>Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 15:06:26 -0600
>To: [log in to unmask]
>From: "M. G. Schatzberg" <[log in to unmask]> (by way of James
>Delehanty <[log in to unmask]>)
>Subject: PS 961 / African Politics Seminar
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
>         boundary="=====================_21545196==_.ALT"
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.2.06 -- ListProc(tm) by CREN
>
>Folks,
>         Please be aware that I will offer Political Science 961, the
> seminar in African Politics, this coming semester (II, 2000-01).  The
> class will meet on Wednesdays, 5:30 - 7:30.  I was last able to offer
> this course in 1996-97 and, enrollment realties being what they are, it
> is unlikely that I will be able to offer the course again terribly soon.
>         Although the syllabus is far from set, in general the course will
> ask students to research thoroughly an area of African politics that
> interests them, and then to apply one or more of the current theoretical
> approaches to the data they uncover.  The theoretical approaches will be
> learned through a collective reading of a series of major contemporary
> works on African politics.  I am usually quite flexible as to choice of
> paper topics, and usually encourage students from other disciplines to
> adapt the course materials and subject matter to their own interests.
>         The only prerequisite for the course is grad standing.  No prior
> background in political science is assumed, although some Africa related
> work in history, anthropology, or another social science would be useful.
> The blurb from my department's web page is appended below.  If you have
> questions, please feel free to contact me.  Thanks.  Cheers,
>                         Michael Schatzberg
>
>Political Science 961, II, 2001: African Politics Seminar
>Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30
>Professor Michael Schatzberg
>
>The first goal is to further hone students' critical facilities by
>exposing them to some of the more recent major works in the study of
>African politics.  Toward this end, students will find that the readings
>are organized around several loosely interrelated and overlapping themes:
>the construction and dissolution of states; the interactions of state and
>society; and local understandings of various key concepts such as power,
>legitimacy, the boundaries of "politics" and the realm of the spiritual
>world.   These themes warrant our attention because they are all critical
>for the contemporary study of politics in Africa; and second, all
>desperately need a theoretical overhaul.  In addition, the second goal of
>this seminar is to provide a transition from graduate-level courses to the
>normal rigors and demands of professional life.  Since quality
>publications are a professional necessity, students should actively think
>of their completed and revised seminar papers as the first drafts of
>articles which, after suitable subsequent revision, they might well submit
>to relevant scholarly journals.
>
>Course Requirements will include active participation in class
>deliberations, a stint as a discussion leader, and weekly one page
>reaction papers (non-graded).  Other course requirements include the
>submission of a ten-page preliminary essay.  A theoretical exercise, this
>essay should explore and elaborate the theoretical approach which you will
>then subsequently use in your lengthier, 40-page seminar paper. Students
>may, after revision, decide to incorporate the preliminary essay -- either
>in whole or in part -- into the body of their final seminar paper.  I
>anticipate that students will use the seminar as an occasion to explore
>their own research topics, even if they come from other disciplines, for
>the themes of the seminar should be broad enough to encompass most areas
>of interest and the instructor is reasonably flexible as to choice of
>paper topics.
>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, visit:

        http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/aam.html

AAM Website:  http://www.danenet.wicip.org/aam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------