Graduate Certificate Programs in African Studies

The graduate certificate in African American Studies provides an opportunity for students to complement doctoral studies in their home department with coordinated interdisciplinary training in African American Studies while participating in an intellectually stimulating community. Students entering the program may come from any department in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Requirements for the certificate include an introductory readings course; two additional courses; participation in the yearlong Faculty-Graduate Seminar; and completion of a dissertation on a topic of significance to the field of African American Studies. Certificate requirements are designed to complement the course of study in students’ home departments. In addition to the certificate, the department’s Graduate Affairs Program sponsors programming and events throughout the academic year for graduate students at all stages with interests in African American Studies.

Students wishing to obtain a graduate certificate in African American Studies are encouraged to consult with the Director of Graduate Affairs, ideally during their first year, to plan their course of study. Formal admission to the certificate program will take place upon students’ completion of general examinations and admission to candidacy.

We encourage students looking to focus their professional degree program research on the continent, to explore obtaining a Graduate Certificate in African Studies.

Coursework the certificate requires three courses with a focus on Africa.

Students will complete three courses that focus on Africa. CAS will keep a list of pre-approved graduate courses that fulfill this requirement but students may also be permitted to petition in advance for a particular graduate course to count towards this requirement. The criterion for approval will be the degree to which the course focuses on Africa. To be eligible, courses should have at least 50% Africa content.

Interdiscplinarity Since African Studies is an interdisciplinary field, the GCAS rewards students who have demonstrated interdisciplinarity in coursework and research. Applicants may fulfill interdisciplinary requirements through coursework or research pathways.

Students in MD, MBA or JS programs and PhD students in schools other than H S must take three courses with a concentration on Africa, two of which should be in departments other than their major ones. For PhD students in H S departments in which there are distinctive methodological tracks, students may take two of the required three courses concentrating on Africa in tracks other than their primary one. At least one course must be taken outside of the major department.

Interdisciplinarity through research: A student may also demonstrate interdisciplinarity through extended research, such as a PhD dissertation that fully embraces several disciplines in the research and analysis of the dissertation project. The bar for demonstrating such interdisciplinarity is not merely the citation of a wide corpus of literature from different disciplines, but the active use of different disciplines in the research itself.

Students must spend at least one quarter or equivalent time, such as a summer of 8 weeks or in residence in Africa either carrying out significant original research or engaged in professional-level practice relevant to their degree program. m documenting the dates and nature of their activities during the field research practice stint.

Before graduating, GCAS candidates must provide CAS with a three-page (1000 wd) statement describing the relevance of the Africa-related course of study, interdisciplinarity, and field research practice to their professional development. The statement should explain in detail how course content and field work activities directly connect to professional goals AND how their future professional activities are likely to contribute to the enhancement of African Studies as an academic endeavor.

The Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary, comparative, cross-national approach to the social sciences and humanities. This approach enables participants to address their research interests from a wide variety of perspectives than is typically allowed in traditional academic disciplines. The Certificate Program expands the professional options of its graduates by providing interdisciplinary training and exposure to the totality of the African Diasporic experience.

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Currently, there is no graduate degree or graduate certificate in African Studies at Rice University.

The graduate certificate in African Studies may be pursued by graduate students enrolled in any advanced degree program at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or any of the professional schools at Columbia University. It demonstrates specialized knowledge of African languages, history, culture, and politics. It is especially helpful for graduate students seeking to deepen their understanding of African studies while working on advanced degrees in the social sciences, humanities, sciences, and professional fields. Both master and doctoral students are encouraged to complete the certificate.

For the African studies certificate, students must take a total of eight (8) Africa courses (24 credits).

Only courses with 50% or higher Africa content are accepted for credit. At least two of these courses must be seminars for colloquia above the 6000 level (6 points). One course must be taken from each of the following disciplines: Anthropology (3 points); History (3 points); Political Science (3 points). Five (5) additional courses must be selected from approved courses in the various disciplines (15 points).

Student learning goals are multiple, but in the main, students completing the African Studies Certificate program are expected to achieve the following by the time of graduation:.

Ability to identify major issues pertinent to political and social life on the African continent.

Demonstrated capacity to write effectively and persuasively, as stressed throughout the African Studies and University curriculum, but specifically evaluated through both senior capstone or thesis course requirements.

The certificate requires a total of 6 courses (18 credit hours) including a capstone or senior thesis seminar and proficiency in one a language relevant to the continent. Students may fulfill the language requirement by completing at least beginner level in any language in addition to one year of study in an indigenous African language. Study abroad in Africa is strongly encouraged, but not required.

Georgetown University acknowledges the importance of Africa and is committed to addressing graduate student interest in the study of the continent. The Graduate Certificate in African Studies forms a vital part of this commitment and serves an important intellectual function on our campus.

The graduate certificate requires 5 courses (15 credits), plus language proficiency. There is no thesis requirement. One of the five courses must be the required Gateway Course, Theory and Policy in Africa (INAF 559), taught annually in the Spring Semester.

The African Studies Graduate Certificate is open to students in any Georgetown University degree-granting graduate program.

DAAS accepts rolling admissions to the certificate program. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible in their graduate program, but Rackham requires that students wait to enroll until they have completed one full term of graduate study at U of M.

Materials to be submitted to the appropriate online application:.

A letter of application (300-600 words) explaining your interest in the Certificate Program and your background in African Studies.

A list of proposed courses that will fulfill the Program requirements.

A total of fifteen credit hours is required for earning the Graduate Certificate, including two required DAAS courses (Pro-seminar and Capstone). Non-Rackham degree programs may have their own rules regulating double counting.

AAS 600: Pro-seminar on Interdisciplinary Approaches to African Studies (3 Credits).

All GCP students intending to obtain a graduate certificate in African Studies must enroll in the pro-seminar AAS 600. The course introduces students to a cluster of traditional and current topical questions in the field of African Studies, and it explores the various interdisciplinary approaches that can be used to address them. The course is designed to provide a strong interdisciplinary foundation and familiarize students with a wide range of methodological approaches. This course is generally offered in the Winter term.

Capstone Research Course: AAS 892 Seminar (3 credits) or AAS 890 Independent Study (3 credits).

All GCP students intending to obtain a graduate certificate in African Studies must enroll in AAS 892 (Capstone Seminar) or AAS 890 (Independent Study). This research paper should reflect an interdisciplinary or cross-regional perspective. As part of the Capstone requirement, the student must present the work in at least one public forum, such as a formal presentation. series that can facilitate this requirement. Students may also fulfill the requirement by giving a presentation in their primary department or at a conference or symposium hosted by U-M, by another university, or by a recognized academic professional organization.

Students work on independent research projects that can form the basis of a master thesis, dissertation chapter, analysis of a practicum experience, or publishable article with a focus in African Studies. Weekly readings will center on theoretical and methodological issues deemed relevant to the projects pursued by seminar participants. We will collectively devise the reading list after the initial seminar session.

In addition to the pro-seminar and the Capstone requirements, all students must complete three additional graduate-level courses in African Studies. All credit hours beyond the pro-seminars and the Capstone requirements must include approved graduate-level courses. All credit hours beyond the pro-seminars and the Capstone requirements must include approved graduate-level courses.

Past students who have received African Studies Certificates.

It is awarded by the African Studies Program and the Graduate School.

Graduate credit is available only for courses numbered 300 or higher.

Include 9 credits outside the major department. No than 3 credits will count from the major department.

Complete at least one graduate-level seminar in African studies with a grade of AB or better. It may be in the major field.

Include no than 3 credits of directed reading and research or independent reading (AFRICAN 699 Directed Study, AFRICAN 999 Independent Reading and Research). No thesis dissertation credits (AFRICAN 990 Thesis) may be included.

Only one course in a single language may count toward the certificate, but two languages courses count if they are in different African languages.

Depth of knowledge: advanced knowledge of particular facets of life in the region by taking courses on particular sub-regions or countries, by studying a regional language, or by taking at least two courses on the region in one discipline.

African Studies ProgramCollege of Letters ScienceAfrican Studies, Graduate Professional Certificateafrica.wisc.edu.

Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies, Doctoral Minor.

Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Doctoral Minor.

Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, M.A.

A Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences.Candidates for the certificate must complete 12 credit hours (4 courses) at the 300-level or above, with no more than 6 credits at the 300-level.

The Graduate Certificate in AAS is designed as a complement to a graduate program (e.g. English, History, Sociology, American Studies, Political Science) or as a standalone post-baccalaureate course of study. The Certificate is a small, flexible program that provides students with breadth and the challenge of working outside their home discipline in concentrated interdisciplinary study of Africana Studies. In recognition of contemporary educational and employment contexts that are increasingly diverse and international, the AAS Program offers the graduate certificate as a means to enrich academic, personal, and employment horizons.

The 9-credit graduate certificate in Africana Studies offers students enrolled in graduate programs the opportunity to complete their studies with an additional specialization in Africana Studies. It provides students in any discipline a concentration on the interrelated experiences of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora, and the multiple methodologies of inquiry necessary to interrogate those experiences fully through comparative and global contexts. The Certificate in Africana Studies will help prepare students to teach and conduct research in Africana Studies, to enrich their current graduate work, and to develop an additional area of intellectual and academic expertise.

Location Africana Studies, Rutgers University 99 Ave E Beck Hall, rm 112 Piscataway, NJ 08854.