History 327:

 RACISM AND RESISTANCE IN SOUTHERN

AFRICA AND THE U.S.

 

COURSE INSTRUCTOR:  Romanus Shivoro, M. Ed .

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides a comparative perspective on the development of and resistance to racism in Namibia, South Africa, and the United States focusing on the history of the anti-Apartheid and democratic movements in southern Africa and the Civil Rights Movement in United States. Prerequisite: at least one course in US history, or permission of instructor.

 

COURSE RATIONALE: Southern Africa (Namibia and South Africa) and the United States all experienced a history of Apartheid and racism. In southern Africa, this came to an end with Namibian independence in 1990 and the democratization of South Africa in 1994. In United States racist legislation came off the books as a result of the African American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Yet, all these societies both in the United States and southern Africa are being haunted by the legacies of this history. This course offers an opportunity to compare and contrast the southern African region with the United States, and explores how these societies are facing challenges posed by rapid and unequal processes of globalization in today’s world; the challenges posed by under and unequal development; and the long-term project of decolonizing the mind.

 

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS: 

1. Students will compare and contrast the history of racism in southern Africa and United States.

2. Students will develop a basic understanding of the contemporary history of resistance to colonialism, Apartheid, and segregation in southern Africa and United States.

3. Students will deepen their understanding of the legacies arising from the history of Apartheid and racism. 

4. Students will explore the impact of racism on their own lives and societies.

5. Students will reflect upon their role in perpetuating and confronting racism. 

TEACHING METHODOLOGY: The instructors use a student-centered methodology. Teaching strategies include lectures by instructors; small and large group discussions of required readings and experiences; films and videos; interviews, use of artwork and music which express course themes; and guest lectures by members of parliament, liberation struggle veterans, local historians, and community leaders.

 

COURSE OUTLINE: This survey course is divided into the following units, each of which is related to at least one specific instructional goal and several different instructional objectives.

Unit I:      a) History as a Method of Inquiry, and b) Pre-colonial Namibia

Unit II:     Colonialism and Early Resistance

Unit III:    Apartheid and Segregation (Institutionalized Racism)

Unit IV:    The Liberation Struggle and the Civil Rights Movement

Unit V:     End of Colonial Rule (Decolonization process)

Unit VI:    Legacy of Apartheid and Segregation                            

Unit VII:   The Legacy of Apartheid and Segregation (Identity; Human Development; Land)

Unit VIII:  Wrap-Up