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Teaching African Politics at American Colleges and Universities: A Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Henry C. Kenski  and
Margaret C. Kenski
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Extract

In the spring of 1973, the authors conducted a survey of political scientists teaching African politics courses at American colleges and universities. Our intention was to collect and disseminate information about: (1) the techniques used in teaching African politics, (2) the books assigned most frequently to students, (3) the choice of African political systems for emphasis in the classroom, and (4) the current level of student interest in African politics. Information was also collected about those who teach African politics: how many have done field research, in which countries do they have the most expertise, and which approaches to political development do they find useful in teaching?

The purposes of this survey were several. One was simply to collect the above information and make it available to teachers of African politics—hopefully, it will be useful to those in this field to know which teaching techniques, approaches, texts, etc., others have found successful in the classroom. A second purpose was to elicit comment on the popularity of African politics as an academic discipline. We hypothesized before conducting this survey that certain trends we had observed locally might be applicable nationally. In particular, we felt that in the post-Vietnam period in the United States, student interest and enrollment in comparative politics courses, on Africa as well as other regions, might be decreasing. The possible reasons for this are multiple, but one can speculate that a mood of isolationism following the Vietnam fiasco might adversely affect enrollment. Further, the uncertain state of the economy and continued high unemployment may induce a shift away from liberal arts courses toward more specifically career-oriented disciplines.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , September 1976 , pp. 101 - 110
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 1976

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