2009 Fall term Syllabus
African Conflicts: Causes and Consequences
The Maxwell School
of Syracuse University
Greenberg Building
Washington, D.C.
Thursdays, 6:00-8:45 p.m.
Professor: Chris Hennemeyer
Cellphone: 301-775-1392
E-mail: crshtrep@aol.com
Course Description
A half-century after most African nations gained their independence, the continent continues to
be a disproportionate generator of conflict and instability. Simultaneously its global importance
grows, due to external preoccupations with energy security, anti-terrorism efforts, emigration,
and disease. Despite these complex dynamics, the international community’s engagement with
Africa continues to be largely focused on crisis management and humanitarian assistance.
This course will explore the underlying reasons – historic, political, economic and cultural -- for
Africa’s chronic weakness and dependency, as well as the West’s often myopic response to
these pressing problems. It will take a close look at some of the most destructive developments
in the post-colonial period, including state collapse, genocide, and HIV/AIDS.
We will then seek to better understand the manifestations of crisis in Africa and how to more
effectively tailor our responses. To that end, we will delve into the world of humanitarianism,
from its traditional charitable manifestations to more recent trends such as humanitarian
intervention, R2P, and reconciliation.
Classes will draw principally on the perspectives of practitioners from the relief and
rehabilitation community. Guest lecturers will include representatives of government agencies,
international organizations, NGOs, and African nations themselves.
Course texts will be an eclectic mix, ranging from fiction to journalism to history to personal
memoire to political science. We will draw from portions of Andre Gide’s Travels in the Congo,
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Michela Wrong’s Our Turn to Eat, Machete Season by Jean
Hatzfeld, Tony Vaux’s The Selfish Altruist, The White Man’s Burden by William Easterly, and
Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion and War, Guns and Votes, as well as other books and articles.
It is expected that students will read all assignments and be prepared to take part in vigorous
discussion, debate and dissent. However, there are only three books which will have to be read
in their entirety – Travels in the Congo, Things Fall Apart & The Bottom Billion.
This course is being taught by Chris Hennemeyer, a career relief worker with over 20 years of
field experience in Africa.
Hennemeyer, Fall 2009 syllabus
Course requirements
Classroom methodology will be highly participatory and demand active student engagement, as
well as clear familiarity with the assigned course readings. Performance will be evaluated based
on class participation, an individual paper, a group presentation, and an examination.
The four grading criteria will be as follows:
20%
Preparation and class participation.
25% Group project and presentation. Students will be assigned a working group and charged
with preparing and delivering a public presentation on a topic of interest, to be agreed upon
with the professor.
30% Analytical Paper. The student can choose to develop one of the following – a policy
paper, op-ed or book review. In approximately 1,200 words, the student will articulate his/her
position on a topic of topical relevance related to the course matter.
25%
Final Examination. A final multiple choice take-home exam will also be required.
NB: Should a student be unable to attend class or meet the deadline for a particular
assignment, he/she must advise the professor in advance or as soon as humanly possible.
Clemency will be the exception not the rule.
Course Outline
Session 1
September 10
Overview of the class, introductions and expectations +
“La Mission Civilisatrice”: The Colonial Experience
(French Africa)
The principal reading for this session will be Travels in the Congo by Andre Gide. The French
tricolor flew over large swaths of colonial Africa, and even today former French colonies have a
distinct identity. Using Monsieur Gide as our guide, we will attempt to understand the impact
of colonial rule on rural Africans some eight decades ago.
Session 2
September 17
The Colonial Experience (Nigeria)
The principal reading will be Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. This class will give us the
opportunity to try to understand – from an African point of view – the effects of local colonial
administration, Christian missionary work, racial and tribal identity, and titanic change, and to
discuss how relevant these challenges are to Africans today.
Hennemeyer, Fall 2009 syllabus
Session 3
September 24
Genocide & War
Drawing on writings by French reporter Jean Hatzfeld (Machete Season & The Antelope’s
Strategy) and British academic Stephen Ellis (The Mask of Anarchy), we will explore the
tragedies of Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia and Sierra Leone, identify causes, seek commonalities,
and discuss the international political and humanitarian responses to these crises. We may also
view the excellent PBS Frontline program “Ghosts of Rwanda” which aired in 2004, the 10 th
anniversary of the genocide.
Session 4
October 1
The Plagues
Diseases viewed as major threats elsewhere– HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue fever, dysentery -- are
considered commonplace in Africa, despite the fact that they kill millions of men, women and
children each year. Why is individual health so precarious on the continent, how is it effected
by conflict, and what can be done to improve the situation?
Session 5
October 8
The Poorest Continent
We will let Canadian author Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion, walk us through this
complex topic, as we seek to understand why many Africa countries, unlike much of the socalled “developing world”, have remained locked in economic stagnation. This broad question
will allow us the opportunity to discuss the role of colonialism, post-colonial economic
relationships, war and civil conflict, extractive industries (particularly petroleum), foreign aid,
and the international financial institutions. A guest lecturer is foreseen for part of this session.
Session 6
October 15
Governance and Democracy
Some 25 years ago, a small group of political actors and intellectuals in the US and UK devised
the notion of “democracy promotion”, a trend that has grown in scope and stature and has
been applied, with varying degrees of success, throughout the globe, from the ruins of the
Soviet empire to sub-Saharan Africa. To a degree, this concept has lost some of its luster, partly
because of the Bush administration’s avowed policy of “regime change” in Iraq and elsewhere.
Nonetheless, the US and many Western countries support initiatives to promote democracy
and good governance throughout Africa, often in countries emerging from conflict. Here again
we’ll call upon Dr. Collier via his excellent new book War, Guns and Votes, as well as Michela
Hennemeyer, Fall 2009 syllabus
Wrong and her recent publication about Kenyan corruption, Our Turn to Eat. A prominent
practitioner in the democracy promotion field will be invited to speak.
Session 7
October 22
The Relief Community
25 years ago, one could count on the fingers of two hands the organizations which could be
counted upon to provide humanitarian assistance in an African crisis. At that time, these groups
were small, relatively amateurish, and controlled modest budgets. Today, there are hundreds
of humanitarian agencies, and the major providers among them are mammoth, controlling
billions of dollars of funding and employing thousands of staff. In addition, the UN specialized
agencies, such as the World Food Program and the High Commission for Refugees, have
become ever more dominant in their sectors. How does this community operate? Is it effective?
Is aid coordinated? In the words of Mary Anderson, does it at least “do no hard”?
Session 8
October 29
Chop Time, No Friend: An African Dinner
Students will be asked to participate in a potluck dinner of African dishes. Over food and music,
we’ll discuss the course thus far and seek ways to improve and enhance the learning
experience.
Session 9
November 5
Humanitarian – A Personal Testament
In this class, the professor and an external speaker (as well as any students with relevant
experience) will share their war stories from Rwanda, Liberia, Bosnia and elsewhere. Readings
will also be assigned from Another Day in Paradise (Bergman) and Rebel Without Borders
(Vachon) to provoke discussion.
Session 10
November 12
U.S. Foreign Assistance
The United States government is the largest foreign aid donor in the world, although one of the
stingiest on a per capita basis among industrialized countries. Despite a proud history, the main
arm of American aid – USAID – is widely recognized as being demoralized, overly bureaucratic,
and increasingly ineffective. A former senior USAID representative will join our class to discuss
how US foreign assistance is currently structured and how it might be reformed to Africa’s
benefit.
Hennemeyer, Fall 2009 syllabus
Session 11
November 19
Giving a Voice to the Voiceless
In recent years, groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Crisis
Group, ENOUGH, and the Save Darfur coalition have evolved into the guilty conscience of the
Western world, and play a significant and growing role in influencing international policy,
particularly in crisis situations. Through readings and the observations of a guest speaker, we
will come to better understand how the advocacy community functions.
Session 12
December 3
New Ideas
A growing recognition that straightforward humanitarianism was a woefully insufficient
response to crises like Somalia, Rwanda, Darfur and other conflicts, has led to some innovative
thinking in policy circles. The establishment of institutions such as international criminal courts,
the practice of peace-building and reconciliation, and notion of humanitarian intervention and
the “Responsibility to Protect” are all important developments worth evaluating.
Newspaper and magazine articles will be assigned for reading in advance of this class.
Session 13
December 10
African Perspectives
Although Westerners have long dominated the debating society about conflict, development
and foreign aid, African voices are starting to be heard. This year, two women, Zambian
economist Dambisa Moyo and Kenyan Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, and have released
well-received books which provide very different but distinctly African perspectives on Africa’s
problems. We will familiarize ourselves with these positions, and welcome the views of a guest
speaker from Africa.
Readings will be assigned from Dead Aid (Moyo) and The Challenge for Africa (Maathai).
Session 14
December 17
Final paper due!
Hennemeyer, Fall 2009 syllabus
Review & Wrap-Up