Understanding the African renaissance --Study of Africa within the liberal tradition -- Study of Africa within the critical tradition -- Politics and economics of the precolonial independence era (prior to 1884) -- Political and economic impacts of colonialism (1884-1951) -- Nationalism and the emergence of the contemporary independence era (1951-present) -- Ethnicity and class -- Ideology and the politics of development -- Politics of the African novel -- State and civil society -- Military coups d'etat and military governance -- Democratic experiments and multiparty politics -- Foreign policy making and the pursuit of Pan-Africanism -- Africa in world politics.