Academic Programs: Third Year
HISTORY 318 (First semester):
WARS, DECOLONIZATION AND GLOBALIZATION IN THE WESTERN WORLD DURING THE 20TH CENTURY
International relations and cultural change
- The social and cultural dimensions of the First World War
- The outbreak, course and aftermath of the Second World War
- Social and cultural trends: the sixties
- Ecological problems in historical perspective
- The Cold War
- Globalisation in historical and cultural perspective
This module attempts to provide a probing overview of some of the main currents of western political and socio-cultural life during the 20th century. It focuses on war and social change, the rise and ramifications of consumerism, the dynamics of the cultural transformation of the sixties, the nature and politics of the Cold War and the historicity of current globalization patterns.
Colonial liberation and nation building in Africa in the 20th century
- The end of the formal imperial era
- Independence movements in Africa
- New states: Problems of the post-colonial state
- Cultural dimensions of the postcolony
- Africa in a globalising world
Note: Not all themes in the module are offered every year.
HISTORY 348 (Second semester):
SOUTH AFRICA IN THE 20TH CENTURY
- Perspectives on the South African War
- Wealth and poverty as persistent factors in 20th-century South Africa
- Cultural and political dimensions of the rise and disintegration of Afrikaner nationalism
- Perspectives on apartheid
- The growth and dynamics of black political organizations and the change in power relations in 1994
- Women and change in South African society
- American cultural influences on black and white South Africa in historical perspectives
Note: Not all themes in the module are offered every year.
This module addresses the salient features of South African society during the 20th century. Social and cultural dimensions of the South African War of 1899 -1902 and the long term ramifications are unpacked. This acts as a bridge to a discussion of enduring issues of poverty in South Africa.
The factors underpinning the phenomenon of Afrikaner nationalism are explicated and the gradual disintegration of the movement in the latter part of the 20th century are explored. Various perspectives on apartheid and its antecedents are discussed in an attempt to understand its appeal. This is followed by an analysis of the nature and dynamics of opposition to the system.
The role of women in South Africa are placed in historical context and the potential of a gendered version of South African history is evaluated. Outside cultural influences in an age of globalization are highlighted by looking at the historical influence of America on South Africa.
