GV241-5-AU-CO:
African Politics
2025/26
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
08 August 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA L212 Global Politics,
BA L213 Global Politics (including Placement Year),
BA L214 Global Politics (including Year Abroad)
The module is organized around key concepts and categories from mainstream comparative politics, and comparative methods will be used throughout to analyse the main issues. Yet the course will also demonstrate the continuing relevance of the historical, political and cultural specificities of African politics.
The module will focus on various issues in African politics, such as colonialism , independence, authoritarian breakdown, democratization, corruption, human rights and democratic consolidation.
The aims of this module:
- To introduce students to the main features of contemporary African politics.
- To introduce those who are unfamiliar with the history, politics and societies of the region.
- To challenge students to analyse complex problems in African politics and encourage them to provide informed arguments on these matters
By the end of the course students will be expected to be able to:
- Think critically about the political reality in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa within a broad historical & comparative perspective.
- Develop a more comprehensive understanding and familiarity with the main theoretical and empirical contributions of comparative politics to the study of Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Identify the key issues in the contemporary democratic politics of Sub-Saharan Africa, and apply the methods of comparative politics to clarify and analyse them.
- Identify the political, historical and socio-economic roots of the governability issues affecting countries of the region at the beginning of the 21st century.
- Write and orally communicate clear and well-researched observation about the substantive questions raised in the course.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Final Essay |
|
40% |
| Practical |
Presentation |
|
30% |
| Practical |
Quiz |
|
30% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Florian Kern, email: fkern@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Florian Kern
Module Supervisor: Dr Florian Kern - fkern@essex.ac.uk
/ Module Administrator: Jasini Hobbs - govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Stefano Pagliari
City, University of London
Senior Lecturer in International Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 2 hours, 2 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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