Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH From Colony to Nation: Ghana 1874-1966
School	History and Cultures
Department	African Studies & Anthropology
Module Code	09 28015
Module Lead	Dr Kate Skinner
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	Students cannot take this module at Level H if they have already taken it at Level I.
Exclusions
Description	Students will engage with some of the most important questions in the field of modern African History, and find out how these questions might be answered in relation to a specific country, Ghana. Students will establish a chronological framework through the sessions that deal with reasons for and responses to colonisation, the changing nature of the colonial state, the emergence and achievements of anti-colonial nationalist movements, and attempts to strengthen the new nation against neo-colonial interventions by positioning it within a wider project of pan-African unity. However, whilst the termination of colonial rule in 1957 is often seen as a dramatic break in Ghana’s political history, this module will also identify elements of continuity into the early Independence era. Drawing on individual life histories and oral history research, students will learn how ‘real’ men and women engaged with and experienced the expansion of commercial agriculture, labour migration, urbanisation, formal schooling, and changing norms in marital and family relationships. Students will develop a detailed knowledge of the political and social history of Ghana, but the weekly sessions will also provide opportunities to reflect on the methodological challenges of modern African history and compare Ghana to other former colonies around the world.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Explain the changing approach of the colonial state towards the governance of its subjects. Analyse the impact of economic and cultural change on gender and family relationships. Critically assess the social, economic, political and cultural legacies of colonialism. Identify the primary sources used and generated by historians of colonial and early independent Ghana, and evaluate differing interpretations of these sources.
Assessment	28015-01 : Book review of 1200 words - Essay 1 : Coursework (33%) 28015-02 : 2800 word essay - Essay 2 : Coursework (67%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 1500 word written assignment (40%)
Other
Reading List