Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Social Sciences or the Faculty of Science and Technology. All applicants need to verify English language proficiency.

Learning outcomes

After completing this course students will be able to:

• give an overview of African archaeology from the beginnings of food production to the 1900s, with particular emphasis on the evidence relating to farming and herding systems, metal-working and the origins and development of urbanism
• critically evaluate and work with a variety of sources (e.g. material culture, texts, ethnographies and oral histories) and methods
• in an organised and analytical manner interpret, evaluate, and explain the archaeological context and structure of the major social formations on the African continent
• discuss the limitations of a Eurocentric interpretation of Africa's past and give examples of African approaches to the continent's past

Content

This course is intended to provide students with an overview of the major archaeological evidence from sub-Saharan Africa concerning the origins and spread of food production (crop cultivation, livestock herding, agroforestry); the beginnings, spread and diverse technological innovations in metalworking (primarily iron, but including other metals such as copper and gold); and the origins, nature and development of urbanism. In relation to these topics, the course will also outline the changing characteristics of social and political formations, patterns of trade both within the continent and with other parts of the world, and the influences of ritual, belief and symbolic practices.

Instruction

Instruction consists of lectures and seminars. Instruction is given in English. After initial introductory lectures, each student will be required to present a seminar on a topic of their choice from a set list of themes. Each student will also be required to chair one of the seminars given by other course participants and to lead a critical discussion of that seminar. Both these components will be formally assessed.

Assessment

The primary means of assessment will be in the form of a) individual seminar presentations, b) individual chairing of seminars, and c) an individual written assignment presented in the form of an academic poster. Active participation in seminars and class activities is also a requirement. The examination will be in English only.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.