HIST: 4580 Professor HilliardOffice Hours: Tuesdays-Thursdays 11:00 – 12:30 p.m. (by appointment only) Office: Wooten Rm. 245Telephone: (940) 565-4972E-Mail: connie@unt.edu(emails will be answered within 24 hours, excluding Fridays and weekends)

AFRICA TO THE 17TH CENTURY*

Course Description and Objectives:

This course will examine the early history of the African continent in addition to the historiographical debates surrounding the study of Africa. It will, in particular, explore the history of ancient Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, early Christian Africa, and the West African merchant empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. It will also examine the nature of the debate between Eurocentric and Afrocentric scholars as it relates to the history of this vast continent. It will also use documentary and feature films as a means of creating a more multi-dimensional experience of the African continent.

Required Text:

Shillington, The History of Africa

Course Requirements and Grading:

Mid-Term Exam 25%Final 25%Term Paper 25%Periodic Quizzes 15%Africa Project 10%

The Term paper (10 to 12 pages typed) must present a factual, well-reasoned examination of an issue relating to African History BEFORE THE 17TH CENTURY. This paper must demonstrate clarity of thought and an effective use of source materials. Term papers will also be expected to follow accepted practices of form and style for academic writing, and make accurate use of citations, footnotes, bibliography. Do not hand in a term paper that does not use citations.

The citation style to be used for this research paper will be “Turabian Referencing.” If you are not familiar with this citation style, look it up on the Internet. This style is a citing and referencing system named after Kate Turabian, from the University of Chicago. Cited sources are indicated in your text by a superscript number placed at the end of the sentence. Using Microsoft Word, the superscript number is created by clicking on “References”, then clicking on endnote or footnote.

Plagiarism. If you quote or even paraphrase another author's work without including a reference, this is called plagiarism. This is cheating and will be penalized with a grade of ZERO on the paper.

*This syllabus is not a contract and may be modified in the course of the semester.DISABILITY STATEMENT

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

AFRICAN HISTORIOGRAPHYWHAT IS HISTORIOGRAPHY?WHAT IS EPISTEMOLOGY?POST-MODERNISMCULTURAL RELATIVISMKEN WILBER’S FOUR QUADRANT SYSTEMURBAN/CIVILIZATION BIASES

ETHNOCENTRISMBLACK & WHITE AFRICATHE HAMITIC HYPOTHESISTAXONOMIC SHIFTSCONSTRUCTION OF RACE

EARLY HUMANS

WHO ARE THE KHOISAN?POPULATION GENETICSLINGUISTIC THEORIES OF HUMAN ORIGINSGENOMIC THEORIES OF HUMAN ORIGINSHISTORICAL THEORIES OF HUMAN ORIGINS

ANCIENT EGYPTTHE DYNASTIES OF ANCIENT EGYPTCULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTSTHE RELIGION OF ETERNAL LIFEAKHENATONDAILY LIFE

ANCIENT EGYPT (CONTINUED)WHY THE CAT HAS NINE LIVESTHE EGYPTIAN VIEW OF THE SELF

THE GNOSTIC TRADITION

EGYPTIAN WOMENLEGAL RIGHTSFAMILY MATTERS (INCEST?)OCCUPATIONSHatshepsutCLEOPATRA

ANCIENT NUBIATHE GNOSTIC TRADITION IN EGYPTIAN & NUBIAN RELIGIONNUBIAN PREHISTORYKERMA & THE RISE OF KUSHMEROITIC KUSH

LATER EGYPTIAN HISTORYALEXANDER THE GREATTHE LIBRARY AT ALEXANDRIA

EARLY AFRICAN CHRISTIANITY

THE APOSTLE MARK EGYPTIAN INFLUENCES

ALEXANDRIAN THEOLOGIANSORIGENATHANASIUSCOPTIC MONOPHYSITESMONASTIC ORDERSCOPTIC APOCRYPHA

CARTHAGE-NUMIDIA THEOLOGIANSTERTULLIANCYPRIANAUGUSTINE

ANCIENT ETHIOPIACHRISTIAN NUBIA FOUNDING OF AXUMTHE ZAGWE DYNASTYTHE SOLOMONID DYNASTYTHE MUSLIM PENETRATION OF ETHIOPIA & SOMALIA

ISLAMIC DIFFUSION

MUHAMMAD’S REVELATIONTHE UMMATHE CONQUEST OF EGYPTTHE MAGHRIB

ARABIZATION OF NORTH AFRICA

STATES & DECENTRALIZED SOCIETIES OF THE WESTERN SUDANANCIENT GHANA ANCIENT MALI SONGHAY THE HAUSA STATES

WEST AFRICAN COASTAL STATESIFEBENINOYO

DECENTRALIZED SOCIETIES

KINSHIP SYSTEMSECONOMIC BASES OF SUBSISTENCE SOCIETIESTRADITIONS & RELIGIONSART & CULTURE

EAST AFRICA AND THE SWAHILI COAST

GREAT ZIMBABWEMONOMATAPATRADING CITY STATES OF THE SWAHILI COAST