This course will involve an examination of the major themes of sub-Saharan African history from 1500 to the partition of Africa following the Berlin Conference of 1884. Primary emphasis will be on the nature of African societies and the political, social, and economic consequences of their interaction with Europe. Special attention will be given to issues such as the origins and nature of African societies; the rise and impact of the slavetrade; the growth of the European presence and the nature of European imperialism; and the onset of direct European colonial rule and the African response to it.