China has emerged as a global economic superpower over the past few decades. This has sparked intense academic and popular debate about the long-term implications of its continued growth. The expansion of China into African countries in pursuit of natural resources has incited particular controversy - does it spell increased cooperation between developing countries for mutual benefit or are Chinese practices largely exploitative, signalling a new phase of neo-colonialism? This free course, Rising China and Africa's development: oil, considers the impact of the rise of China on Africa's development through the lens of oil production.
The following animation gives a flavour of the course.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand the rise of China and its impact on the geopolitics of resource management
- show knowledge of different dimensions of the political economy of oil production
- describe the dynamics of China-Africa oil relations in three African countries: Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan
- understand and critically engage with the key debates around African development
- provide definitions of the main theories influencing these debates, such as international relations, political settlements and African agency.
First Published: 07/03/2019
Updated: 08/01/2020
Very interewsting and well formatted. The politics and economics behind this development is intriguing. Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan are three particular areas covered. Good commentary and interviews with those involved.