History of Africa To 1800 This course offers an introductory survey of African history from earliest times to 1800.  Through lectures, discussions, readings, and films, we will explore Africa’s complex and diverse pre-colonial past.  Themes examined in the course include development of long-distance trade networks, the linkages between ecological change and social dynamics, the formation of large pre-colonial states, and the transatlantic slave trade and its impact on social and economic relations within Africa.  A broader concern in the course is how we have come to understand the meaning of “Africa” itself and what is at stake in interpreting Africa’s pre-colonial history.  Pre-1800.

Writing History In this course students discuss historical methods and writing strategies to create convincing historical narratives. With the approval and guidance of the professor, students complete a 20-25-page research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students take this course in the fall of their junior year or with permission in the spring.  If students are away for the entire junior year, they can take the course in the fall of their senior year. 3 hr. sem. Restricted to HIST, ESHI, HSMT majors and HIST minors.

Struggles for Change in Southern Africa In this course we will examine the tumultuous period of social struggle in southern Africa in the decades following World War II. Major topics to be covered include: the rise of apartheid and the mobilization of anti-apartheid resistance in South Africa; the liberation struggle against white settler rule and its legacies in post-colonial Zimbabwe; the fight for freedom from Portuguese colonialism in Mozambique; and Mozambique’s protracted civil war following independence. A central purpose of the course is to explore how these different arenas of struggle transformed individual lives and social relations in complex and diverse ways, generating enduring impacts and challenges within the region. (formerly HIST/BLST 0375)

Health and Healing in African History In this course we will complicate our contemporary perspectives on health and healing in Africa by exploring diverse historical examples from the continent's deep past.  Our readings, discussions, and papers will cover a range of historical contexts and topics, such as the politics of rituals and public healing ceremonies in pre-colonial contexts, state and popular responses to shifting disease landscapes in the colonial era, long-term cultural and economic changes in healer-patient dynamics, the problematic legacies of environmental health hazards in the post-colonial period, and Africans' engagement with global health interventions in recent decades.

Everyday Life in South Africa, Apartheid and Beyond In this course we will explore some of the social worlds of South Africans amid the country’s recent decades of turbulent and dramatic change. We will look at how different groups within the nation’s diverse population have understood and experienced the rise of the apartheid system, its demise, and its legacies in their “everyday” lives and interactions. The course will draw from various sources – non-fiction, fiction, film, and other forms of popular culture -- to interpret these social dynamics and their ongoing significance in a post-apartheid society.

African Environmental Histories In this seminar we will explore the complex histories of human-environmental interaction on the African continent.  Through a variety of interdisciplinary readings – incorporating anthropology, geography, ecology, and cultural and literary studies – we will grapple with the diverse interpretive and methodological challenges of interpreting Africans’ linked social and environmental histories. We will start with a look at how scholars have begun to unravel dominant historical understandings of African pre-colonial ecologies, economies, and cultures. We will then explore how colonial relations shaped conflicts over environmental control and rural ecological change in the 19th and 20th centuries and the legacies of such dynamics in the post-colonial era. Additional readings will touch on such topics as gender relations, rural social networks, landscape memories, and the contested histories of conservation and development interventions.

History of Modern Africa We begin looking at revolutions in the early 19th century and the transformations surrounding the slave trade. Next we examine the European colonization of the continent, exploring how diverse interventions into Africans' lives had complex effects on political authority, class and generational dynamics, gender relations, ethnic and cultural identities, and rural and urban livelihoods. After exploring Africans' struggles against colonial rule in day-to-day practices and mass political movements, the last few weeks cover Africa's transition to independence and the postcolonial era, including the experience of neo-colonialism, ethnic conflict, poverty, and demographic crisis.

South Africa in the World Despite the unique trajectory of the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa, scholars have increasingly moved away from viewing the country’s past as exceptional or isolated from broader world historical developments.  Taking up this challenge, our course will explore some of the significant global and transnational dimensions of the making of modern South Africa over the past few centuries.  Some of the major topics will include: the expansion of different strands of European colonialism and missionary work; Africans’ engagement with transnational imperial networks; the wider international influences behind the state’s creation and implementation of apartheid; and popular resistance against apartheid and how it intersected with global activist movements.

Struggles for Change in Southern Africa In this course we will examine the tumultuous period of social struggle in southern Africa in the decades following World War II.  Major topics to be covered include the rise of apartheid and the mobilization of anti-apartheid resistance in South Africa and Namibia; the liberation struggle against white settler rule in Zimbabwe; the fight for freedom from Portuguese colonialism in Mozambique; and Mozambique's protracted civil war following independence.  A central purpose of this course is to explore how these different arenas of struggle transformed individual lives and social relations in complex and diverse ways, generating enduring impacts and challenges within the region.

Readings in African History: Women and Gender in Africa This course takes up the challenge of understanding women's experiences and the role of gender in Africa's past. We will read from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives and literary forms, including ethnographies, life histories, and fiction, in order to explore different methodological and interpretive approaches to these subjects. Themes will include: changes in the structure of patriarchy and women's status in the pre-colonial period, the gendered impact of colonial rule on African economies and ecologies, historical identities of masculinity and femininity, and gendered experience of postcolonial "development." Prior experience in African history is not required.

Everyday Life in South Africa, 1948-Present In this seminar we will explore some of the social worlds of South Africans amid the country's recent decades of turbulent and dramatic change.  We will look at how different groups within the nation's diverse population have understood and experienced the rise of the apartheid system, its demise, and its legacies in their "everyday" lives and interactions.  We will draw from various sources - non-fiction, fiction, film, music, and other forms of popular culture - to interpret these social dynamics and their ongoing significance in a post-apartheid society.

Jacob Tropp

Reviews and ratings for Jacob Tropp at Middlebury College.Jacob Tropp teaches History of Africa to 1800, History Research Seminar, Struggles in Southern Africa and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Jacob Tropp good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

The professor is very passionate and knowledgeable, and his enthusiasm for the subject is clear. However, the class relies heavily on memorization—especially for exams  There’s a lot of material to cover, so lectures can feel rushed with limited time for questions or interaction. Still, it’s a worthwhile course overall. 

The professor is very passionate and knowledgeable, and his enthusiasm for the subject is clear. However, the class relies heavily on memorization—especially for exams and map exercises—which can make it difficult to get an A. There’s a lot of material to cover, so lectures can feel rushed with limited time for questions or interaction. Still, it’s an engaging and worthwhile course overall.

Harder class with a lot of readings but the exams were straightforward. Essays could be difficult at times with hard grading, however he provides good feedback on your writing and it’s possible to do very well in this course.