HIST116
PRE-COLONIAL AFRICAN HISTORY
- Department
- History
- Terms offered
- 6
- Data refreshed
- Jun 27, 2026
Description
This introductory course presents an overview of the history of Africa and its peoples from the earliest times to the mid-nineteenth century. Through a combination of presentations, texts (primary and secondary sources), films, arts, and music, the class will examine various aspects of the African past and life, including gender and society, state formation processes, environmental change, and slavery and slave trades. The course will also introduce students to intellectual tools that will enable them to critically interrogate the position of Africa and Africans in global history through African-centered perspectives. We will explore the several ways that Africa and Africans interacted with other human groups, such as Europeans and Asians, and how such interactions shaped the continental history of Africa.
Syllabi
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Offerings and forecast 2017–2025
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer | Intersession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 2030 Fall: 19% chance, high confidence. Alternating-year pattern: Fall in 2019, 2023, 2025 (8 fall terms observed). | 2030 Spring: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 spring terms since 2018. | 2030 Summer: 15% chance, low confidence. Offered in 2 of 4 summer terms since 2023. Department course count falling about 5% per year. Department faculty is about 48% below its recent average. | 2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020. |
| 2029 | 2029 Fall: 47% chance, high confidence. Alternating-year pattern: Fall in 2019, 2023, 2025 (8 fall terms observed). | 2029 Spring: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2029 Summer: 16% chance, low confidence. Offered in 2 of 4 summer terms since 2023. Department course count falling about 5% per year. Department faculty is about 48% below its recent average. | 2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2028 | 2028 Fall: 20% chance, high confidence. Alternating-year pattern: Fall in 2019, 2023, 2025 (8 fall terms observed). | 2028 Spring: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2028 Summer: 17% chance, low confidence. Offered in 2 of 4 summer terms since 2023. Department course count falling about 5% per year. Department faculty is about 48% below its recent average. | 2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2027 | 2027 Fall: 48% chance, high confidence. Alternating-year pattern: Fall in 2019, 2023, 2025 (8 fall terms observed). | 2027 Spring: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2027 Summer: 24% chance, low confidence. Offered in 2 of 4 summer terms since 2023. Department faculty is about 46% below its recent average. | 2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2025 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2024 | Not offered | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered |
| 2023 | 1 section | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered |
| 2022 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2021 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2020 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2019 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | No data |
| 2018 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data |
| 2017 | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered |
Meeting times
Recent first- Wed, 1:30 PM–2:20 PM BP217 2025-1
- Tue, Thu, 4:15 PM–5:30 PM JC220 2025-2
- Tue, Thu, 9:00 AM–10:15 AM Jefferson Academic Center JF222 2023
| Term | Professor | Type | Credits | Enrollment | CRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Nana N. Kesse | Lecture | 1 | 12 of 15 enrolled | 23988 |
| Summer 2024 | Nana N. Kesse | Online | 1 | 6 of 15 enrolled | 11517 |
| Fall 2023 | Nana N. Kesse | Lecture | 1 | 35 of 35 enrolled | 22432 |
| Summer 2023 | Nana N. Kesse | Online | 1 | 11 of 25 enrolled | 11517 |
| Fall 2019 | Benjamin D. Wendorf | Lecture | 1 | 30 of 35 enrolled | 27348 |
| Spring 2017 | Mario Nisbett | Lecture | 1 | 28 of 35 enrolled | 35843 |