Ed McMahon

This class is really valuable as an introduction to the historic and current political landscape in Africa. Certainly, covering an entire continent in one semester is simply impossible, but professor McMahon does a great job of giving us a general idea of what the political sphere looks like regionally and nationally (on a few selected countries that we discussed in a bit more detail). I personally found this class very valuable for my subsequent studies as well - it was such an interesting class that I sought out more classes that had to do with politics and economics in Africa, which help me achieve a more global view of economics/politics, even if I'm not an expert. Professor McMahon also has a very impressive knowledge base, informed largely in part by his hands-on experience during his diplomatic roles connecting the US with West Africa.

This class is really valuable as an introduction to the historic and current political landscape in Africa. Certainly, covering an entire continent in one semester is simply impossible, but professor McMahon does a great job of giving us a general idea of what the political sphere looks like regionally and nationally (on a few select …Read more

I found this to be much more of a history of Africa class instead of going into the politics. Interesting in some ways but we got very little into contemporary information and spent a very long time talking about early history.

Professor McMahon made this course truly incredible by bringing in guest speakers more than 4 times in the semester. Speakers included the director of central africa for NDI and the director of central africa for HRW. His career experience in African politics and strong connections in the field made him an excellent professor for the course. I’m an IPE major with an interest in african politics, so I found the material fascinating. If you’re looking for an easy course with a lot of essay writing (four smaller essays and one large final research paper) that will introduce you to recent African history and major political concepts at play in Africa, this course is a great start.

Professor McMahon made this course truly incredible by bringing in guest speakers more than 4 times in the semester. Speakers included the director of central africa for NDI and the director of central africa for HRW. His career experience in African politics and strong connections in the field made him an excellent professor for the …Read more