Grammar and syntax. Conversation and written composition. Reading of texts: literary, journalistic. Relation of the language to its East African context.

Explores the geopolitics of Africa-Asia relations, in particular, the unabated and polarized debates and narratives on China’s engagement across sectors in Africa, ‘Africa-China’ multifaceted trade relations, strategies and interests, and economic diplomacy. Critically examines the changing landscape of economic cooperation and development financing in contemporary Africa, their underlying impulses and their broader implications.

The African Studies Independent Study course is designed both to complement regular offerings in African Studies and to provide an opportunity for African Studies students to enrich their studies. Aided and advised by a faculty supervisor, students will conduct extensive research, read relevant literature, and plan, execute, analyze and report on an original and independent investigation of an appropriate topic.

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/faculty-staff/experiential-learning/international-indigenous/research-excursions-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/faculty-staff/experiential-learning/international-indigenous/research-excursions-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

This honours research seminar required of all specialists and majors in African Studies offers critical explorations of the genealogy of African Studies, the transnational study of Africa, Africa’s place in a globalized world, the historical, intellectual and institutional contexts of Africanist knowledge production, its dissemination and consumption in Africa, Europe, the Americas and emerging academic sites in Asia. It engages with the paradigm shifts and vibrant scholarly and epistemic debates across disciplines and geographies as well as unfolding events, public discourses, geopolitics, African popular cultures and the reimagining of African futures through canonical, emergent scholarship and creative media. It emphasizes students’ original and creative research explorations, engaged praxis and search for alternative theorizing and decolonial epistemologies. It is also open to upper level students interested in African Studies and/or research in and on Africa.

An upper level course. Topics of study vary from year to year.

Examines the state and role of Kiswahili in the globalized world of the 21st century. Traces the changes in the roles of Kiswahili over time from its beginnings as a local East African coastal language to its current status as a regional and international lingua franca, and gives students an opportunity to interact with Kiswahili speakers in Toronto. Explores the challenges and opportunities arising from contact with other cultures and languages through globalization. Globalization as a potent force and its effects on Kiswahili are discussed in detail.

Why do people move voluntarily or involuntarily? What are the causes and consequences of migration and displacement in Africa? This course critically examines the multifaceted dimensions of migration, mobility, and displacement, with a specific focus on communities and populations displaced by war, environmental destruction and disaster, economic failings, and the quest for economic opportunities, love, education, or individual freedom.

Examines conflicts and peace negotiations in African contexts such as Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and North Africa through public discourse, citizen actions, policy debates and mobilizations. Explores formal, informal, indigenous and institutional mediation and peace negotiation platforms, strategies, and impulses. Analyzes various conflict zones, case studies and intervention strategies for negotiating and sustaining peace in Africa in the broader context of the war on terror, increasing militarism, and securitization in peacebuilding.

An upper-level course. Topics of study vary from year to year.

Food security is a critical challenge for many African countries and, in the past decades, has been exacerbated by climate change. To understand the complexities of food insecurity and to explore possible pathways for a food-secure Africa, we ask: what is the nexus between food security, climate change, and sustainability in Africa? How is food security intertwined with livelihood security, rights, justice, resource governance, conflicts, natural disasters, uncertainties, and risks and vulnerabilities? What are the challenges and opportunities for sustainable futures in Africa? Which theoretical frameworks illuminate these complexities? Students will learn through case study analyses, guest lectures, modeling and scenario-building exercises, and engagement with indigenous knowledge systems, canonical and emergent interdisciplinary scholarship on the topic.

From slums, bustling cultural scenes and cityscapes, to diaspora lanes, African cities show diverse trajectories, inequalities and uneven pace of urbanization. Challenging clichés of African cities as ‘dystopian’ and ‘off the map’, this course critically examines the processes and dynamics of urban transformation and rapid urbanization of African cities and their socio-cultural, ecological, political and economic implications. It interrogates key drivers of urbanization, sustainable urban development, livelihoods, inclusive and just urbanism challenges, urban policies and governance, and the reimagining of African urban futures. Students will learn from cutting edge scholarship and engage with speakers and Africa-based city-builders, policy makers, artists, activists, and social entrepreneurs.

The African Studies Independent Study course is designed both to complement regular offerings in African Studies and to provide an opportunity for African Studies students to enrich their studies. Aided and advised by a faculty supervisor, students will conduct extensive research, read relevant literature, and plan, execute, analyze and report on an original and independent investigation of an appropriate topic. The exact Breadth Requirement category to be assigned to this course is based on the topic chosen by the student and approved by their faculty supervisor.

The African Studies Independent study course is designed both to complement regular offerings in African Studies and to provide an opportunity for African Studies students to enrich their studies. Students, aided and advised by a faculty supervisor, will conduct extensive research, read relevant literature, and plan, execute, analyze and report on an original and independent investigation of an appropriate topic. The exact Breadth Requirement category to be assigned to this course is based on the topic chosen by the student and approved by their faculty supervisor.

A joint graduate/undergraduate upper-level seminar. Topics vary from year to year, depending on the instructor. Consult the Program Office for course enrolment procedures.

This course explores global capitalism since 1945. It begins briefly with the origins of capitalism in trading cities and touches on capitalism’s golden age (1945-1973). The main focus is on global capitalism since the 1970s, and how it has restructured domestic and international politics. Topics will include destruction of unions and the American working class, the rise of financial capitalism, the relationship between post-1973 capitalism, on the one hand, and instability, war, and Islamism in the Middle East, the Iranian revolution, and America’s support for Israel, on the other. It also considers the rise of the “Asian tigers” and how global capitalism generates both great wealth and massive inequality.

A formal introduction to the interdisciplinary study of the United States and to the field of American Studies. Drawing from a variety of source materials ranging from political and literary to visual culture and material artifacts, this course examines the politics, history and culture of the U.S. A major emphasis will be learning to analyze primary sources.

This course examines how American government works in theory, practice, and public imagination. Students will develop foundational knowledge of institutional structures, including the branches of federal government, federalism, elections, and the role of non-state actors, while analyzing how these institutions function in contemporary political life. Cultural representations will serve as sources for exploring public perceptions of governance, including issues of power and corruption. Through this course, students will critically assess the relationship between constitutional design, popular understanding, and actual political practice.

This course explores a range of the many ‘theories and methods’ that have animated the interdisciplinary field of American Studies. Students will read and discuss texts that exemplify or explain a wide variety of theoretical orientations and their associated research methods, exploring how scholars use different approaches to illuminate different kinds of questions about American experience(s). Over the semester, students will complete various methods exercises where exercises where they will appl research methods to a chosen topic. This course is required for majors, but is open to all who have met the prerequisites.

An in-depth, interdisciplinary examination of a specific question concerning U.S. history, politics, and/or culture. Focus varies depending on instructor. Major emphases include reading critically and the initial steps of conducting original research.

An in-depth, interdisciplinary examination of a specific question concerning U.S. history, politics, and/or culture. Focus varies depending on instructor. Major emphases include reading critically and the initial steps of conducting original research.

An in-depth, interdisciplinary examination of a specific question concerning U.S. history, politics, and/or culture. Focus varies depending on instructor. Major emphases include reading critically and the initial steps of conducting original research.

As statues are kicked off their pedestals all around the world, this class reckons with the legacy and future of public memory cultures. We’ll consider the history, geography, aesthetics, bureaucracy, ecologies, and ideologies of both local and U.S. American memorials. And we’ll examine the birth, life, death, and afterlives of both conventional monuments and emerging forms of material and digital alt-memorialization.

The United States -- as a global military, cultural, and economic power -- has always been a transnational space. In this course, students will read texts that emphasize the transnational dimensions of the US, learning about a range of topics that may include borders, global supply chains, immigration, food cultures, media, and the reach of the US military. In what ways do the United States and its people exceed their national boundaries? And in what ways are the United States and its people shaped by “elsewhere”?

In-depth examination of specific themes relating to American Studies.

In-depth examination of specific themes relating to American Studies.

In-depth examination of specific themes relating to American Studies.

In-depth examination of specific themes relating to American Studies.

In this course, students work to address a pressing social policy issue of relevance to the United States. Working in partners/teams, students will conduct a research project with and on behalf of community partners to address an organizational need, producing usable deliverables such as research reports, policy briefs, program evaluations, or community resources. Students will draw on academic and community-based research to understand the intersections of racism, sexism, ableism, classism, migration status, gender discrimination, and/or religious discrimination though a pressing social policy issue (including but not limited to: poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, educational access, precarious employment). Students will receive specialized training based on the research needs identified by the partner(s); carry out a small-scale research project; and share research findings with different audiences, including academics, professionals, and the public. Classroom discussions will integrate community experiences with lecture material and connections will be made to the specific context and policy of the United States. Enrolment is restricted to upper-level Munk Undergraduate students.