CUNY Class Information
Dr. Grace Davie
Associate Professor
Department of History
Queens College, CUNY, USA
History 111 [001 35343] History of Africa
Mon/Wed 10:45am-12:00pm
International Class Information
Dr. Tochukwu Okeke
Associate Professor
Department of History and Diplomatic Studies
University of Abuja, Nigeria
HIS 806 Comparative Economic
History of West Africa
Project Description
In this 10-week collaboration, 30 QC students and 30 UniAbuja students came together to explore the economic and social history of West Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We began with icebreakers as a large group, followed by introductions and asynchronous team-building exercises. Next, each student submitted a 2-6 page paper responding to their team’s research prompt and readings. For the final project, all 10 teams produced 3-6 minute videos outlining their team’s findings, with one American and one Nigerian speaking for each group. Students also posted responses to the videos of other teams. Finally, students helped the instructors plan a virtual zoom class party to debrief and to celebrate their COIL experience. Overall, students overcame the 5-hour time difference and other challenges to complete their projects, discovering commonalities across cultures and forging new friendships.
Online Platforms
WhatsApp, Slack, Zoom, YouTube, and Blackboard
