Certificate of Proficiency
To obtain the certificate of proficiency, undergraduate students must complete the requirements in their major department as well as the following requirements of the program.
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One foundational course from a list of designated courses (such as ART 237, ART 260/AAS 260/AFS 260, COM 239/AFS 239, HIS 314, or HIS 316) that serves as an “Introduction to Africa”
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One course each in three of the four key areas: 1) Culture, Literature, and the Arts, 2) History, 3) Science, Technology, and Health, and 4) Politics and Economics
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One elective course from one of the four key areas that can be an “advanced topics” seminar offered by Africanists in a variety of departments or the year-long sequence in Swahili offered on campus
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The Senior Colloquium where students discuss work in progress
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A senior thesis on Africa or an African-related topic.
Students who study at the University of Cape Town or elsewhere must submit courses for certificate credit to the program manager for director approval.
The Program in African Studies is a multidisciplinary forum that brings together students and faculty to learn about Africa--its peoples, environments, and resources--by exploring cultural, historical, political, scientific, and technological issues. These themes are brought together in foundational courses and are reinforced in the senior colloquium where students share their works in progress. Since a number of departments offer foundational courses that focus on African issues, any one of these can serve as and “Introduction to Africa.” In between these "bookends," students will take four additional courses from at least 3 of the following 4 key areas: 1) culture, literature, and the arts; 2) history; 3) science, technology, and health;, and 4) politics and economics. Students are encouraged to study in Africa and the program offers language and literature courses in Kiswahili and sponsors and endorses a variety of field study programs. The program casts a wide net, enabling students majoring in any department to design a course of study that satisfies their interests in Africa.
2013-2014 Certificate Requirement Sheet
Certificate Courses
The undergraduate courses of interest to certificate students are offered by an array of departments. Some courses, not on the list below, may also qualify for the certificate. Please contact Rebecca Aguas with any questions.
Course descriptions are available in the current Undergraduate Announcement, which can be found online at the Office of the Registrar.
Fall 2013
AFS 303 Social Structure in Africa: Responses to Socio Political and Economic Forces
SWA 101 Elementary Swahili I
SWA 105 Intermediate Swahili I
SWA 200/COM 200 Readings in Kiswahili Literature & East African Culture
AAS 411/ART 471/AFS 411 Art, Apartheid, and South Africa
ART 260/AAS 260/AFS 260 Introduction to African Art
COM 239/AFS 239/AAS 239 Introduction to African Literature and Film
EEB 341/ENV 341 Water, Savannas and Society: Resilience and Sustainability in African Drylands
GEO 499/ENV 499 Environmental Change, Poverty, and Conflict
HIS 314 Precolonial Africa
HIS 404 Roots in Human Trafficking: Imperialism, Modern Slavery, and Africa
HIS 515 Modern African History: Society, Violence, Displacement, and Memory
POL 366 Politics in Africa
Complete List of Certificate Courses
African Studies
AFS200 |
Introduction to African Studies |
AFS302 |
Local Governance and Development in Africa |
AFS303 |
Social Structure in Africa: Responses to Socio-Political and Economic Forces Since Independence |
AFS372 |
African Cultural Forms in Political Spheres |
AFS374 |
African Development and Globalization |
AFS375 |
Science, Technology, and African Development |
AFS427 |
Conflict in Africa |
Anthropology
ANT314 |
The Anthropology of Development |
Art and Achaeology
ART237 |
Modern & Contemporary African Art |
ART260/AAS260/AFS260 |
Introduction to African Art |
ART590 |
Masking and Theory |
Comparative Literature
COM239/AFS239 |
Introduction to African Literature and Film |
COM308 |
Postcolonial Literature/Postcolonial Criticism |
COM370 |
Topics in Comparative Literature (Only if an Africa-related topic) |
COM385/AAS385/AFS385 |
Masterpieces of African Literature |
Dance
DAN211/AAS211 |
The American Dance Experience and Africanist Dance Practices |
Economics
ECO339 |
Introduction to Population Problems |
ECO351 |
Economics of Development |
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
EEB341/ENV341 |
Water, Savannas, and Society |
EEB380 (Kenya) |
Ecology & Conservation of African Landscapes |
Engineering
EGR495 |
Special Topics in Entrepreneurship: Ventures to Address Global Challenges |
English
ENG383/COM384 |
Topics in Literature and Nationality: Magical States |
ENG417/AFS416 |
Topics in Literature and Nationality: Postcolonial Cities |
French
FRE330/AFS330 |
Aimé Césaire: Postcolonial Poetry, Theatre, Critique |
FRE368/AFS368 |
Critiques of Violence |
FRE371 |
World Literature in French |
Freshman Seminar
FRS108 |
How Not to Go to Africa: Alternative Voices on the (East) African Narrative |
Global Seminar
GLS 305 |
The African American Atlantic |
History
HIS314 |
Precolonial Africa |
HIS315 |
Colonial and Postcolonial Africa |
HIS316 |
South African History 1497 to the Present |
HIS404 |
Slavery in Africa/Roots of Human Trafficking: Imperialism, Modern Slavery, & Africa |
HIS496 |
Africa, Medical Pluralism and the History of Health and Disease |
HIS515 |
Modern African Histories, Society, Violence, Displacement and Memory |
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MAE456 (Kenya) |
Global Technology |
Music
MUS258 |
Music of Africa |
Politics
POL351 |
Politics in the Developing Countries |
POL366 |
Politics in Africa |
POL433 |
Seminar in Comparative Politics: Themes in African Politics |
Sociology
SOC245/LAS245 |
Social Change and Modernization and Revolution |
Swahili
SWA101 & SWA102 |
Elementary Swahili I & II |
SWA105 & SWA107 |
Intermediate Swahili I & II |
SWA200/COM200 |
Readings in Kiswahili Literature & East African Culture |
SWA300/COM366 |
East African Drama in Kiswahili |
SWA305/COM367 |
Kiswahili Novel |
