University Of Ghana Required courses
The University has, beginning from the 2010/2011 academic year, introduced a unique general
education programme which is intended to provide a rewarding experience for all students who
undertake undergraduate studies in the University. The interdisciplinary courses in the
programme, which are intended to foster broad student familiarity with key advances in the
humanities, science and technology, are the following:
UGRC 110: Academic Writing I
The main objective of Academic Writing I is to equip students with the language skills that will
enable them to read and write effectively. Students will be taken initially through fundamental
issues in grammar and composition in order to consolidate their language skills in these areas.
Subsequently, reading and writing skills relevant to university work will be introduced. These will
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include the structure of the essay, unity, completeness and coherence in essay writing;
summarizing as a skill basic to exposition, writing from sources, referencing skills and avoiding
plagiarism. The course will be taught in small groups and class activities are characterised by
group work, oral presentations and extensive practical assignments.
UGRC 120: Numeracy Skills
This course is designed for students to acquire basic numeracy skills needed for solving real life
problems. It involves the following: review of basic algebraic skills; rates (fractions, proportions
and percentages); approximating numbers (rounding up of numbers and significant numbers);
mathematical reasoning, (deductive and inductive reasoning); statements; truth tables; necessary
and sufficient conditions; basic set theory; nature and uses of statistics; sources of data; data types
and measurement scales; methods of data manipulation (aggregation and interpretation); basic
probability with illustrations from various disciplines; establishing relationships between
variables, and the use of basic computer packages such as Excel in analyzing data.
UGRC 131-136: Understanding Human Societies
These courses are designed for students pursuing science-related programmes at the undergraduate
level. The aim of the courses is to introduce students to the broad array of issues that shape human
societies. Students are expected to select only one out of the six modules provided: the economy
and business; culture and development; governance in the information society; human behaviour
and the social environment; religion and societies; and language in society.
Descriptions of Modules:
UGRC 131: Understanding Human Societies/Culture and Development
This module introduces students to culture-development linkages. It delineates the basic concepts
of culture, resources and development and how these concepts holistically constitute the basis of
human society. Approaches to understanding human society, both past and present, form the
foundation for understanding cultural formations and the diverse resource usages.
UGRC 132: Understanding Human Societies/Religion and Societies
This module aims at introducing students to the on-going debate on the role of religion in human
societies. It focuses on religious perspectives on social issues and discusses the way religion
impacts social and political structures such as leadership and the family, as well as the
environment. Students will in the end appreciate the synergy between science and religion in
providing the wellbeing of all creation. Topics to be treated will include origins of religion,
science and religion, religion in the modern world, religion and health, religion and the
environment, gender, religion and cultural values.
UGRC 133: Understanding Human Societies/Economy and Business
This module is designed to offer students the opportunity of understanding the environment within
which business operates in Ghana. The module places emphasis on the extent to which
geographical, political, socio-cultural, economic and international forces have shaped the growth
and practice of business and management in Ghana over time. It is also designed to help students
to understand some macroeconomic issues with particular reference to the Ghanaian economy.
More specifically, macroeconomic issues such as inflation, unemployment, poverty, exchange rate
and economic growth will be discussed.
UGRC 134: Understanding Human Societies/Language in Society
This module is aimed at giving students a basic understanding of what language is and how it
works in every human society. The course will help students to appreciate how language is used as
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a tool for doing things in the world. It shows how the study of language is at the intersection of the
humanities and the social and natural sciences and how linguists conduct the business of studying
language. Some of the topics to be covered are: the nature and functions of language, the language
situation in Ghana, language, power and gender, as well as levels of linguistic analysis.
UGRC 135: Understanding Human Societies/Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
This module is designed to introduce students to human behaviour and the social environment.
There are various dimensions to social issues and it is useful for students to get to know a wide
range of these issues that concern them and the people around them. It also adds to their existing
stock of knowledge.
UGRC 136: Understanding Human Societies/Governance in the Information society
This exposes students to the concepts of good governance and the information society, and the
relationship between information and the key elements of good governance such as the rule of law,
transparency and accountability. The module further examines the nature, scope and importance of
governance and the relationship between the various institutions of governance in a modern
society. The way public services ethics promotes good governance is also explored. Finally, the
module takes a look at information literacy and sources of official information.
UGRC 141-146: Science and Technology in our Lives
These courses deal with the application of science to everyday life. The courses will, therefore,
include material to assist students to appreciate the foundations of scientific thought, the
application of science and technology and demands of changing societies for scientific and
technological advancement. The courses are expected to foster broad familiarity with key
advances in science and technology. The courses will be delivered through lectures, tutorials, class
exercises, homework assignments, and examinations.
There are six modules/areas including: Earth Resources, Geohazards, Chemistry and Life, Food
and Nutrition in everyday life, Everyday Physics, and Animals as Friends of Humans. Students are
expected to select only one out of the six modules provided.
UGRC 141: Science and Technology in our Lives/Everyday Physics
The course presents some of the basic principles of physics that are useful for understanding and
explaining everyday physical phenomena. Participants will learn about the laws of motion and
how principles of mechanics are applied in everyday objects such as seat belts and airbags. The
properties of semiconductors and their application to microelectronics will also be discussed. In
addition, concepts in energy, both renewable and non-renewable, electricity, and electrical safety
measures will be discussed.
UGRC 142: Animals as Friends of Humans
The course is a general introduction to animal species and groups commonly found in our
environments – understanding their life styles, their interactions with humans, roles and
contributions to the environment, and how to manage and conserve them. These include
vertebrates, invertebrates like insects, and pathogenic organisms that cause diseases.
UGRC 143: Science and Technology in our Lives/Earth Resources
The earth is endowed with rich resources, many of which are indispensable to mankind. Many of
these resources are covered by the earth and need to be uncovered for easy access and for our
benefit. This course is aimed at providing students with the basic understanding of what resources
are in general; with specific emphasis on earth resources. The course will assist students
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appreciate the fundamentals of scientific thought and the application of science and technology in
gaining access to many of the resources that are hidden deep beneath the earth. Some of the topics
to be covered include: our earth resources, alternative energy sources, groundwater resources,
mineral deposits and fossil fuels.
UGRC 144: Science and Technology in our Lives/Geohazards
The course introduces students to various geological hazards, with an emphasis on an
understanding of the natural processes that operate on our planet Earth, both at the surface and
deep within the interior. The course also examines the causes and effects of these hazards and the
appropriate preventive measures. Processes examined include:
Earthquakes and associated hazards
Volcanic activities and hazards related to volcanoes
Mass wasting and their impact on the environment
Waste disposal and management problems, and the potential impact of wastes on the
environment
Medical geology which looks at the processes responsible for the release of chemicals
and naturally occurring dangerous geologic elements onto the environment, the
mechanisms through these elements enter our body and the accompanying health effects
on humans, animals and plants living in that environment
Greenhouse effect and climate change
Flooding
UGRC 145: Science and Technology in our lives/Food and Nutrition in Everyday life
This course is designed to offer students the opportunity to understand, know and apply the
principles of the science of food and nutrition to promote health. The course will give an overview
of the differences between nutrition and food science as well as transitions in the food industry and
nutrition. The nutrients in food, food types, food habits and effects, food security, water as a
nutrient, food safety and nutrition will be covered. The significance of breastfeeding in infant
nutrition, health and national development will also be discussed.
UGRC 146: Science and Technology in our lives/Chemistry and Life
This course is aimed at giving students a basic understanding of the application of chemistry to in
our lives. The course will expose students to the importance of the atmosphere and the chemistry
involved in how various pollutants arise as well as how the atmosphere can be protected. Global
warming, the water we drink as well as sources of energy will also be examined. This will enable
students to make informed decisions in these areas on the choices they will make in the near
future.
UGRC 150: Critical Thinking and Practical Reasoning
An essential element in the training of social studies and humanities students is providing a
corrective and diagnostic skill set that enables students to discriminate logically between:
rhetorical ploys that give motives vs. arguments providing good logical reasons for believing an
assertion. Students need to recognise the contrast between inductive and deductive reasoning and
the different types of support yielded by each, to evaluate the quality of evidence confirming an
empirical hypothesis about human conduct, to maintain individual professional and scholarly
discretion in the face of peer pressure and mob mentality. Those enrolled in this course will be
provided the vocabulary and techniques to employ critical thought and practice within the
academic arena and beyond.
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UGRC 160: Introduction to Literature
This course will engage students in careful reading and analysis of a challenging selection of
literary works from a range of genres including the novel, the short story, poetry and drama. The
focus will be on intensive reading and discussion of the literature to inculcate in students the skill
of interpretation. Students are expected to be active readers as they analyze and interpret textual
detail, establish connections among their observations and draw logical inferences leading toward
an interpretive conclusion. They will be introduced to formal features of the selected texts,
including plot, character and language, as well as to the links between literature and life, to make
them better readers of their world. The course will include a writing component that focuses on
expository, analytical and argumentative writing about the literature. In short, students will read,
discuss and write about texts while developing skills such as the sophisticated use of literary
elements and terminology, close readings of various texts, creating, drafting and editing analytical
essays.
At the completion of this course, the students will be able to:
• Make warranted and reasonable assertions about an author’s arguments
• Recognize and use literary terms
• Apply literary terminology to fiction, drama, and poetry
• Analyze different genres of literature, particularly short stories, novels, drama and poetry
• Read literary texts closely
• Read, understand and write analytical literary essays
• Recognize and assess the elements of different literary genres
UGRC 170: General Mathematics
General Mathematics I (Non-Mathematics students in Economics) deals with the following topics:
Indices and Logarithms; Equations and inequalities; Functions and graphs; Arrangements and
selections; Binomial theorem; Limits, differentiation and integration. The course objectives
include:
Acquire conceptual understanding and problem solving skills in mathematics
Manipulate and simplify algebraic expressions and solve their equations
Analyze polynomial, rational and trigonometric functions
Understand the concepts of Differentiation and Integration
Use the techniques, skills and strategies above to solve variety of practical problems in
the social, managerial and life sciences with special emphasis on business and
economics.
UGRC 210: Academic Writing II
Academic Writing II is a follow-up to Academic Writing I and builds upon the skills acquired in
the first year. Students will be required to read and critique a variety of academic essays in their
areas of study. Writing activities will derive from these reading tasks and students will be guided
to develop their writing through process writing which involves: pre-drafting, drafting, re-writing
and revising. In this broad context, students will revise and consolidate their grammar through
proof reading and editing activities. The course will also involve training students to write from
multiple sources as a preparation for doing research-based writing. Activities will be geared
towards getting students to develop the skills of extracting and sorting information from multiple
sources and synthesizing them into coherent arguments in an essay. Students will be required to
write such a synthesis essay for assessment. Subsequently, students will be introduced to academic
presentation skills.
The Language Centre will teach the Academic Writing II course in all programmes in Level 200,
except the following:
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The School of Engineering which has opted to offer Technical Report Writing (FAEN
206) in lieu of Academic Writing II.
The School of Agriculture and some departments in the Schools of Physical and
Biological Sciences have opted to provide their own courses in the second six weeks of
the first semester of Level 200 (Academic Writing II). Programme-specific lectures in
Academic Writing in the second half of the first semester will be run.
UGRC 220-239: Introduction to African Studies
This course introduces students to the field of African Studies including Africa’s histories, peoples
and cultures. It begins with a general introduction to the discipline, its history and values;
continues with an introduction to Gender Studies in Africa; and thereafter students select from an
extensive and diverse menu of ‘electives’. While all students take the general introduction and the
introduction to gender, students are registered into the electives that they will take in the second
half of the semester.
The general introduction serves as the springboard from which to launch the entire course.
Objectives of the course:
To help students appreciate the contemporary value of African Studies as an area of
enquiry.
To help students engage with discourses on African realities.
To encourage students to appreciate the African Identity.
To help students develop a sense of Self Determination in the global world.
To make students aware of the negative stereotypes about Africa and to encourage them
to challenge these stereotypes.
To help students develop appropriate methodologies and frameworks for examining
Africa and its past through multi-disciplinary approaches.
To highlight some of Africa’s contributions to world civilizations and knowledge
generation.
To enhance students’ knowledge in specific areas of African Humanities and Social
Sciences
The overall introduction covers three weeks, including two hours of lectures, and one hour of
tutorials per week.
Introduction to Gender
The main objective of this two week introduction (four hour), is to help students appreciate the
gendered nature of African societies, how this impacts development, and state as well as civil
society responses to gender inequalities. This component explains key concepts in African gender
studies and explains why and how we address gender issues in African studies. This component
of the course also makes a case for transforming gender relations on the basis of three
justifications: (1) citizenship rights and the constitution, (2) development imperatives, and (3) the
promotion of gender equitable cultures. The role of individual and group agency and leadership in
changing gender relations will be highlighted.
The introduction to gender covers three weeks, including two hours of lectures, and one hour of
tutorials per week. Also included is a practical activity, typically a film show.
At the end of the first 6 weeks students take part in a continuous assessment exercise.
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Elective Component:
In the second half of the semester students join one of 19 pre-selected “elective” classes, each of
which is described below. An examination for each of these is carried out at the end of the
semester.
UGRC 220: Introduction to African Studies/ Appropriate Technology for Development
in Africa
Course Description
The course is introduced by defining important concepts and theories of Appropriate Technology,
emphasizing that it is technology that is appropriate, most suitable, practicable, and result oriented.
It reviews the most dominant, but simple technologies used at local community levels. These
include patterns of industrial and trade regimes in Africa, technologies used in rural energy
production and consumption, water resource management technologies, and inter-agency
collaboration in rural development activities, using these appropriate technologies. The course
concludes by examining the gender dynamics and rural governance systems as critical thresholds
for the understanding of appropriate technology use, and development prospects in Africa.
Course Objectives:
The objectives of the course are as follows:
Equip students with knowledge and appreciation of basic definitions and debates around
rural development and appropriate technology practice in Africa
Assist students appreciate appropriate technologies which are used in rural development,
Deepen students’ understanding of the prospects and challenges of rural development
using specific technologies within specific contexts
Develop the capacity of students to appreciate the intricate relations among appropriate
technologies, rural development and development prospects in Africa.
UGRC 221: Introduction to African Studies/African Art, its Philosophy and Criticism
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to an understanding of African art and its conceptual
framework as evidence of material culture, actively involved in the historical process and life of
the African. As a cultural practice, it forms the bedrock of African aesthetic expression. The
course argues that the environment, availability of materials for producing art, different histories
and external influences, have affected African art and its development. The course proposes that
African art is reflective and representative of African belief, philosophy, values and taste, and is
used in several social, political and religious functions. As a fairly new field of discipline, the
course introduces students to forms of art, historical and theoretical enquiries and approaches to
the subject, such as art as history, history as an art, aesthetics, style, subject and subject matter
interpretations and meanings, visual narratives, gender perceptions, roles and representations, art
criticism and contemporary discourses on the practice of art on the continent.
Course Objectives:
The aim of this course is
to develop in the second year university students within a six week period, an
understanding of what African art is
to establish a rational basis for African art appreciation, criticism, and discourse,
to develop criteria for judgment in African art.
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UGRC 222: Introduction to African Studies/ Africa in the Contemporary World
Course Description
This course introduces students to the major social, economic and political developments in
Africa. It explores key issues, trajectories, themes, actors, debates, strategies and challenges facing
contemporary African states, placing them in historical and global contexts. Key themes include:
Economic and Political Crises; Political Transitions and Democratization; International Actors,
Aid and Development, Peace and Security, Civil Society and Governance, Identity and Politics as
well as Regionalism and Renaissance of African Unity. By the end of the course, students are
expected to acquire deeper understanding not only of the major issues, actors, themes and
institutions in socio-economic and political developments in Africa but also appreciate Africa’s
interactions with the rest of the world, and how Africa’s past has shaped its contemporary social,
economic and political conditions as well as key challenges facing African states in the 21st
Century.
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UGRC 223: Introduction to African Studies/ Africa and the Diaspora
Course Description
This course is designed to provide a general overview of the voluntary and involuntary journeys,
life experiences, as well as the general culture of Africans in the Diaspora. It will also discuss
some of the surviving African cultural elements in the Americas, and analyze certain cultural and
political coping/resistance strategies. The course hopes to demonstrate the resilience of African
culture as expressed in music, literature, language, religious beliefs, festivals and art. It will
critique some of the ideological bases for the various slave-trading epochs, and suggest ways of
enhancing the African image within the global community. Furthermore, it will and discusses
some notable contributions of the African Diaspora to the body of world civilization.
Course Objectives
The course aims to enable students to:
Recall Africans’ movements and contacts with other continents and countries.
discuss the slave trades and analyse the reasons why Africans, more than any other race,
have been enslaved by people of other continents
analyse some of the cultural and political coping/resistance strategies including
maroonage, the civil rights movements, Negritude, Pan-Africanism
discuss the retention and creolization of some of the surviving African cultural elements
in the Americas
analyse contemporary migrations and discuss ways of enhancing the African image
within the global community.
UGRC 224: Introduction to African Studies/African Popular Culture: Traditional
Festivals and Funeral Ceremonies
Course Description
This course is a general survey of African festivals and funeral ceremonies. It is intended to make
the under-graduate students conscious of the two events in their own communities, and also to
help them identify, classify, perceive and understand the relative importance of these popular
events. Assuming anthropological, sociological and folkloristic perspective, this course will
examine ‘Traditional Festivals’ and ‘Funeral Ceremonies’ as two components of ‘African Popular
Culture’. The course will pay particular attention to conflicts in these social phenomena and their
respective roles in African societies.
Course Objectives:
The objectives of the course are as follows:
To demonstrate to students the ritualistic and ceremonial functions in the festival and
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funeral ceremonies which bring together members of African communities for a common
purpose.
To help students understand the different categories of the two events, their definitions,
morphologies which in the future may help them in their own community endeavours.
To enable students understand how the drama of the festival and funeral ceremonies
bring to light happiness, hope, despair, anxieties, contradictions and conflict between the
forces of continuity and change in the African world.
UGRC 225: Introduction to African Studies/African Dance
Course Description
This course is to introduce level 200 students to Traditional African Dance. The course will give
students the opportunity to understand the role of dance in the Ghanaian Society since the dance is
part and parcel of our life cycle. Further explanation of the principles of African Dance
movements, and historic and cultural contexts in which the dances are presented will also be
explained. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between dance and music, while increasing
strength, flexibility, and developing rhythmic sensitivity. By the end of the seven weeks, the
student should be able to dance at least three Traditional dances to the drum language. This
introductory course has theory and practical components.
Dance was, and continues to be, a very important aspect of who we are as Africans. It
encompasses all four areas, which make up our living beings. Dance is spiritual, intellectual,
emotional, and physical and dances should be appreciated and accepted as they are presented.
Dance in the context of African Tradition is very patent to the life of Africans. To the African,
Life with its rhythms and cycle is Dance. We dance to celebrate life, to show appreciation for all
the gifts bestowed upon us by the Creator God, in our lives today, and all the generations past
since the beginning of time. The dances reflected our daily lives but were represented as bigger,
greater and more wonderful.
Course Objectives:
The course aims to equip students to:
* develop the expressive qualities of the body through dance.
* Fully integrate foot patterns, torso and upper body sequences and the nuances of each
dance learned.
* Acquire a broader basis for personal creativity.
* To understand the history and cultural context for a given dance form.
* To increase individual stamina, flexibility of movement and musicality.
* To understand the relationship between music and dance.
* To use the whole body with musical sensitivity.
* Demonstrate a deep exploration of the qualitative aspects of movement sequences with a
projection of energy while dancing.
* Demonstrate (through dancing) the formal connections between specific musical
accompaniment and movements of each dance learned.
* To appreciate the significance of dance in the socio-cultural development of the African.
* To understand the value and cultural importance of dance movements and symbolic
gestures.
UGRC 226: Introduction to African Studies/African Drama
Course Description
Drama is a universal phenomenon deriving from play and manifesting in important aspects of
human spirituality. The rich ritual and ceremonial life which characterizes the social, political and
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religious institutions of Africa has deep roots in indigenous dramatic traditions of Africa. Selected
ceremonies, festivals and rituals will be analyzed to reveal their representation of and interface
with institutions of leadership on the one hand and gender on the other. The course will also look
at drama as an art form and briefly trace its evolution. It is intended to undertake a systematic
survey of contemporary forms of drama and theatre and to provide students with the critical tools
to both evaluate and appreciate this important art form. The course will provide students with the
opportunity to observe and participate in theatrical manifestations such as plays and festivals.
Given the wide range of dramatic works produced in Africa, works studied in this course will be
changed from time to time.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, students will be able to
Identify forms of drama in African society
Competently discuss the representation of gender issues and relationships through
drama
Competently analyze the interface between drama and leadership
Demonstrate familiarity with the art of stagecraft
Show familiarity with key playwrights and their works
UGRC 227: Introduction to African Studies/African Music
Course Description
The course aims at introducing non-music majors to some of the basic but key concepts in African
music, their meanings, scopes, as well as the thought systems that underpin the creation,
performance and consumption of music in sub-Saharan Africa. To give meaning to the intellectual
and creativity dimensions of the discipline, the course is presented in two parts- i.e. theory and
practical.
Topics to be explored in the more theoretical class discussions include the definitions, categories
and characteristics of African Music; Music, language and surrogacy; Uses and functions of music
(including court music), music and the related arts, as well as the gendered spaces in African
music practice.
Course Objectives: It is expected at the end of the course that, students’ intellectual curiosity
about indigenous conceptions about African musical forms, their functions would be aroused in
order to…
Appreciate the values of indigenous African music from African perspective
Question some stereotypes about African traditional music
UGRC228: Introduction to African Studies/Chieftaincy and Development
Course Description
Chieftaincy is about the best known and the most cherished institution in most parts of Africa, yet
very few people are conversant with its internal workings. This course provides students with a
general overview of the chieftaincy institution and its relationship to development in Africa. It also
examines how the Chieftaincy institution changed through time. The course will empower
students with analytical skills that would enable them understand how chiefs function in their
communities and how they adapt themselves to the modern dynamics of political state formation
in Africa.
UGRC 229: Introduction to African Studies/ Culture and Development
Course Description,
This is a semester long course scheduled for the first semester and repeated in the second
semester. The course discusses the cultural issues that underpin the quest for socio-political,
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economic, religious and technological advancement, and the need to preserve orjettison, or
reshape, where necessary, certain endogenous values, beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes, and to
exploit their beneficial aspects while at the same time discussing potential strategies for coming to
terms with the unsavoury aspects of some indigenous norms and practices.
Course Objectives:
The course aims among other things at:
Providing basic information on African developmental and cultural issues, such as
languages, peoples, institutions, belief systems and practices;
Giving students a conceptual appreciation of African, particularly Ghanaian,
culture/cultures;
Enhancing students’ ability to identify and evaluate important contemporary cultural
debates and issues in relation to current modalities and determinants of human
development.
The approach centres on lectures, discussions and tutorials. Power Point presentations are an
essential tool for teaching this course. The lecturer also communicates with students through a
course website accessible through the SAKAI e-learning tool lodged on the University of Ghana
website. Lecture notes and copies of e-journal reading materials are posted there for students’
benefit.
UGRC 230: Introduction to African Studies/ Gender and Culture in Africa
Course Description
This course examines how culture shapes the positions of women and men in African societies and
analyses cultures and cultural practices as dynamic, contested and rooted in socio-economic
conditions and power relations. Key concepts in gender studies are analyzed in relation to debates
about accepted notions of culture. In this introductory class, we provide students with the
opportunity to interrogate the ways in which gender is embedded in various social institutions
including the family, the media, religious, political and economic institutions. Students will be
encouraged to reflect on their own experiences of gender, and their role in reinforcing and
transforming the nature of gender relations in society.
Course Objectives:
The objectives of the course are as follows:
Critically examine existing assumptions about gender and culture
Gain an understanding about how gender relations are shaped by power relations and
cultural practices in different socio-economic contexts
Examine how cultural forms manifest unequal power relations within society.
UGRC 231: Introduction to African Studies/Gender and Development
Course Description
This course will introduce students to key concepts and issues in gender and development with a
focus on Africa. It argues that development is not a neutral process, but impacts on men and
women differently. Key topics will include issues of production and reproduction as well as men
and women’s access to resources in Africa such as land, labour, credit, time and social capital. The
course will also examine the gendered implications of natural resource management and
sustainable development as well as decision making. It will further examine state and civil society
responses to gender issues in Africa. The main objectives of this foundation course is to sensitize
students to gender issues and enable students recognize and understand the relevance of gender as
a development issue and how gender inequalities impact negatively on development.
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Course Objectives:
The objectives of the course are as follows:
understand the key concepts in gender and development
apply gender analysis to development issues
recognize the relevance of gender in structuring access, citizenship and rights to
resources in Africa
appreciate and understand how development policies and processes work to have
differential impacts on men and women
Understand state and civil society responses to gender inequalities
UGRC 232: Introduction to African Studies/Issues in Africa’s Population
Course Description
This course introduces students to the key debates around issues in Africa’s population. Africa’s
population is distinct in many respects. Students will receive an overview of significant aspects of
demographic concepts and population – its composition, growth etc. – and related issues such as
human resource development, socio-economic development, environmental sanitation and
preservation, and migration. Challenges associated with some of these issues will be addressed at
various levels, with special attention paid to the population of Ghana. The so-called impact of the
rapid population growth rate on development in the sub-region has been an important issue of
debate so far as the population of Africa and development is concerned. Though there are no
definite conclusions, there has been growing consensus among many governments, policy-makers,
and researchers that population variables influence development in Africa. The need to
understand the relationship among Africa’s population and related issues is urgent, not only for
policy-makers of today but also for students who are future leaders and/or policy-makers. The
challenges of other population issues such as environmental change, HIV/AIDS and gender are
also of equal importance.
Course Objectives:
The course aims to teach students the following:
The features that distinguish sub-Saharan populations from those of the major regions of
the world.
The status and condition of Africa’s population, as well as transitions in its populations.
The linkages between population processes and political, socio cultural and
environmental variables.
UGRC 233: Introduction to African Studies/Our African Heritage through Literature
Course Description:
Africa as a cultural space reflects an intriguing unity in diversity. Word smithery is a vital element
of the cultural life of the region. Literature as a performance art takes a central role in a range of
contexts formal, sacred, popular and profane and therefore permeates the rich ceremonial life of
African peoples. A functional analysis of the literature will demonstrate the extent to which it
reveals notions of gender and leadership in African society. This course also intends to explore
the creative ways in which primary values have been, and continue to be expressed, explored and
contested in African societies.
The course seeks to introduce students to the notion of a living literary culture in Africa,
discussing issues such as values and worldviews, writing, performance, context and keys to
informed literary analysis. Case studies will mainly be drawn from performance and writing
traditions of societies in West, East and Southern Africa. In addition, the more recent domination
of Africans by Arabs and Europeans has occasioned the evolution of a significant body of written
literature with powerful artistic and political significance. The course will also discuss the
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thematic concerns of literary artists putting works into social and political perspective from a local
and global point of view.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course students will be enabled to:
apply literary tools relevant to the study of African literature in its various forms
engage in an enlightened discussion about selected works and artistes in the field of
African literature,
Comprehend the role of literature in society, particularly as a vehicle of notions of gender
and leadership.
UGRC 234: Introduction to African Studies/Philosophy in African Cultures
Course Description
This course intends to introduce students to philosophical thought in African cultures,
emphasizing its relation and relevance to contemporary African cultures and development. Topics
will include the African cosmologies, concepts of God, the deities, ancestors; African communal
and individualist values, concept of the human being, destiny, evil and ethics/morality, gender and
race.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course students will be enabled to:
Know what constitutes philosophy and the various trends in African Philosophy
Understand and engage meaningfully in the contemporary discourse on the status of
African philosophy
Appreciate the philosophical underpinnings of traditional African thoughts
Evaluate the relevance of African philosophy to African development.
UGRC 235: Introduction to African Studies/Dagbani
Course Description
This is a beginner’s course for non-native speakers of a Ghanaian language-Dagbani. The course
is designed to introduce second year students who cannot speak, understand or read Dagbani to the
language. It is a semester- long course to be taken in either the first or second semester of every
academic year at the discretion of the student. It is a three credit course, and two contact hours will
be used every week for teaching and an additional hour for tutorials. The main components of the
course are:
Issues in African languages
Reading, comprehension and vocabulary development
Grammar
Writing
Listening and Speaking
The culture of the language community
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be enabled to:
Understand common issues that pertain to African Languages.
Acquire the skill of learning a Ghanaian language through listening, speaking, writing
and translation in order to function in the language effectively in formal and informal
conversations.
Know the basic grammatical structures of the language so that they can use them
effectively in both oral and written communication.
Obtain an insight into the culture of the community whose language they have studied.
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UGRC 236: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN STUDIES/EWE
Course Description
This is a beginner’s course for non-native speakers of a Ghanaian language-Ewe. The course is
designed to introduce second year students who cannot speak, understand and read Ewe to the
language. It is a semester-long course to be taken in either the first or second semester of every
academic year at the discretion of the student. It is a three credit course. Two contact hours will be
used every week for teaching and an additional hour for tutorials. The main components of the
course are:
Issues in African languages
Reading, comprehension and vocabulary development
Grammar
Writing
Listening and Speaking
The culture of the language community
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be enabled to :
Understand common issues that pertain to African Languages.
Acquire the skill of learning a Ghanaian language through listening, speaking, writing
and translation in order to function in the language effectively in formal and informal
conversations.
Know the basic grammatical structures of the language so that they can use them
effectively in both oral and written communication.
Obtain an insight into the culture of the community whose language they have studied.
UGRC 237: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN STUDIES/GA
Course Description
This is a beginner’s course for non-native speakers of a Ghanaian language-Ga. The course is
designed to introduce second year students who cannot speak, understand and read Ga to the
language. It is a semester-long course to be taken in either the first or second semester of every
academic year at the discretion of the student. It is a three credit course. Two contact hours will be
used every week for teaching and an additional hour for tutorials. The main components of the
course are:
Issues in African languages
Reading, comprehension and vocabulary development
Grammar
Writing
Listening and Speaking
The culture of the language community
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be enabled to:
Understand common issues that pertain to African Languages.
Acquire the skill of learning a Ghanaian language through listening, speaking, writing
and translation in order to function in the language effectively in formal and informal
conversations.
Know the basic grammatical structures of the language so that they can use them
effectively in both oral and written communication.
Obtain an insight into the culture of the community whose language they have studied.
20
UGRC 238: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN STUDIES/ASANTE TWI
Course Description
This is a beginner’s course for non-native speakers of a Ghanaian language-Twi. The course is
designed to introduce second year students who cannot speak, understand and read Twi to the
language. It is a semester-long course to be taken in either the first or second semester of every
academic year at the discretion of the student. It is a three credit course. Two contact hours will be
used every week for teaching and an additional hour for tutorials. The main components of the
course are:
Issues in African languages
Reading, comprehension and vocabulary development
Grammar
Writing
Listening and Speaking
The culture of the language community
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be enabled to:
Understand common issues that pertain to African Languages.
Acquire the skill of learning a Ghanaian language through listening, speaking, writing
and translation in order to function in the language effectively in formal and informal
conversations.
Know the basic grammatical structures of the language so that they can use them
effectively in both oral and written communication.
Obtain an insight into the culture of the community whose language they have studied.
UGRC 239: SOCIAL FRAMEWORKS OF DEVELOPMENT
Course Description
This course examines the social dimensions of rural development by critically investigating
development theories and how they impact on different social groups. Development theories
claim to be based on technical considerations, expertise and blueprints. However they are often
built on biases that create winners and losers and marginalise some sectors of society. The course
examines the changing frameworks of development over time, the strengths and weaknesses of
various development theories, and the frameworks they use to analyse African societies. The
course also examines various tensions and interests in development theories and policies including
tensions between developed and developing countries within a globalised framework; urban and
rural interests; peasant farmers and commercial farmers within a national framework; and between
youth and elders, and males and females within the local community context. It also examines the
tensions between the economic and social objectives of development.
Course Objectives
The course will enable students to:
Understand various development theories and social development literature from the
1940s to present;
Critically examine development policy and theories and its impact on society;
Appreciate the importance of social participation in development and policy initiatives