African Studies Sample Essay Topics

Focus: Write a brief description and discussion of ONE specific organization that is engaging with a specific problem or issue in ONE part of Sub-Saharan Africa. Ideally you should focus on a single region or a single community WITHIN one country. However, if the organization you choose is operating in several places, you may focus on a larger number of communities IF you have sufficiently detailed data

Examples of Paper Topics

The legacy of apartheid in education in South Africa

Environmental degradation in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa

The Loliondo Land-Grab and organizing by Maasai community groups

The Green Belt Movement as an example of community empowerment

An anthropological Perspective on Female Circumcision in one country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Solutions to Energy Issues in one country in Sub-Saharan Africa

The political and cultural role of hip-hop in

African Migrant entrepreneurs in New York City

How has modern Rwanda responded to the legacies of the Rwandan genocide?

Paper topics are OPEN, but the paper must address a particular social issue and must describe the efforts of organizations or groups (or in some specific cases individuals), particularly ones led by and organized by Africans themselves to address these issues. You cannot do a paper on the UN Food Project for instance or Doctors Without Borders since these are international NGOs. However, you COULD do a paper on the local workers employed by DWB for example, and discuss the importance of those workers in the efforts of the NGO.