Environmental sustainability and economic development are two of the most pressing issues of our time. Nowhere is the imperative for both clearer than in Africa. In this course, we will explore the institutional structures that mediate human interactions with the environment in Africa, and consider how different approaches to natural resource extraction and use have shaped economic and ecological outcomes across the continent throughout history. Emphasis will be placed on both nonrenewable resources (e.g. extractive industries, from colonial exploitation to national development programs to multinational corporate operations) and renewable resources (e.g. forests and biodiversity, from community-managed commons to market-based conservation to protected areas managed by foreign NGOs). Moreover, we will examine the varied strategies individuals, communities, states, corporations, and organizations have used in seeking to gain and maintain control over resources for purposes of subsistence, profit, conservation, and/or development. In doing so, we will consult literature in political economy, political ecology, and development studies, as well as popular media and policy documents.