This course explores the political, religious, economic, and social developments of Africa from around 500 AD to the present. It examines the transformation of Africa from being a colonized continent to becoming independent states and the social movements, and ideologies involved in the process. Topics include slavery and the slave trade in West Africa; the impact of Christianity and Islam on African colonialism; colonialism and its consequences; nationalist movements and de-colonization; pan-Africanism and the politics of African unity.