Ohio State's Center for African Studies has helped fund the development of a course that will provide an overview of environmental issues in different ecological settings across the African continent. This spring quarter, Dr. Mark Moritz, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, will teach "Anthropology of Africa." Moritz will help students examine issues of environmental security, dryland development and nature conservation.

Moritz' goal is for students to come to an anthropological understanding of the complexity of environmental issues in contemporary Africa within the context of global climate change. To learn more about the class, read the syllabus for "Anthropology of Africa."

The Center for African Studies was motivated to develop a course that surrounded environmental issues in Africa for several reasons. "College students today are very aware of the importance of environmental protection, and therefore this course should have wide appeal," said David Kraybill, Director of the center. "Many OSU students also have a humanitarian interest in Africa. The environment is especially important in Africa because of widespread poverty, and the poorer people are, the more they are exposed to the environment and the more they depend on it for their wellbeing. This course focuses on how humans affect the environment and how the environment affects humans in Africa."

The Center for African Studies works to expand African studies curriculum across disciplines, increase interaction between Africanist faculty across campus, organize lectures and conferences, and conduct outreach activities with K-12 business, government and civic groups.