Courses


Course sequence 

General Requirements

12 credit hours are required. This includes the core introductory seminar course. Students are then required to take an additional 9 hours, or three 3-hour courses. All courses, including language course work, must be at the 500-level or above. At least one of these courses (three credit hours) must be taken at the 700-level or above. Only courses with an Africa or African-American focus may count toward the required hours. No more than three hours of directed readings or independent study may be counted. Any students who utilize directed readings or independent studies courses are required to submit a paragraph summary of the course of study signed by the professor directing the project so that AAAS can know how the course counts toward fulfillment of the cluster requirements.

All approvals of course sequences are at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. Make sure to fill out the Graduate Certificate Checklist (.pdf)  and turn it in to the DGS within the first half of the term in which you plan to complete the certificate.

Core introductory seminar

African Certificate

AAAS 802: Introduction to Africana Studies: African – 3 credit hours. An introduction to, and overview of, the historical, intellectual, and professional foundations of African Studies; a multidisciplinary examination of the key texts and issues in the field. Additional advanced-level coursework is required for students in this course beyond lower-level courses of the same name and/or description.

African-American Certificate

AAAS 801: Introduction to Africana Studies: African-American – 3 credit hours. An introduction to, and overview of, the historical, intellectual, and professional foundations of African-American Studies; a multidisciplinary examination of the key texts and issues in the field. Additional advanced-level coursework is required for students in this course beyond lower-level courses of the same name and/or description.

Other courses

In close consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, a student designs a coherent sequence of three courses. To gain approval, this sequence should not be a random selection of Africa-related or African-American-related classes; the student and DGS must tailor the sequence in order for the student to gain expertise in the field of African Studies or African-American Studies at the graduate level.

Recognition ceremony

AAAS sponsors a small commencement program, connected with the larger Department’s program, each spring to award students their certificates.

Course options 

Please find our current course listings on the AAAS Courses page.

In addition, students may be permitted to take "Topics" classes with an Africa or African-American focus that are offered almost every semester in other departments. The various directed readings, independent study, or 700-, 800-, or 900-level graduate seminars of nearly a dozen disciplines will count if these are taught by AAAS faculty and AAAS & KASC-affiliated faculty. Please consult the Director of Graduate Studies for more information.