1800 - 1945. History 49-A-B-C is a general survey course designed to introduce students to major themes in African history. The course focuses on African civilizations and identities, European colonial conquests, governance and colonial economies, African resistance and engagement with global capitalism. Weekly discussion sections are an important feature of this course, enabling students to develop and expand upon material presented during lecture.
5
UnitsLetter
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeThe material was very easy and very interesting. I'm not the biggest history person and yet I found myself so intrigued by the info. There was two midterms and a final both are SAQ and matching (definition to word/person). There was weekly reading but I did just fine by skimming it. He is a bit of a character and sometimes says out of pocket things
Professor Ware makes it easy to get an A if you are willing to put in a little effort. He is very outspoken, so if you are sensitive to opinions, both radical and nuanced, maybe not the right choice. For me, his lectures were fascinating and entertaining. He blends historical lecture with a daily political rally. Worth taking just for that.
Only 1 reading per week for homework, and it usually wasn't too long. Graded on one midterm, one in-class essay, and a final that wasn't cumulative. Lectures could be a bit disorganized but were generally engaging and not content that is taught all the time. He publishes study guides for exams and the essay prompt for the in-class write beforehand.
I do not recommend ever taking a class with Ware. Lectures are all over the place, he rarely uses lecture slides, and when he does, they don't correlate with the material he is teaching. My biggest problem was the lack of communication between him, the students, and the TAs. The way the class was organized made it extremely difficult to learn.
I think that this has been the most interesting GE I've taken so far. I don't disagree that Ware is disorganized and goes off on tangents, but they're always correlated with class and help contextualize the information we are learning. He is evidently passionate about his work and his teaching. But, the readings can be crazy long, so be prepared.
Weird Professor. Unclear lectures, useless stuy guides and tests that were very specific for lectures being so vague. TA's also seemed confused. Lots of quizzes and sections were painful. Attendance mandatory. Prof never wore a mask then canceled class 4 times bc he got Covid. (this was Spring 22) Seems like a fine guy, but not a good teacher.