Graduate Certificate in African Studies

The Graduate Certificate in African Studies is available to graduate students who fulfill basic requirements in African area studies within an existing degree program. (Degrees are not awarded in African Studies.) Candidates interested in African Studies take advanced degrees in the departments of their choice while choosing from courses with African content from any of Boston University’s schools. While the African Studies Center is based in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, graduate students in any of Boston University’s schools can earn a Graduate Certificate in African Studies.

A major aim of the program is to provide specialized training and research experience in African studies to advanced students interested in research, teaching, and professional careers. The resources of the center are also available to outside agencies, groups, and individuals with general or specialized interests in African affairs.

The certificate will be useful for students taking professional degrees in law, management, international relations, communication, education, fine arts, medicine, or public health where official recognition of African area studies expertise is advantageous.

Requirements

Programs involving work in more than one department are encouraged. A Graduate Certificate in African Studies can be obtained by graduate students who fulfill basic requirements in African area studies within a degree program.

To receive the certificate, students must:

• Successfully complete at least 16 hours of coursework from the African Studies core curriculum
• Obtain a grade of B or higher in each of the core courses
• Include courses from at least two departments or schools
• Include no more than 8 hours of courses in directed study or research (not including continuing student credits)
• Complete a piece of significant research such as an MA or MFA thesis or doctoral dissertation, or two substantial research papers in graduate-level seminars
• Have a reading knowledge of an African language or major European language used in African Studies
• Receive approval of completion from the director or assistant director of the African Studies Center and the student’s faculty advisor

Funding

The African Studies Center offers funding to a sizable number of graduate students whose work focuses on Africa and who are seeking to complete the Graduate Certificate. Several Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships are available to qualified candidates for the MA or PhD degrees who plan to specialize in African Studies and have an interest in learning an African language.

African Studies Courses

The following courses are representative of those considered core African courses or available directed research opportunities.

African American Studies

• CAS AA 588 Women, Power, and Culture in Africa
• GRS AA 871 African American History
• GRS AA 885 Atlantic History

Anthropology

• CAS AN 520 Nilotic Peoples: African Culture in Depth
• CAS AN 524 Language and Culture Contacts in Africa
• CAS AN 538 Human Ecology of Modern Africa
• CAS AN 540 Anthropology and Aesthetics
• CAS AN 563 Public Religion and Politics Across Cultures
• CAS AN 571 Seminar: Political Anthropology
• CAS AN 585 Seminar: Advanced Reading in African Ethnography
• CAS AN 589 Seminar: Development Anthropology
• CAS AN 594 Seminar: Topics in Cultural Anthropology
• GRS AN 703 Proseminar: Anthropology
• GRS AN 704 Proseminar: Anthropology
• GRS AN 712 Studies in African Ethnography
• GRS AN 731 Human Origins
• GRS AN 751 Graduate Study in Language, Culture, and Society
• GRS AN 761 Graduate Study in Social Anthropology
• GRS AN 901 Directed Study in Anthropology
• GRS AN 902 Directed Study in Anthropology
• GRS AN 931 Directed Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology
• GRS AN 932 Directed Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology
• GRS AN 965 African Anthropological Studies
• GRS AN 966 African Anthropological Studies

Archaeology

• CAS AR 513 African Archaeology
• CAS AR 532 Near East Archaeology
• GRS AR 706 Archaeology of Complex Societies
• GRS AR 746 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
• GRS AR 800 Seminar: Food-Gathering Societies
• GRS AR 905, 906 Directed Research in Old-World Prehistoric Archaeology

Earth & Environment

• GRS GG 806 Topics in Political Geography
• GRS GG 901 Topics in Regional Geography
• GRS GG 902 Topics in Regional Geography
• GRS GG 941 Problems in Political Geography
• GRS GG 942 Problems in Political Geography

Economics

• CAS EC 521 Development Theory and Policy
• CAS EC 524 The Economy of the Middle East
• CAS EC 527 Economic Development of Africa
• CAS EC 531 Rural and Agricultural Development
• CAS EC 561 Economic History of the Non-Western World
• CAS EC 568 Public Finance Policy Issues in Less-Developed Countries
• CAS EC 588 Health Economics in Developing Countries
• GRS EC 722 Topics in Economic Development
• GRS EC 742 Money and Finance in Developing Countries
• GRS EC 753 International Trade and Finance I
• GRS EC 806 Applied Macroeconomics
• GRS EC 832 Seminar: Rural and Agricultural Development
• GRS EC 901 Dissertation Workshop in Macro and Monetary Economics
• GRS EC 902 Dissertation Workshop in Macro and Monetary Economics
• GRS EC 941 Dissertation Workshop in Economic Development
• GRS EC 942 Dissertation Workshop in Economic Development

History

• CAS HI 584 Comparative Slavery
• CAS HI 588 Women, Power, and Culture in Africa
• CAS HI 589 History of Environment and Society
• CAS HI 595 History of Morocco
• GRS HI 870 African Historiography
• GRS HI 877 Problems in African History
• GRS HI 903 Directed Study: African History
• GRS HI 960 Directed Research: Oral History
• GRS HI 973 Directed Research: African History

History of Art & Architecture

• GRS AH 715 Arts of Africa
• GRS AH 716 African Diaspora Arts

International Relations

• CAS IR 548 United Nations Peacekeeping System
• CAS IR 587 Political Economy in the Middle East

African Languages

Amharic

• CAS LD 111 Amharic 1
• CAS LD 112 Amharic 2
• CAS LD 211 Amharic 3
• CAS LD 212 Amharic 4
• CAS LD 311 Amharic 5
• CAS LD 312 Amharic 6

Arabic

• CAS LY 111 Elementary Modern Arabic I
• CAS LY 112 Elementary Modern Arabic II
• CAS LY 211 Second-Year Modern Arabic I
• CAS LY 212 Second-Year Modern Arabic II
• CAS LY 303 Third-Year Modern Arabic I
• CAS LY 304 Third-Year Modern Arabic II

Hausa

• CAS LA 111 Hausa 1
• CAS LA 112 Hausa 2
• CAS LA 211  Hausa 3
• CAS LA 212 Hausa 4
• CAS LA 311 Hausa 5
• CAS LA 312  Hausa 6

Hausa 7 and 8 are also available, in a directed study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

Igbo

• CAS LD 119 Igbo 1
• CAS LD 120 Igbo 2 (Spring 2013)
• CAS LD 219 Igbo 3 (Fall 2013)
• CAS LD 220 Igbo 4 (Spring 2014)

Swahili

• CAS LE 111 Swahili 1
• CAS LE 112 Swahili 2
• CAS LE 211 Swahili 3
• CAS LE 212 Swahili 4
• CAS LE 311 Swahili 5
• CAS LE 312 Swahili 6

Swahili 7 and 8 are also available, in a directed study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

Wolof

• CAS LW 111 Wolof 1
• CAS LW 112 Wolof 2
• CAS LW 211 Wolof 3
• CAS LW 212 Wolof 4
• CAS LW 311 Wolof 5
• CAS LW 312 Wolof 6
• CAS LW 411 Wolof 7
• CAS LW 412 Wolof 8

Xhosa

• CAS LM 111 isiXhosa 1
• CAS LM 112 isiXhosa 2
• CAS LM 211 isiXhosa 3
• CAS LM 212 isiXhosa 4

Zulu

• CAS LD 115 isiZulu 1
• CAS LD 116 isiZulu 2
• CAS LD 215 isiZulu 3
• CAS LD 216 isiZulu 4
• CAS LD 315 isiZulu 5
• CAS LD 316 isiZulu 6

isiZulu 7 and 8 are also available, in a directed study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

Other African Languages and Linguistics

• CAS LD 119, 120 Introduction to the Study of an African Language
• CAS LD 219
• CAS LD 220
• CAS LD 319
• CAS LD 320
• CAS LD 491, 492 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics
• CAS LD 951, 952 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics

Other languages offered as needed.

Political Science

• CAS PO 560 Politics and Society in North Africa and the Middle East
• CAS PO 565 Government and Politics of Contemporary Africa
• CAS PO 566 Political Systems of Southern Africa
• CASPO 587 International Human Rights
• GRS PO 760 Problems in Contemporary Africa
• GRS PO 786 African International Relations
• GRS PO 866 Politics of French-Speaking Africa
• GRS PO 951 Directed Study in Comparative Politics
• GRS PO 952 Directed Study in Comparative Politics
• GRS PO 971 Directed Study in International Relations
• GRS PO 972 Directed Study in International Relations

Religion

• GRS RN 714 West African Religion
• GRS RN 715 Traditional African Religion

Sociology

• GRS SO 820 Women and Social Change in the Developing World

Directed Study or Research

• GRS EC 941 Dissertation Workshop in Economic Development
• GRS EC 942 Dissertation Workshop in Economic Development
• GRS GG 901 Topics in Regional Geography
• GRS GG 902 Topics in Regional Geography
• GRS GG 941 Problems in Political Geography
• GRS GG 942 Problems in Political Geography
• GRS HI 903 Directed Study: African History
• GRS HI 957 Directed Research: Oral History
• GRS HI 973 Directed Research: African History
• GRS PO 951 Directed Study in African Political Studies
• GRS PO 952 Directed Study in African Political Studies
• GRS PO 971 Directed Study in International Politics
• GRS PO 972 Directed Study in International Politics