing
assignments should be submitted to the professor via blackboard by the specified due date.
Students will not be allowed to submit writing assignments after the due date. Writing
assignments are due by 11:59pm of the due date. Students who do not submit their summaries
will not receive credit. Make-up/late assignments are usually not allowed but if there is a
circumstance in which an assignment is allowed to be submitted after the deadline, there will be
a letter grade (10-point) penalty.
4. Midterm Exam:
Each student is expected to complete a midterm exam that must be taken and submitted online
via blackboard. The Midterm examination will be available online only during the date and
times announced in class and posted on Blackboard. Students must log on to blackboard during
the allocated time and click on contents then click on midterm exam. Students must complete
the midterm exam and then click submit. Students, who do not submit the midterm exam, will
receive a grade of F for the exam, no exceptions! In rare circumstances students may be able to
make up a missed exam however documentation of a valid reason is required and there will be a
letter grade (10-point) penalty for anyone taking the exam outside of the scheduled time.
5. Final Exam:
Each student is expected to complete a Final Exam that must be taken and submitted online via
blackboard. The Final examination will be available online only during the date and times stated
on the syllabus. Students must log on to blackboard during the allocated time and click on
contents then click on final exam. Students must complete the Final exam and then click submit.
Students, who do not submit the Final exam, will receive a grade of F for the exam, no
exceptions! In rare circumstances students may be able to make up a missed exam however
documentation of a valid reason is required and there will be a letter grade penalty (10-point) for
anyone taking the exam outside of the scheduled time.
Syllabus/Reading Schedule/Discussion and Assignment Due Dates
This schedule is tentative and subject to change
Sunday September 1, 2024
First day the course is available on Blackboard. It is the responsibility of each student to
familiarize themselves with all content on Blackboard especially the syllabus and perquisite and
expectations file.
Topic: Southern Africa to the eighteenth century (power point and review questions are available
on Blackboard.)

Sunday September 8, 2024

Topic: Atlantic slave trade sixteenth to eighteenth centuries (power point and review questions
are available on Blackboard.)
Discussion #1 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday September 15, 2024

Topic: The Hausa city-states and Yoruba (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Discussion #2 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday September 22, 2024

Topic: Kingdoms of Benin and Kingdom of Asante (power point and review questions are
available on Blackboard.)
Topic: Oyo and Dahomey, savannah states of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (power
point and review questions are available on Blackboard.)
Discussion #3 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday September 29, 2024

Topic: Book Reading: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney Part IV-VI
Discussion #4 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday October 6, 2024

Topic: Book Reading: How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney Introduction -Part
III
Discussion #5 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday October 13, 2024

Midterm Exam: No Zoom Meeting/No Discussion Due

Sunday October 20, 2024

Topic: Prelude to empire in tropical Africa (Initial penetrations of Africa’s interior by Christian
Missionaries and European “Explorers” (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Writing Assignment #1 Due/ No Discussion Due

Sunday October 27, 2024

Topic: End of the Slave Trade (power point and review questions are available on Blackboard.)
British and French Colonization of Africa (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Topic: Book Reading: King Leopold’s Ghost
Discussion #6 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday November 3, 2024

Topic: Southern Africa in the 19th Century (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Topic: Eastern Africa in the 19th Century (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Discussion #7 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday November 10, 2024

Topic: Ethiopia in the 19th Century (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Topic: Ethiopia’s centennial. (Article available on Blackboard)
Discussion #8 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday November 17, 2024

Topic: African Between World Wars (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Topic: The Second World War and Africa (power point and review questions are available on
Blackboard.)
Discussion # 9 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday November 24, 2024

Topic: African Independence (power points and review questions are available on Blackboard.)
Book Reading: The Assassination of Patrice Lumumba
Discussion # 10 Due by 11:59pm

Sunday December 1, 2024

Thanksgiving Break/College Closed/No Classes Meet/No Zoom meeting No Discussion Due

Sunday December 8, 2024

Topic Book Reading and Discussion: Long Walk to Freedom
Writing Assignment #2 Due

Sunday December 15, 2024

Final Examination
https://hunter.cuny.edu/students/registration/academic-calendar/
https://hunter.cuny.edu/students/registration/academic-calendar/final-exam-schedule/

Looking For a Major? Make AFPRL Your Choice. Major, Double Major or Minor in AFPRL

The Department of Africana & Puerto Rican/Latino Studies prepares students for a broad range
of careers in the public and private sector; for entrance to professional schools such as law, social
work, urban planning and medicine, and for graduate study and research in the social sciences
and humanities. The Department has a long history of nurturing students' intellectual discipline,
creativity, and social and political awareness. The Department's interdisciplinary structure offers
students an opportunity to satisfy the increasing expectations of admissions committees and
prospective employers for a broad liberal arts perspective that complements the specialized
knowledge of a field.

Required credits: Major (30 credits), Double Major (30 credits), Minor (12 credits)
For more information contact Prof. Edey-Rhodes, [email protected] 212-772-5140

Join the AFPRL Club

The purpose of the Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies Club is to promote greater
cohesion among AFRPL students as well as increased awareness of pertinent issues by the larger
Hunter community. The Club is a forum for students to engage historical and contemporary
issues relevant to the AFPRL experience. The Club has hosted film screenings, invited speakers,
held social events for members and sponsored teach-ins. For more information email
[email protected].

Statement on Academic Integrity:

“Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious
offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to
the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.”

Policy on Sexual Misconduct:

“In compliance with the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Hunter College reaffirms the
prohibition of any sexual misconduct, which includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, and
gender-based harassment retaliation against students, employees, or visitors, as well as certain
intimate relationships. Students who have experienced any form of sexual violence on or off
campus (including CUNY-sponsored trips and events) are entitled to the rights outlined in the
Bill of Rights for Hunter College. a. Sexual Violence: Students are strongly encouraged to
immediately report the incident by calling 911, contacting NYPD Special Victims Division
Hotline (646-610-7272) or their local police precinct, or contacting the College's Public Safety
Office (212-772-4444). b. All Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct: Students are also encouraged
to contact the College's Title IX Campus Coordinator, Dean John Rose ([email protected]
or 212-650-3262) or Colleen Barry ([email protected] or 212-772-4534) and seek
complimentary services through the Counseling and Wellness Services Office, Hunter East 1123.
CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct Link:
http://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/la/Policy-onSexualMisconduct-12-1-14-with-
links.pdf

ADA Policy:
“In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
rev.2020 3 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational
parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical
conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional,
Medical, Physical, and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY, located in Room
E1214B, to secure necessary academic accommodations. For further information and assistance,
please call: (212) 772- 4857 or (212) 650-3230.”

Syllabus Change Policy:

Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading)
statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.