African Philosophy

1. Understand the meaning and nature of African Philosophy
2. Examine African ontological notions
3. Analyse African cosmological notions
4. Relate African traditional thought to the African environment
5. Evaluate contemporary schools of thought in African Philosophy

13 weeks, about 28 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1Module 1: Understanding African Philosophy

   • Unit 1: Defining African Philosophy · 2 hours

     Define philosophy and African philosophy. Explain the geography of African philosophy. Discuss the debate on African philosophy.

2. Week 2Module 1: Understanding African Philosophy

   • Unit 2: Meaning, Nature and Structure of African Traditional Thought · 2 hours

     Explain the meaning of African traditional thought. Explain the nature of African philosophy. Discuss the place of the gods and goddesses in African philosophy. Highlight the value of myths in African philosophy.

3. Week 3Module 1: Understanding African Philosophy

   • Unit 3: Approaches in African Philosophy · 2 hours

     Explain the concept of African philosophy. Discuss the approaches in African philosophy. Explain the essence of these approaches and their importance in African philosophy.

4. Week 4Module 1: Understanding African Philosophy

   • Unit 4: Historical Background of African Traditional Thought · 2 hours

     Discuss the historical origin of African philosophy as it has to do with Egyptian mystery schools. Explain what is meant whenever the Africanness of African philosophy is mentioned. Analyse and defend the Egyptian origin of Greek philosophy. Explain the relationship between colonialism and contemporary African philosophy.

5. Week 5Module 2: Some Basic Concepts in African Philosophy

   • Unit 1: African Ontological Notions · 2 hours

     Explain what is meant by African ontological notions. Differentiate between the African notion of force and the Western notion of force. State the characteristics of the African notions of spirits and being. Evaluate and critique Tempel's theory of vital force.

6. Week 6Module 2: Some Basic Concepts in African Philosophy

   • Unit 2: The Concept of African Socialism · 2 hours

     Explain the concept of African socialism. Discuss the background and history of African socialism. Analyse the values of African socialism. Identify the limitations of African socialism.

7. Week 7Module 2: Some Basic Concepts in African Philosophy

   • Unit 3: Witchcraft, Magic and Sorcery in African Philosophy · 2 hours

     Explain the ideas of witchcraft, sorcery and magic in African metaphysics. Differentiate between the phenomena of witchcraft and magic. Relate the relationship of African traditional medicine to magic. Discuss the value of sorcerers in traditional African societies.

8. Week 8Module 2: Some Basic Concepts in African Philosophy

   • Unit 4: Rituals and Festivals in African Philosophy · 2 hours

     Critically examine the meaning of nature of rituals, sacrifices and festivals. Analyse the different forms of rituals in African tradition. Discuss the benefits of festivals. Analyse the place of mediums and sacrifices.

9. Week 9Module 3: Some African worldviews and Ethics

   • Unit 1: The Universe and Nature in African Worldview · 2 hours

     Describe the nature of the universe. Explain the place of man in the universe. Analyse its mystical and religious order. Discuss the African views of the universe.

10. Week 10Module 3: Some African worldviews and Ethics

    • Unit 2: Destiny and Fate in African Philosophy · 2 hours

      Describe the concept of destiny and fate in African tradition. Analyse the role of destiny in the earthly life of man. Explain the influence of moral character on destiny. Explain the concepts of death and reincarnation as part of the African idea of destiny.

11. Week 11Module 3: Some African worldviews and Ethics

    • Unit 3: Moral Thinking in African Philosophy · 2 hours

      Explain the concept of morality in African philosophy. Describe C. S Momoh's theory of moralism. Explain the foundations of moral authority in African tradition. Discuss the role morality plays in African societies.

12. Week 12Module 3: Some African worldviews and Ethics

    • Unit 4: The African Traditional Religion · 2 hours

      Explain the meaning and sources of African religion. Examine the challenges of African religion. Discuss the structure of African religion. Explain the values of African religion.

13. Week 13Module 4: Some Schools of Thought in African Philosophy

    • Modules 4: Units 1-4 · 4 hours

      Explain the meaning of contemporary African philosophy. Identify the important figures in contemporary African philosophy. Discuss the different schools of thought in African philosophy. Explain the concept of African humanism. Explain the African concept of humanism. Discuss the major comparisons between African and Western humanism. Analyse the post-modernist critique against humanism. Explain the African thought system. Analyse the basic attributes of the African thought system. Differentiate between the modes of thought in Africa and in the West. Describe and appraise the challenges of modern African thought system.