The True Size of Africa

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Please create a blog for this class, using blogger preferably, and send me the URL (address) of the blog by Wednesday. Your first post of about 150 words is due by 11:59pm on Wednesday.

The first reading assignment is Chapter 1 of African History: A Very Short Introduction (aka Short). One copy of the book is now on two-hour reserve in the library.

Please read the chapter, "The idea of Africa," and be able to answer the following questions:

• What are some of the main issues, problems, and debates in studying African history?
• Why is the academic field of African history so new?
• When did inhabitants of African start thinking of themselves as Africans and why?
• What regions are sometimes included and sometimes left out of African history textbooks and why? (define "diaspora")
• Roughly describe "how Africa looks" (topology and ecology, map 1)
• What has contributed to "Africa's historically low population levels"?
• What is "the most persistent popular myth about the African landscape"? Can you think of examples not listed in the chapter?
• How long has the Sahara been a desert and what has been the effect?
• BIG IMPORTANT QUESTION: What is the history and significance of Jenne-jeno?