Development in Question: Conservation in Africa
HIST 267
Fall 2021
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ENVS 267, SISP 267 |
| Course Cluster and Certificates: African Studies, African Studies Minor |
"Why not plant trees?" In 1977 Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement, a popular environmental revolution, in Kenya. Then in the 1990s Nigeria Ken Saro-Wiwa fought for the rights of local communities against the multi-national oil industry. Like many African activists, scientists, and farmers, they placed African experiences at the center of environmental policy and conservation. Yet, popular images of the continent's environment in perpetual crisis blame African practices or disregard African efforts. Such depictions of "desertification" or "over grazing" have impacted international and governmental policy. Recent scholarship suggests that such common perceptions of the environment in Africa and conservation policy are misleading. This course will allow students to critically study the history of environmental management on the continent and the development of the idea of conservation. We will examine game park politics, the history of resource extraction, climate change, and other pressing environmental concerns. We will also study diverse African environmental perspectives from the guardians of sacred forests to activists such as Wangari Maathai and Ken Saro-Wiwa. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFST-MN)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS)(HIST-MN)(HIST)(IDEA-MN)(IDEA)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Akyeampong, BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE LAGOON (2001) Selected Chapters
Beinhart and McGregor, SOCIAL HISTORY AND AFRICAN ENVIRONMENTS (2003)
Livingston, SELF-DEVOURING GROWTH: A PLANETARY PARABLE AS TOLD FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA (2019)
Additional Readings TBA
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Examinations and Assignments:
Map/Concepts Quiz; Midterm Exam; Final Exam; 2 Short Papers; Regular Short Reflection Papers |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Twagira,Laura Ann Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: SCIE201; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 25 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 5 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 5 | FR: 6 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 12 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 2 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 9 |
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