The Roots of Recent African Identities Identity, Politics & History of South Africa Program Spring 2023 Semester - Cape Town

In this course we explore the history of Africa's people over the past 2000 years with special reference to southern Africa. Why are southern African populations so diverse? What lies behind the linguistic map that we see today? What social, technological and palaeoenvironmental systems shaped the evolution of societies? Did Africa have any civilisations? Who did Africa interact with? We use the archaeological record of artefacts, settlement systems, food waste, environmental contexts and human skeletons. We deploy historical, material science, molecular science, anthropological and palaeoclimatic techniques to explore this rich and diverse heritage of the last two thousand years.

Assessment: Assignments and class tests count 50% towards the final mark and one 3-hour examination written in June counts 50%. A sub-minimum of 40% is required for the examination.

The University of Cape Town awards credits based on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to determine course and contact hour recommendations per course. 1 NQF credit represents roughly 10 notional hours of work which includes study time, assignments and examinations. Notional hours may very per courses depending on the course level and modality therefore, CEA recommends using NQF credits as a basis to determine U.S. equivalencies (1 NQF=.222 semester credits)