Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies
This certificate offers students the opportunity to develop a thorough grounding in the
interdisciplinary field of Africana Studies. Africana Studies is the analysis of the lives, thoughts,
and creations, broadly defined, of people of African ancestry on the African continent and
throughout the world; this includes their histories, languages, literatures and arts, cultures, and
socio-economic and political realities as they are manifest in the United States, Central and
South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and indeed anywhere people of African descent are
found.
The Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies offers interested master or doctoral students an
opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary graduate concentration in Africana Studies, while at
the same time earning a degree in a disciplinary major field. In addition to gaining knowledge of
peoples and of issues with particular significance to the Africana world, students pursuing this
certificate will also benefit from the interdisciplinary training that is the hallmark of Africana
Studies. They will be exposed to the scholarship, methods, and theories of the multiple
disciplines that contribute to the critical analysis and understanding of the Africana world.
Faculty Participation
The Graduate Certificate Program in Africana Studies is guided by faculty from a variety of
departments throughout the University. It is recommended, though not required, that the
Student’s Advisory Committee include one of the Africana Studies teaching faculty as a
member.
Eligibility
Any Texas A & M University graduate student enrolled in a masters or doctoral program may
apply for a Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies. To be eligible to pursue the certificate, a
student must meet the following additional conditions:
 The student must be in good academic standing.
 The student must submit all the application materials listed under “How to Apply.”
 The student must have her or his pursuit of the certificate approved by the Director of
Africana Studies after review of all the application materials.
Requirements
Certificate candidates must complete 12 hours of Africana Studies approved course work and
receive a grade of at least a B in each course completed. Those 12 hours should include:
 3 hours of humanities credits.
 3 hours of social science credits.
 3 hours of approved free elective (from any of the Colleges on the Texas A & M
University campus).
 AFST 601 - This is a required course for all students pursuing the graduate certificate.
Courses
The courses currently approved for this certificate program are taught in a variety of departments
across the College of Liberal Arts, including Anthropology, Communication, English, Hispanic
Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. The Africana
Studies Program has plans to offer courses in other colleges in the near future. Please see the
attached list of currently approved courses. Note that while senior-level undergraduate courses
(400-level) are included on the list, only 3 credit hours of coursework may be taken at that level
to count toward the Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies; the remainder of the credit hours
must be at the graduate level. Also note that with prior approval, up to 3 of the 12 required
credit hours may be taken through an Independent Study or a Readings Course in a Africanacontent course in the student’s major department. If the student’s thesis or dissertation involves
a substantial Africana Studies focus, up to 3 hours of the thesis or dissertation research hours
may be counted toward the certificate provided that the research is shared through a public forum
on the A & M campus (e.g., brown bag, Glasscock lecture, RESI lecture, etc.). It is understood
that courses counted toward the certificate may also count toward the major degree requirements.
How to Apply
Student enrolled in a masters or doctoral program at Texas A & M University who want to earn a
Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies should speak to the Africana Studies director and the
appropriate departmental graduate advisor as early as possible in their program of study so that a
plan of study can be worked out. Application materials for the certificate program will be
accepted at any point during the academic year. Once the required 12 hours are completed, the
Graduate Certificate will be awarded, usually at a Spring Africana Studies event.
For more information on the Africana Studies Graduate Certificate, please contact the
director of the Africana Studies Program, located in Suite 312 Anthropology, College
Station, Texas 77843-4456, (979) 845-0264. You may e-mail the administrative assistant at
annettej@tamu.edu and she will pass your request along to the director.
Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies 2
Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies
Application
Name:________________________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
E-mail:_______________________________________________________________________
Telephone:____________________________________________________________________
Department in which you are currently enrolled:____________________________________
Degree pursued:_______________________________________________________________
Anticipated graduation date:_____________________________________________________
Have you done course work in Africana Studies previously at Texas A & M University?
Yes____________
No___________
Academic background:
Undergraduate Degree (B.A., B.S., etc.):_____________________________________
Year earned:____________________________________________________________
Major:_________________________________________________________________
Minor:_________________________________________________________________
Institution:______________________________________________________________
Other Academic Degrees:__________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies 3
Other relevant experience:_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Application Materials:
1) A brief letter explaining your interest in pursuing the certificate.
2) A list of proposed courses to be taken.
3) A current transcript.
Please share this completed application form, along with the above listed application materials
with the graduate advisor in your department and have him or her sign below as evidence of
approval of your plan of study. Submit this form and the accompanying application materials to
the director of the Africana Studies program.
Name of graduate advisor:________________________________________________
Signature of advisor:_____________________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________________________________
Advisor’s e-mail address:_________________________________________________
Advisor’s telephone number:______________________________________________
Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies 4
List of Approved Courses for the Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies
The following is a sampling of courses that count towards the fulfillment of the certificate
requirements. New courses will be added to the list annually. Please consult with the Africana
Studies director for the most current list of courses, or to inquire about the possibility of
including an Africana-content course that is not listed below.
Partial Graduate Course List
ENGL 669. Topics in African American and Africana Literature and Culture
ENGL 673. Topics in Transnational Literatures and Cultures (Dependent on topic. Course
must be 50% AFST)
HIST 636. History of the American South
PERF 605. Topics in Globalization and Performance Studies. ((Dependent on topic. Course
must be 50% AFST)
POLS 625. Seminar in Comparative Race and Ethnic Politics.
POLS 644. Seminar in Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy.
POLS 674. Seminar in Race, Ethnicity and American Politics.
SOCI 617. Comparative Ethnic Relations.
SOCI 660. Theories of Race and Ethnic Group Relations.
SOCI 662. Racism and Anti-Racism.
SOCI 663. Black and Latino Americans.
SOCI 667. Seminar in Race and Ethnic Relations.
400 Level Courses
AFST 481. Senior Seminar in Africana Studies
AFST 485. Directed Studies in Africana Studies
AFST 489. Special Topics in Africana Studies
AFST 491. Research in Africana Studies
ANTH 445. Anthropology of the African Diaspora (In development)
ANTH 440. Anthropology of Globalization (In development)
COMM 407. Women, Minorities and the Mass Media.
COMM 425. Rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement.
FILM 401. National Cinema History. (When the subject is AFST related)
HIST 401. Slavery in World History.
HIST 449. History of Brazil, 1822 to the Present.
Potential Courses Outside of the College of Liberal Arts
EDCI 642. Multicultural Education: Theory, Research and Practice.
EDCI 643. Teaching in Urban Environments.
HLTH 635. Race, Ethnicity and Health.
PLAN 623. Development Planning in Third World Countries.
SPSY 629. Psychosocial Variables in the Education of Minority Children.
SPED 611. Multicultural Special Education.
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SPMT 613. Diversity in Sport Organizations.
400 Level Courses
ALED 422. Cultural Pluralism in Agriculture.
ARCH 458. Cultural and Ethical Considerations for Global Practice.
EHRD 408. Diversity Issues and Practices in HRD.
GEOG 406. Geographic Perspectives on Contemporary Urban Issues.
URSC 461. Urban Issues.
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