Course Synopses

H101- 3            Independent Lesotho: Selected Topics

This course introduces students to the history of Lesotho, using a selection of topics from the country’s recent history. As a contribution to civic education, the course will also introduce students to the character of Lesotho’s constitution and political system, and cultural and ethnic diversity.

H102 - 3           Lesotho and the World

This is a survey course aimed at familiarising History students in their first year, and any undergraduate student, with basic knowledge about Lesotho and the world. The emphasis will be on the basic geographical, historical, cultural, regional and global processes that define the position of Lesotho in the world.

H201 - 4           The Study and Writing of History

This course focuses on the nature of history, contemporary varieties of history, the utility of history, the identification, evaluation and use of historical sources/evidence. It also introduces students to the craft of writing history, focusing on the different ways of handling primary and secondary sources; writing narrative, descriptive and analytical essays; historical referencing, and scholarly ethics.

H202 - 4           Contemporary Africa

This is a survey course that introduces students to the recent history of Africa, examining important personalities and their contribution to African history, major conflicts and conflict resolution, regional and continental organisations, Africa’s place in the global economic and political systems, and challenges of poverty and HIV/AIDS.

H203 - 4           Colonial Africa

This course focuses on the partition and conquest of Africa from the late 19^th century, African resistance to colonisation and the economic, political and social organisation of African societies under colonial rule. It places emphasis on the nature of political, social and economic change in Africa as a result of the colonial experience.

H204 -4            Technology and Society

The course looks at the historical and sociological basis of technological innovations. Focus is on influences, whether cultural, environmental/geographical or political, that account for the peculiarities of such inventions and innovations and the implications for the transfer of technology from region to region.

H205 - 4           Europe, 1750 - 1870

The course introduces students to the development and the growth of European economic and political power. It begins with the Industrial Revolution, and ends with the unification of Germany and Italy in the 1870s.

H206 -4            Disease and Society

The course focuses on the impact of disease in history, mainly epidemics, caused by environmental factors as well as by human beings such as medical experiments; travel and trade as agents; the impact on communities; and the role of international organisations.

H207 - 4           Introduction to Economic History

The course introduces students to the basic concepts that are often used in economic and social studies, concepts such as class, mode of production, state, development, underdevelopment and dependency, and imperialism and globalisation. The emphasis will be on the connections between various components of the social sciences, and especially Economics, Politics and History.

H208 - 4           The International Context of Economic Growth

The course looks at the history of rapid economic growth in Europe and the United States of America in the nineteenth century and its impact on the making of the contemporary international economic system. To be explored in details are conditions for growth, internationalisation and hegemonisation of capital, and imperialism in the twentieth century.

H301 - 4           Research Methods

This is a course that is meant to equip students with skills necessary for the formulation of viable research projects as well as for the analysis and interpretation of data and the write-up of research reports. It tackles questions of when to use, and how to apply, qualitative and quantitative research designs, and how to handle statistical and non-statistical information.

H302 -4            Social and Revolutionary Movements in History

This course is a study of a selection of social movements and their political, social and economic significance. Movements to be studied will range from religious and proto-nationalist organisations, social movements such as bandits, rebels to major revolutions of the 20^th century.

H303 -4            History of a Region of Africa

The purpose of this course is to familiarise students with the history of other regions of Africa, other than Southern Africa. These are West Africa, North Africa, East Africa, and Central Africa. Issues to be examined will be determined by the course instructor.

H304 -4            Constitutional Developments in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland

This course focuses on constitutional developments in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; debates on the distinctions of crown colony, protected colony and protectorate; the rise of pressure groups, the emergence of political parties, the struggles for independence and how the processes unfolded in each case.

H305 -4            Europe from 1870 to 1945

The course focuses on the development and growth of European power and its consequences for Europe and the world. It examines the changing political and economic map of Europe and the subsequent alteration of balance of power; the struggle for dominance in Europe leading to imperialism and the outbreak of the two World Wars; the ‘Eastern Question’ and the emergence of political ideas in the twentieth century.

H306-4             Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation in Southern Africa

The course studies and compares the experience of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe under colonial rule, and the nature of their struggles for liberation. The international, continental and regional context of the liberation of the region will be examined.

H307 -4            Governance and Change in Africa

The course looks at the original aims of political parties and their modus operandi; principles of governance, in centralized and decentralized polities; and patrimonialism in centralized polities. It compares and contrasts the efficacy of western constitutional models in Africa; examines debate on “transfer” of western political institutions; and the post-colonial African constitutions.

H308 -4            Third World Political Thought

This course introduces students to political and philosophical writings by 20^th Century Third World thinkers and leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Mao Tse Tung, Che Guevara, Marcus Garvey, Amilcar Cabral, Frantz Fanon, Gandhi, Sukano, Castro.

H309 - 4           Labour and Urbanisation in Africa

This course looks at the organisation of work and the labour process in colonial and post-colonial Africa. It looks at the emergence and development of the migrant labour system, the emergence of towns as work and living spaces for workers, the implications of the rapid growth, and colonial modes of social control. Labour organisations, the informal sector, corruption, and other urban social malaises are some of the themes to be explored.

H310 -4            Agrarian Change and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

The course examines the socio-economic transformation of rural Africa following the imposition of colonial rule, and the effect of this on the organisation of economy and society in independent Africa. Themes to be studied include land privatisation and social differentiation, land reform projects and African reaction. Specific projects include such grand projects as the Swanerton Plan in Kenya, the Land Husbandry Act in Southern Rhodesia, and the more recent Structural Adjustment imposed land reform projects.

H401-8             Long Essay

H402 4             Selected Topics in Western Political Thought

A study of a selection of classical and modern European political thinkers and their contribution to the development of ideas/concepts about such topics as state, revolutions, liberalism, communism, and democracy.

H403 -4            Themes in World History

This is a survey course which looks at major themes and episodes of world history and how these have shaped the contemporary international political, economic and social systems. Examples of themes to be considered include slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade, industrialisation and urbanisation, the European imperialism, global and regional conflict and the search for collective security, origins, impact and end of the Cold War.

H404 -4            The Question of Conquered Territories

This course seeks to place the question of ‘conquered territories’ the world over on the academic agenda in order to stimulate comparative debate and raise new questions. Debate and discussion will centre on the history of such territories, the cases for the maintenance of territorial boundaries as enshrined in the United Nations charter and other regional organisations like the African Union, as well as those against.

H405 -4            History of a Region other than Africa

This course focuses on any of the following regions; North America, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbeans. The course instructor will determine course content.

H406 -4            State and Society in Nineteenth Century Lesotho

The course focuses on salient cultural, political and economic aspects that shaped the early nineteenth century leaders of the Caledon valley: pastoralism, cattle raids and the custom of mafisa in the process of state formation. It examines mfecane, patrillinialim and traditional forms of subordination; Christianisation in the transformation of Basotho; the imposition of colonial rule and loss of independence; agriculture, minerals, mercantilism and migrant labour under colonialism.

H407 -4            Themes in Nineteenth Century Southern Africa

This course focuses on the region covered by the present day nations of Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, during this century. It follows a broad chronological and thematic approach that not only focuses on the various points of interaction among Southern African societies, but also explores the internal dynamics in each society.

H408 - 4           The Historical Determinants of Trans-national Cooperation

This course looks at the history of regional and international cooperation as a development strategy. Case studies include European Economic Commission, and European Economic Union, African colonial and post-colonial regional blocs such as the East African Community, Southern African Customs Union, among others.

H409 - 4           Comparative Economic Growth

This course looks at the history of recent cases of rapid economic growth on a comparative basis and with a view to assessing the extent to which such experience can be exported to other parts of the world, specifically the underdeveloped world. Case studies include industrialisation in the former Soviet Union, rapid but dependent growth in Latin America, the experiences of the newly industrialising nations of South East Asia.

H410 - 4           Social and Economic Change in Lesotho

The course examines major socio-economic developments in Lesotho, starting with the processes of peasantisation and proletarianisation in the latter part of the 1800s, and the effect on the formation of classes. Themes include the emergence of the local entrepreneurs and their modes of accumulation, establishment of financial institutions (banks) and their implications for development, colonial development projects and their impact, post-colonial economic development planning and its effects.

Cultural and Heritage Studies Courses

CHS 301 -4      Theory and Practice of Heritage

This course introduces students to the concept of heritage, theories of heritage, issues of meaning, location and space, and ideas as well as events as national heritage. A distinction will be made between heritage in its physical form on the one hand and heritage as a corpus of ideas which purport to define key moments in societal development. An important component of the course will be practical, involving educational tours to historical sites and monuments.

CHS 302-4       Historical Sites of the Basotho in Southern Africa

This course covers Basotho Iron Age settlements, migratory paths/treks and fortresses, areas of San social and cultural activities and sites of conflicts between Basotho and other societies. The course also introduces students to UNESCO protocols of declaring cultural and heritage sites. Strategic visits of sites are a crucial part in the method of instruction.

CHS 303 -4      Africa’s Traditional Governance

This course focuses on institutions and systems of governance in pre-colonial North, West, East, Central and Southern Africa. It examines processes of the acquisition and the distribution of political power, authority and privilege. It also examines the mechanisms of checks and balances on political power.

CHS 305 -4      Indigenous Knowledge Systems

The course provides students with methodological tools for identifying and contextualising technological and scientific advances in pre-colonial African societies. Illustrations will be taken from such practices and activities as healthcare, medicine, witchcraft, mining, and architecture.

CHS 306 -4      Museums and Archives

This course focuses on the main functions/purposes of museums and archives, their management, administration, problems and challenges they face. It also looks at the fate of artefacts indigenous to Africa but appropriated by Western institutions. Frequent visits to such places are an important aspect of this course. Where possible, students will be placed on attachment at such institutions

CHS 401 -8      Practicum/Long Essay

Its components are research, attachment and participatory observation

CHS 402 -4      Gender Relations in Africa

This course examines gender relations in African societies from the pre-colonial to the present. It is a comparative study that focuses on the roles played by males and females, the nature of relations between the two and the effect of gender equality ideals.

CHS 403 -4      Colonialism and African Cultures

This course examines the ways in which African cultures came into contact with European and other cultures. It looks at the nature of the inter-actions between these cultures and their outcomes. It examines African cultures in the immediate pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial era.

CHS 404-4       Cultural Diversity in Lesotho

The course examines the nature of the Basotho nation, focusing on the identification of ethnic groups, differences in customary practices and cultural belief systems. It highlights the impact of westernisation and the Lesotho education policy in relation to Sesotho language vis-à-vis other languages in Lesotho.

CHS 405 -4      Basotho Music and Literary Heritage

This course introduces students to the importance of music and literature in history. To be explored are various forms of Basotho music and literary heritage, both oral and written, and the rhetoric in the same. The emphasis will be on the historical context, pertaining in particular to the rise and demise of certain types of music and literary heritage.

Environmental History Programme

EH301 -4        Introduction to Environmental History

This course introduces students to the historiography of environmental history; the different kinds of environmental history namely material, cultural and political environmental history; environmental ethics; environmental theory; the linkages between natural science, social science and cultural approaches to history and the environment.

EH302-4         Towards Lesotho’s Environmental History

This is a survey course that looks at the environmental history of Lesotho from pre-colonial times to the present. in particular it examines different and alternative propositions that try to explain the origins of soil erosion, land and environmental degradation in much of modern Lesotho. It also studies the impact of these forms of degradation on both rural and urban communities through the window of physical and human geography.

EH303 -4        Colonialism and the Environmental History of Southern Africa

The course examines the environmental consequences of colonial incursions in southern Africa. It examines how colonial incursions impacted on wildlife, forests, minerals, as well as the impact of settler agriculture on these and the environment. Examples and case studies will be drawn from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

EH304-4         The Environmental History of Africa

The course looks at the effects of population growth, disease, agricultural change, state of natural resources and the changing role of the state in how Africans have managed and changed their own landscapes. It examines change in indigenous ideas and practices towards the environment and discusses the rise of popular environmentalism. It also examines Western notions of the environment vis-à-vis African.

EH305 -4         Environmental Impact Assessment

This is a methodology course that is supposed to provide the basic framework and skills for measuring environmental change. Discussion will centre on the following key indicators namely climatic change, river regimes, vegetation systems, soil types, population size and density, public health facilities, overcrowding, vagrancy and street kids/people, among others.

EH306 -4         Environment and Conservation in Africa

This course provides a basic understanding to students about the various ways, legal or otherwise, with which the African environment has been, and is being conserved. It uses case studies drawn from the continent, examining the reasons for and against conservation, the methods of, and the successes or failures of such measures.

EH401 -8         Long Essay

EH402 -4         Lesotho’s Water and Mineral Resources

This course examines the history of harnessing Lesotho’s water and mineral resources. The management, conservation and exploitation of the country’s resources will be studied in greater detail, through the colonial and post-colonial period.

EH403 -4         Pastoralism in African Societies

This course traces the beginnings of pastoralism in African societies in north, east, west, central and southern Africa. It also surveys the role of the cattle economy, among others, in the welfare of African societies in the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial era.

EH404 -4         Landscape and Memory in Lesotho

The course looks at the oral traditions of Basotho with regards to their views and perceptions of the landscape. Issues that are examined include traditions of genesis/origin, migration, settlement, agriculture, time and space.

EH405 -4         Multinational Companies and the Environment

The course surveys the role of international extractive, manufacturing and construction companies in the development, exploitation and pollution of the African environment. It also looks at how best to deal with, and to handle some of the problems arising out of the activities of these companies.

EH406 -4         Regional Co-operation and Environmental History

This course examines the social and environmental histories of selected southern African states by looking at various regional environmental co-operative projects such as Cabora Basa, The Great Transfrontier Park, The Highlands Water Project. The main focus will be on the national parks, dam and river projects of Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.