Section outline

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    General Introduction

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    Dear student,

    Welcome to this module of "African Union and Issues in African Security and Development". In this module you will have an opportunity to learn about African politics, states formation, and general status of African states and later on the inception and creation of African Union and the place of Africa in Global politics.

    Module structure:

    The module is divided into four units. Each unit contains activities you are expected to perform that are in form of assignments, discussion, presentations and there is a test at the end of each unit. For more information on mode of delivery and assessment please consult the attached module description.

    Expected learning outcomes:

    At the end of this course you will be able to:

    1. Explain the local and international dimensions of African Politics
    2. Analyse the different theories related to African politics
    3. Describe the situation of Africa in security and development in relation to its marginalization and other related issues.
    4. Analyse the position of Africa in global politics, the creation and the raison d’être of the African Union

    Teaching Team:

    Dr Vedaste Ndizera Tel 0788846192 vedasten2009@gmail.com (Module leader)
    Dr Ismael A. Buchanan: Tel 0783545891 email: buchananismael1@gmail.com

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    Unit 1. Introduction to African Politics and State formation

    This unit introduces you to African politics. It focuses on African pre-colonial and Colonial inheritance that has left an indelible mark on Africa as a whole and on the nature and structure of African states in particular. Issues off ideology, ethnicity and social class in African politics are also discussed under this unit.
    Intended learning outcomes:
    At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
      1. Explain Africa's pre-colonial and colonial inheritance
      2. Describe how African politics has been shaped by Ideology (nationalism, socialism, populism, state capitalism and Pan-Africanism)
      3. Analyze the role of ethnicity, religion and social class in shaping African politics
    After reading  through the reading material  you will work on the following activities: e-tivity 1.1, e-tivity 1.2 and e-tivity 1.3 described below.
    • Slides: Introduction to African Politics File PDF

      In This presentation:

      1. Africa’s pre-colonial and colonial inheritance
      2. Ideology (nationalism, socialism, populism, state capitalism and Pan-Africanism)
      3. Ethnicity and religion
      4. Social class
      754.7 KB
    • Introduction to African Politics URL

      The book "Introduction to African Politics" by Alex Thompson is recommended to you for this unit 1, unit 2 and Unit 3. It can be accessed by following this link.

    • Post-cold war international relations and foreign policies in Africa: New issues and new challenges URL
    • E-tivity 1.1. Assignment on unit one Turnitin Assignment 2

      After reading trough indicated material in the learning resources, choose one among the following questions and write your answer in a one-page essay.

      Deadline: Submit your answer by 15 November, 2020

      1. How has Africa’s imperially imposed borders affected the continent politically, economically and socially? 
      2. Which elements of pre-colonial African society continue to influence African politics today?
      3. To what extent did the state and civil society engage in colonial Africa?
      4. What role does ideology play in the practice of politics?
      5. How does African nationalism differ from other nationalisms found elsewhere in the world?
      6. Has the inherited nation-state structure benefited Africa in the post-colonial era?
    • E-tivity 1.2. Class discussion on the role of ideology in African politics Forum

      Purpose: 

      The purpose of this e-tivity 1.2 is to broaden students’ understanding of how  African politics has been shaped by Ideology (nationalism, socialism, populism, state capitalism and Pan-Africanism) through online discussion forum.

      Instructions: 

      Write at least one discussion on each question posted in this forum by the instructor. You are also encouraged to react to other students' posts

       

    • Class presentation Assignment

      Please submit your presentation in attachment here.

    • E-tivity 1.3. Test for unit one Quiz

      Instructions:

      • Take this test to complete unit 1 if you have already done e-tivities 1.1 and 1.2 
      • You have 20 minutes in which to answer 10 questions
      • You are allowed three attempts and the average score will be automatically recorded for you
      • Revise unit 1 before taking this quiz

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    Unit 2. Governance issues in Africa

    This unit explores issues of Authority and Legitimacy in African Sates, Coercion: military interventions in African politics; and Sovereignty versus external influence on African politics (neocolonialism, structural adjustment) and Democratic consolidation in  Africa, and the role of the civil society.
    Intended learning outcomes
    At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
      • Explain authority and  Legitimacy issues in African governance
      • Describe Coercion (through Military intervention) in African politics
      • Analyse Sovereignty versus external influence on African politics and challenges to democratic consolidation in Africa
    After going through the provided material and get supplementary information from chap. 6-11 of the book "Introduction to African Politics", you may do e-tivity 2.1, e-tivity 2.2 and e-tivity 2.3, only when you have completed e-tivities 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 and when you are well prepared.
    • Africa governance issues File PDF
      • Sovereignty
      • Coercion
      • Legitimacy
      • Authority
      • Democracy
      • State relations with civil society
      871.2 KB
    • E-tivity 2.1. Assignment on unit two

      After reading trough indicated material in the learning resources, choose one among the following questions and write your answer in a one-page essay. Paste your answer in the provided space

      1. • Were African leader justified in centralizing states and imposing one party rule?
      2. • How democratic were the more open parliamentary elections found in states such as Kenya and Tanzania?
      3. • Why did local government and independent judiciaries not prosper in Africa’s centralized states?
      4. • Was African personal rule an efficient form of government?
      5. • To what extent did clientelism legitimate personal rule in post-colonial Africa?
      6. • Why had the post-colonial African state reached a point of crisis by the 1980s?
      7. • How successful was civil society in countering the power of the vampire state?
      8. • To what extent have African states collapsed over the last two decades?
      9. • Who prospered most in the 1980s and 1990s, state elites or members of civil society?
      10. • Assess the performance of the state’s own survival strategies.
      11. • Did African states benefit from the international political environment of the Cold War?
      12. • To what extent have external patrons differed in their policies towards African states?
      13. • Would you describe the ‘New World Order’ as a positive development for Africa?
      14. • Has the intervention of external interests merely served to underwrite the power of the African state in the post-colonial period?
      15. • Are external interests ever justified in violating a state’s sovereignty?
      16. • To what extent has the international economy hindered Africa’s post-colonial economic development?
      17. • How did African states become so indebted to the West?
      18. • What are the key reforms associated with SAP?
      19. • Has SAP produced economic growth on the African continent?
      20. • What has been the political and social impact of SAP and debt relief?
    • E-tivity 2.2 Discussion on Coercive Politics in Africa Forum

      Instructions:

      Choose one of the following questions and attempt to answer it in details. Post your answer in the discussion forum. You may also comment once on other students' posts. Your participation in this e-tivity will be graded according to the frequency and pertinence of your posts.

      Questions: 

      1. To what extent can African military coups be explained by environmental (socio-economic/ political culture) factors?
      2. Did the professional characteristics of the military force it to intervene in Africa’s political process?
      3. Can African military coups be accounted for by the personal interests of soldiers?
      4. What problems do military governments face once they come to power?
      5. How would you rate the performance of the military regimes in post-colonial Africa?
      6. To what extent can African military coups be explained by environmental (socio-economic/ political culture) factors?
      7. Did the professional characteristics of the military force it to intervene in Africa’s political process?
      8. Can African military coups be accounted for by the personal interests of soldiers?
      9. What problems do military governments face once they come to power?
      10. How would you rate the performance of the military regimes in post-colonial Africa?
    • E-tivity 2.3. Test for unit Two Quiz

      Aim: Evaluate your understanding of the salient issues in the governance of post-colonial Africa 

      Instructions:

      This quiz is taken online and automatically marked.  You will have to answer 20 questions in 20 minutes click start only when you are ready. Use this material and read chapters 6-11 of the book to prepare for this assessment.

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    Unit 3: Inception, creation and functioning of African Union

    This unit explains the origins and evolution of the OAU and its transformation into the current AU, its organs, institutions and functioning. Some AU's flagship projects and initiatives and their impact on the continent are also discussed.
    Intended unit learning outcomes
    At the end of this unit you will be able to:
    • Explain the inception, creation and evolution of African Union
    • Describe the functioning of African Union and its organs, and 
    • Analyse the  significance of  AU’s major programmes and initiatives

    The learning material for this unit include a power point presentation, a course reader, further reading material, and student activities.  There are student activities done online (e-tivities) for each of the above intended Learning outcomes and a general  assessment test in form of a quiz is given at the end of the unit.

    Watch and listen to this video:

    • [slides] African union File PDF

      In this Presentation:

      • Pan-African Origins of the AU
      • OAU
        • Origins and evolution
        • Institutions
        • Its renewed vision since 2000 with the creation of
      • AU
        • AEC African Economic Community
        • PAP Pan African Parliament
        • AfCFTA/ZLECAf
      • Some other AU pan-African initiatives
        • NEPAD/APRM
        • African Union Passport
        • Agenda 2063
      973.9 KB
    • African Union organs URL

      You may find and read more about AU organs on this Website

    • E-tivity 3.1. Assignment on Unit Three

      E-tivity 3.1. Assignment:

      Aim: Demonstrate understanding of inception, creation and evolution of African Union

      Due date: 9th November, 2020

      After reading through indicated resources, write a 2 page essay that answers one of the following questions of your choice:

      1. Describe the pan-Africanist origin of OAU/AU.
      2. Explain the different visions by the Casablanca and Monrovia groups in the history of OAU formation.
      3. What is the renewed vision of AU since 2000 and how does it differ from OAU’s?
      4. How does AU differ from its predecessor in terms of their aims and objectives?
    • e-tivity 3.2 Discussion forum

      Aim:

      This activity is intended to provide a forum for interaction and discussion on some important topics in this unit. It is also aimed at making you familiar with the functioning of the African Union and its organs.

      Instructions:

      Choose one of the following questions and post your answer in the forum. You will have an opportunity to comment on you classmates' posts and ask questions that the facilitator will answer. Participation in this discussion forum will be marked out of 10 according to the relevance and frequency of your submissions.

      Deadline: This activity must be done before 11th November, 2020 at 23h59

      Questions:

      1. How does the African Union make decisions?
      2. What is the purpose of African Union?
      3. What are the challenges facing the African Union?
      4. Who is the founder of African Union?
      5. What are the aims and objectives of the African Union?
      6. Is the African Union successful?
    • E-tivity 3.3 Quiz for unit Three

      Aim: This assessment aims to test your knowledge of the African Union evaluate your and your analytical capabilities over the issues pertaining to the African Union as a regional inter-governmental organization.

      Instructions:

      • This assessment contains 20 questions to be answered in 20 minutes.
      • It is taken online by simple clicks.
      • You need to have done e-tivities 3.1,  and 3.2 as well as all the e-tivities in unit 1&2 before taking this assessment.
      • You are allowed two attempts but beware that the average of you scores on those attempts will be considered.

      Good Luck

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    Unit 5: The African Union and Power politics, Security and conflict in Africa

    Unit intended learning outcomes:

    At the end of this unit you should be able to:

    - understanding of African Union

    - know the different regional security institutions in africa

    - understanding of the African security environment and the AU efforts through the APSA in promoting peace and security in Africa

    In this unit, you have to read this attached material and do the following activities before you can progress to the next unit.

    - e-tivity 5.1

    - e-tivity 5.2

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    Unit 6: Africa position in World Politics

    This unit introduces you african politics, it focuses on international institutions  the africa group around the forming of Non Aligned Movement (NAM) to advance their own interests in world affairs and project their perspective on key global issues. International diplomatic game after attaining independence when most of contemporary governance regime was already in place and the rules of  engagement were already in play are  also discussed under this unit.
    Intended learning outcomes:
    At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
      1. Explain what is all about african politics and international organizations
      2. Describe how African international diplomatic has been shaped 
      3. knowing how the multilateral systems operates according to the whims of the big power interests. 
    After reading  through the reading material you will work on the following activities: e-tivity 6.1, e-tivity 6.2 and e-tivity 6.3 described below.
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    How was the module delivered? Students' evaluation form

    Please follow this link to evaluate how this module was taught.

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