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Academic Goals of the Program
The KASC's central objective in this certificate program is to formally recognize the expertise students in a range of disciplines already obtain in African Studies, in a manner that enhances students' career opportunities. The Certificate in African Studies enables graduate students to formally claim expertise in an area of the field of African Studies, through completion of 12 hours of graduate coursework.

Why Should I Apply for the KASC Graduate Certificate in African Studies?
There are more than 60 Africa-focused graduate students at KU in a variety of disciplines, across seven professional schools and 17 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences departments. The Graduate Certificate in African Studies helps bring this scattered body of graduate students into closer contact with the Center's resource base. The Certificate also enhances graduate students' future marketability. Many disciplines in which the KASC's graduate student community is concentrated advertise jobs for PhD candidates with African expertise. The Certificate in African Studies strengthens KU graduates' opportunities in this specialist job market.


Course Sequence
General Requirements: 12 credit hours are required. This includes the core introductory seminar course, Introduction to Modern Africa (AAAS 680). Students are then required to take an additional 9 hours or three 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 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 the KASC can know how the course counts toward fulfillment of the cluster requirements. All approvals of course sequences are at the discretion of the Center. The checklist for advising can be found here.

Core Introductory Seminar
Introduction to Modern Africa (AAAS 680) – 3 credit hours. An interdisciplinary approach to cross-cultural understanding of Africa 's place in the modern world. Specific emphasis will be given to the role of Africa in world history, African cultures, modern African history, and problems of development and nation-building in Africa . Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Other Courses
In close consultation with her or his graduate adviser, a student designs a coherent sequence of three courses. To gain KASC approval, this sequence should not be a random selection of Africa-related classes; the student and adviser must provide the Center with an explanation of how the sequence meets the objectives of the Graduate Certificate in African Studies to recognize expertise in the field of African Studies at the graduate level.

Admissions Criteria
Current KU graduate students wishing to be admitted to the Graduate Certificate Program should write a letter to the KASC Graduate Director stating their interests in African Studies, and send a current ARTS form. A graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is required. Students applying for admission to another graduate program at KU should send a letter of application stating their interests in African Studies and request a letter stating that they have been admitted from the other department or school upon admission thereto. They may be admitted to the Graduate Certificate Program on condition that they are admitted by the other program in regular status. If they are not admitted to the other program in regular status, they may use the following procedure for admission to the Graduate Certificate program. Non-KU graduate students (Non-degree C category students) should complete an application to the Graduate School and send an application fee of $35, two copies of official transcripts from all previous post-secondary educational institutions, a personal statement of interest in African Studies, and two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their academic work or potential for graduate school. Minimum requirements will be a bachelor's degree; a GPA of 3.0 or higher in undergraduate work is normally required for admission, but the GPA requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Graduate Director. An admissions committee consisting of the Graduate Director, the KASC Graduate Advisor, and one African Studies Council faculty member in good standing will meet at least once each semester to make admissions decisions. All inquiries should be directed to Garth Myers, KASC Graduate Director, 10 Bailey Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, email: gmyers@ku.edu , telephone: 785-864-3858.

Recognition Ceremony
The KASC sponsors a small commencement program each Spring to award students their certificates.


Course Options: Students choose from among the following:

AAAS 501: Regional History: __

AAAS 520: African Studies in: __ NOTE: these courses vary in content, for recent examples:
Islam, Colonialism and Nationalism in North Africa
Peoples and Cultures of North Africa
Language and Culture in KiSwahili-speaking Communities

AAAS 527: Popular Culture in Africa
AAAS 542/Rel 535: History of Islam in Africa
AAAS 543/Ling 543: Language and Culture in Arabic-speaking Communities
AAAS 545: Unveiling the Veil
AAAS 551/Geog 550: Environmental Issues in Africa
AAAS 553/Geog 553: Geography of African Development
AAAS 554/Anth 545: Contemporary Health Issues in Africa
AAAS 555/TH&F 530: African Film and Video
AAAS 557/Geog 557: Cities and Development
AAAS 578/HA 578: Central African Art
AAAS 590/Hist 599: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid
AAAS 598/Hist 598: Sexuality and Gender in African History
AAAS 600/Pols 665: Politics in Africa
AAAS 676/HA 676: West African Art
AAAS 679: African Expressive Culture
AAAS 690: Investigation and Conference (content varies)
AAAS 700: Africa in World Politics
AAAS 715: Seminar in African Art

Anth 785: Kongo Trans-Atlantic
Anth 785: African Southern Savanna
Econ 587: Economic Development of Africa
Engl 526: African Literature
Fren 732: Francophone Studies
Hist 600: West African History
Hist 801: Colloquium in African History in Global Perspective
Ling 575: The Structure of: _________ (when this is the structure of Arabic, KiSwahili, Wolof, Hausa, or other African languages)
Ling 791: Topics in Linguistics (when the topic entails a focus on African languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Kiswahili, Wolof, or Hausa)
Pols 669: Business, Culture, and Society in Africa
TH&F 826: Seminar in African Theatre

In addition, students may be permitted to take “Topics” classes with an Africa 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 KASC-affiliated faculty. The Center has designated advisers according to clusters of faculty expertise that exist across disciplines and schools, in the areas of

Politics and Development Studies , Histories and Societies , Literature and Orature , Visual and Performing Arts , and African Languages and Cultures , and certificate students should take courses that cluster along the lines of these areas of expertise.