Course Descriptions for Arcadia in Tanzania
Arcadia Center for East African Studies
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Subject Areas
Core Course
ARUS SMCI 310 Tanzania in the Midst of Peace and Conflict:
Conflicts, Peace and Security in East Africa
In a student program developed in Tanzania, and in the framework of a partnership with the East African Community, with a focus on peace, security and conflicts resolution, it is essential that the participants learn about these issues in the region. That is the purpose of this course: address peace, security and conflicts in East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda), including some neighboring countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan).
This will be done through case study of each of those countries. But, first and foremost, students will be introduced to the case study through discussion on peace and conflict resolution and the role of international organizations, especially in the African context. Each case study will take into account as many perspectives as relevant, including but not limited to history, society, gender and human rights, economy, environment and development.
The students will be invited throughout the course to keep in mind the interdependence between all these elements and to connect various aspects of their learning experience in Tanzania to understand conflicts in the region and the ways in which they have been resolved, or the attempts to resolve them.
At the end of the class, the students should be able to provide a comprehensive analysis on past, current and potential conflicts in any of the five countries, and in the region in general, and the possible dynamics and means for their resolution.
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Languages
ARUS FRLN 101 Elementary French
French is a descendant of the Latin language of the Roman Empire, as are national languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian and Catalan, and minority languages ranging from Occitan to Neapolitan and many more. Although less widely spoken than Chinese or Hindu, alongside English, it is the only language present on all our continents.
By the end of the course the participants will be able to communicate simple messages, using basic vocabulary and a first knowledge of the structure of the language. They will also have gained a foundation on which to build more effective communication.
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ARUS SWLN 101 Elementary Kiswahili
ARUS SWLN 102 Intermediate Kiswahili
ARUS SWLN 103 Advanced Kiswahili
Swahili is a language spoken in Southeast Africa. It is the primary language of over half the East African coast. This would include the southern tip of Somalia in the north to the southern tip of Mozambique in the south. There are also islands off the shores of East Africa that include Pemba, Zanzibar, Mafia, Lamu, and the Comoro Islands that are located in the Indian Ocean, where Swahili is a primary language. Swahili speakers inland extend as far away as Zaire (Congo) down to Zambia and Malawi.
Swahili is the seventh most commonly spoken language in the world with a conservative estimate of 45 million speakers as a first or second language. It is the first language of the coastal people of East Africa from Southern Somalia to Northern Mozambique. Swahili is a Bantu language. Other examples of Bantu languages are Kikuyu in Kenya and Kongo in Zaire.
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History, Art, and Culture
ARUS AHEA 310 African Cultural Identities: The Role of Music in Tanzania and East Africa
This course is an introduction to cultures of Tanzania and East Africa through learning about the role of music and the history of musical traditions. Activities include lecture, readings, discussion, audio and video, practical (learning drumming, dancing, and singing), hands-on projects (making instruments), and site visits with local and regional experts.
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ARUS FAAF 300 Fashion Design and Politics in Africa
Dress has historically been used as one of the most important and visually immediate markers of class, status, and ethnicity among African peoples. Empirical studies have shown a close connection between the clothes we wear and our political expression. This class ascertains that clothing matters and that dress is political, and thus concepts in dress and politics are broadly defined. From the khanga designs developed for Tanzania’s political parties during campaign season to the designs that commemorated Barack Obama’s historic win, this course explores dress in African and pan-African settings. Various essays are studied on nationalist and diasporic identities, and their histories and their political dimensions are also examined. The course demonstrates the clear political message communicated by dress, with an emphasis on resistance and challenges to power.
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ARUS FAPH 310 Modern Photography: Portfolio of Tanzania
Students will have a chance to look at the elements of modern photography and their application in East Africa. In addition to the basic techniques, students will have opportunity to venture into practical subjects such as portrait photography; photojournalism; black and white printing; color printing; and motion media, just to mention a few.
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ARUS HSMT 330 Building the United Republic of Tanzania: History of the Liberation and Unification of Tanzania
Covering the period just prior to independence from colonialism, up until the current Fourth Phase government, this course will assist students in understanding the historical context upon which most contemporary issues are based. The United Republic of Tanzania is still a young nation, with ever-evolving national policies, which are shaped as much by its immediate history as by current global trends. This course will examine the independence movements of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, and the policies that shaped the new nation of Tanzania under the first President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. It will trace the subtle economic shifts of the Second Phase government, and the impact of democratic elections and an open economy through the 1990s. Finally, the course will measure the growth of Tanzania over the last decade, as the nation positions itself to become an "African Tiger." Students will be brought up to speed on the major political figures of the last 50 years, as well as the significant turning points in Tanzania's young history.
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ARUS MSAC 310 African Cinema
African Cinema is too frequently regarded as an exotic product coming out of Africa. Some universities in the United States offer African Cinema either as a full course or as a sub-section of non-Western Cinema courses. Simply put, despite its development since the 1960s, it is still marginalized as a focus for academic study and research. In Africa today, only a few schools offer African Cinema courses. Not much can be said of schools in Europe and Asia. The more schools there are that offer African Cinema as a course the better for World Cinema and African cultural studies.
This course will help students explore the critical perspectives of African Cinema: its history, development, aesthetics, forms, structures, thematic motifs, production styles, financing, marketing, distribution, exhibitions, socio-economic, cultural, and global relevance. The course will also offer screenings of African films and interviews with various key-players in the industry.
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ARUS MSAC 311 Nollywood I
In 2006, Nollywood, as the Nigerian video film industry is colloquially known, was the third largest film producing industry in the world, after Hollywood (USA) and Bollywood (India). Despite Nollywood's positioning in World Cinema and its socio-economic relevance in Africa, it is still marginalized as a discipline of study in academia. Nollywood may not fit expected stereotypes but rather it exemplifies newer perspectives in filmmaking that speaks to Africans and all interested in Africa.
This course will therefore introduce the students to Nollywood and help them understand and critically analyze this important industry.
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ARUS MSAC 312 Nollywood II
An introductory workshop on Nollywood is offered as an undergraduate course as an alternative to the Introductory Course on Nollywood. It can be taken by students who are also taking, in parallel, the Introduction to African Cinema, or by students who already have some educational background in the cinema studies. Students will acquire critical studies competencies in understanding the Nigerian video film industry and the analytical and comparative skills in reading Nollywood films.
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ARUS PSAH 310 Socialism in African Political History
This course will enable the students to understand how socialism has operated in African political history from the struggle for independence to nowadays. Throughout this course, the students are expected to gain sufficient knowledge necessary to enable them distinguish African socialism and how it might still affect politics on the continent. They should also be able to understand the role that African socialism played in postindependence conflicts, especially in East Africa and in the Great Lakes Region.
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Sociology, Law, and Community Development
ARUS ANTC 340 Anthropology in a Tanzanian Context
This course introduces the subject of human evolution by investigating the origins of human conflict and cooperation from an evolutionary perspective. The course examines the biological basis of social behavior, primarily focusing on humans and other primates. The models drawn from these biological, behavioral and ecological contexts are tested against the available fossil record.
The course will walk students through time (from 4 million years ago to present time) examining various evidence of human evolution as documented from famous archaeological sites in Tanzania such as Olduvai Gorge, Laetoli, Lake Natron and nearby cultural sites all located in the Arusha region. This course is designed for students with background in social and political sciences.
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ARUS ESLP 320 Climate Change, Law and Policy in Africa
The hottest global environmental challenge facing humanity currently is climate change. The evidence of climate change as a result of human activity is unequivocal. An inevitable temperature increase of 2‐3C suggests that we already have reached the "tipping" point. Nevertheless, there is a great deal for lawyers to do. Without stringent "mitigation" (control) measures the face of the planet will be far different from what we already see happening today. This course is intended to impart to the students the knowledge of the legal concepts and principles on climate change in Africa, drawing examples from East Africa.
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ARUS FAAF 300 Fashion Design and Politics in Africa
Dress has historically been used as one of the most important and visually immediate markers of class, status, and ethnicity among African peoples. Empirical studies have shown a close connection between the clothes we wear and our political expression. This class ascertains that clothing matters and that dress is political, and thus concepts in dress and politics are broadly defined. From the khanga designs developed for Tanzania’s political parties during campaign season to the designs that commemorated Barack Obama’s historic win, this course explores dress in African and pan-African settings. Various essays are studied on nationalist and diasporic identities, and their histories and their political dimensions are also examined. The course demonstrates the clear political message communicated by dress, with an emphasis on resistance and challenges to power.
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ARUS SOCE 310 Community Service in East Africa
The student's volunteer experience will, most likely, be an immersion in an unfamiliar culture and, more specifically, in the civil society segment of that culture. The aim of the course is to put that experience into an academic framework that will be useful in understanding the actual and potential roles of civil society organizations (CSOs) in advancing the interests of society.
The course will focus on reading assignments, class discussion, and written assignments all associated with 60 hours engagement in the community, through CSOs. The course will provide a structure that will enable the students to:
- Critically evaluate their subjective experiences and contributions as well as the operation of the organizations with which they have worked;
- Understand the interactions among civil society organizations, the state, and the market as well as their relationships with donors and clients; and
- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches taken by CSOs with reference to the major current theories of development.
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ARUS SOGD 360 Women in the Emerging East Africa: Gender and Development
The importance of incorporating gender perspectives in local management and community development programs lies in the fact that decision-making processes always start at the household and individual level. Power structures notwithstanding, most of the decisions at the household level are indirectly taken by women, but directly affect the household to which she belongs.
Also, benefits accrued from education and awareness building programs targeted at women, are in most cases ploughed back to the family and household and have impact on the livelihood of the household members.
In East Africa, as in many other parts around the world, women play an essential role in the management of natural resources, including soil, water, forests and energy, and often have a profound traditional and contemporary knowledge of the natural world around them.
It is from this background that the students shall be introduced to gender and development issues around East Africa. Topics such as the intra-household relations and how they affect the role of women in food security, environmental management and good governance will be discussed.
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ARUS SOGD 370 Gender & Development: Gender Analysis in Development Projects in East Africa
Gender roles and responsibilities determine how men and women relate and they vary from culture to culture. These roles also determine how individual women and men behave and react to new interventions. Women take care of the social and emotional wellbeing of their families and thus contribute to development. Nevertheless their work is usually less valued than men's.
Quite often, women's work is not mentioned in official reports and documents or national statistics. Likewise, women's work is neglected when projects are planned in an area or within a community. If no proper analysis is done on the roles, tasks and responsibilities of men and women in a given community, the development project can end up sidelining women to an extent that even their work and contribution in the project may remain invisible.
The main purpose of undertaking gender analysis in development projects is to identify specific dimensions of gender issues within a given socio-economic context, the one of East Africa. An effective gender analysis process can ensure that the project is designed in a way that responds to specific needs of both men and women.
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ARUS SOHI 300 Health Issues in Africa
The course examines the main challenges Africa is facing in realizing "health for all," drawing practical case studies from Tanzania. Major topics include socio-cultural aspects of health and disease, health systems, major epidemics, poverty and vulnerability, environmental issues and refugee/migration health. Course delivery employs a multi-method, participatory and learner- centered approach.
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ARUS PSIL 350 Public International Law in East Africa
This is a one-semester course, which is intended to impart to the student the knowledge of the concept and principles of public international law drawing examples from East Africa. The course covers the development of international law; the international legal system; the interface between international law and municipal law; the international environmental law and Africa; the public international law and human rights in Africa; and the international criminal law.
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Independent Study
ARUS SMPF 310 Politics in Francophone Africa
This course is an introduction to the political history of French-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and a survey of the 19 francophone sub-Saharan African states, of which 16 had once been colonized by the French, and 3 by Belgium. What makes this collection of countries unique, in addition to their adoption of French as an official language, is their continuous and deep cooperation with France.
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