UCL Institute of Archaeology

Please note that this course is not available in 2013/14

This course will provide a critical overview of evidence for climate change and human response across Sub-Saharan Africa during the Holocene (12,000 BP to present). Case studies will include environmental and archaeological data, as well as ethnographies of historic and contemporary subsistence economies (hunter-gatherers, fisherfolk, pastoralists and mixed agriculturalists). The ‘human factor,’ both in terms of environmental impact and ideological coping strategies with climatic variability, will form a key component of our study.

Aims and Objectives of the course

• Familiarise students with current evidence for climate change and human responses to this change during the last 12,000 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Explore the different ecologies of the continent and varied human economies existing within them.
• Consider ideological components of social responses to environmental factors.
• Understand the opportunities and limitations posed by archaeological data for studying palaeoenvironments and past ecological relationships.

Learning Outcomes

• Possess an understanding of the main Sub-Saharan ecosystems ranging from arid deserts to equatorial rainforests.
• Critically assess varied evidence for climate change on the African continent and consider their socio-cultural ramifications.
• Comprehend ideologically-driven, frequently non-optimal, responses to climate change by societies.
• Be able to evaluate and discuss climate change in Africa, its past and potential future human impacts.

• Have a basic knowledge of the relevant types of data, their limitations and key sequences.

  Teaching Methods

• Powerpoint-aided lectures with seminar components
• Two essays

• Code:ARCLG230
• Credits: 15
• Coordinators: Kevin MacDonald and Andrew Reid
• Prerequisite: None
• Handbook: open»

For registered students

• Moodle page:
• Turnitin id: 298184
• Reading list: