1. INTRODUCTION

The Master of Arts Degree in African History (MAAH) is an eighteen-month (18 month) programme offered on a part time basis. The programme intends to equip students with an advanced understanding of African history.

2. OBJECTIVES

2.1. The programme aims to train students who will be able to develop and apply sound conceptual, analytical and critical skills that are required for an in-depth study of varied issues and themes in African History.
2.2. The major objective of this programme is to produce students who will produce new forms of knowledge and competencies relating to African history in a global intercultural environment.

3. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to this programme should normally hold a good Honours Degree in a relevant field such as History, Development Studies and Economic History. The Department may, at the discretion of the Departmental Board, require an applicant to attend a pre-admission interview or examination to satisfy itself of the candidate’s ability to complete the programme applied for. Eligibility will not guarantee admission.

4. GENERAL PROVISIONS

4.1. Each module offered at M.A carries six (6) credits. (Refer to Section 26 of the General Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees).
4.2. The total number of credits required for the Master of Arts shall be at least 48.
4.3. Examinations will normally be taken at the end of each semester for each module on the dates to be advised by the University Examinations Offce.
4.4. To be admitted to any of the examinations of the degree, the student must:
4.5. Be registered for the degree with the Midlands State University in accordance with the General Regulations for students,
4.6. Have attained continuous assessment marks, and
4.7. Have attended at least 80% of the lectures offered in the module for which the examination is to be sat.

 

5. ASSESSMENT

5.1. Overall assessment shall be based on continuous assessment and formal examinations
5.2. Assignments related to the objectives of the programme will be set. These may include, but not limited to essays, group presentations, tests and projects.
5.3. A candidate who fails to fulfill continuous assessment requirements may be barred from sitting for examinations.
5.4. Examinations
5.4.1. Examinations shall normally be written at the end of the semester
5.4.2. Each module shall include in its mode of assessment a written examination which is, at most, three (3) hours long.
5.4.3. In determining marks for modules, weighting shall be as follows:

Continuous assessment Examinations

25% 75%

 

6. CREDITS

6.1. Students shall earn at least 48 credits to be allowed to graduate.
6.2. Marks for the first two semesters of the programme have equal contribution to the overall and final degree classification.
6.3 To successfully complete the programme a student must pass all the core modules.

 

MODULE SYNOPSES

MAAH 701 Research Methods in African History
The module examines sources and techniques of historical knowledge and methodologies of acquisition, the traditional and modern liberal forces in the examination of African historiography from ancient times to the present, Afrocentric and Eurocentric approaches to the philosophy of African history.

MAAH 702 Issues in African History before 1900
Africa through the ages, culture and civilization, unity and continuity, production and trade, organization of society, methods of government, state formation, law and order, coming of the Europeans and beginning of the Atlantic slave trade, ruin and revival, new kinds of trade and rise of colonialism.

MAAH 703 Political Economy of Colonialism in Africa
The conquest of Africa: theory and practice, the build up to conquest, resistance , collaboration and contradiction in African society, the era of force and chartered companies, culture, class and social change in colonial Africa, industrialization and society, decolonization of Africa.

MAAH 704 Historiography of Zimbabwean History
The module examines the study of the writing of Zimbabwean history.

MAAH 705 Environmental History of Africa
Human population dynamics, Land use, aspects of urbanization, water resources, pollution, economics and environment, politics and environment, environmental ethics and hope, species introduction and endangered species and environmental organisations.

MAAH 706 Political Economy of Independent Africa
Independence and the crisis of underdevelopment, socialist experiments(some case studies) the paradox of continental wealth and mass poverty, multinational corporations, the agrarian crisis, foreign trade and debts, ESAPs, development planning and industrialization strategies, corruption, governance, democracy, neo-colonialism and globalization.

MAAH707 Historical Dimensions of Human Rights and Governance in Africa
The module takes a historical approach to the concepts of human rights and democracy in Africa.

MAAH 708 Historiography of African Diaspora
The module examines wider social, economic and political issues of the African diaspora, the Atlantic slave trade, the history of African-American-Caribbean societies, modern trends in international migration and the history of diasporic minorities.

MAAH 709 Peace and Strategic Studies in Africa
The module considers peace theories and practice and the broad subjects of violence and conflict.

MAAH 710 Africa in the Contemporary World
The module examines development strategies in Africa, key elements of socio-economic and political processes, African countries’ foreign policies, regionalism and globalization.

MAAH 711 Indigenous knowledge Systems and Development in Africa
Issues and realities surrounding Indigenous Knowledge Systems, indigenous technology as a basis for modern science, non-formal and formal approaches to knowledge acquisition and promoting co-operation in indigenous knowledge.

MAAH 870 Dissertation
The Dissertation is 150 pages based on a wide research in the area of study.