70 TOTAL credit hours required
48-63 credit hours must be taken from Core Courses and the other 7-22 credit hours can be used for Electives.
Core Requirements
(48-63 credit hours)
1. Seminar: Readings in African Studies (5)
2. Center for International Studies Colloquium (1 credit per quarter – Winter, Spring, Fall)
3. Language (9-15) There are three options for fulfilling the language requirement:
- One year of African language: Akan, Amharic, Arabic, Gikuyu, Pulaar, Somali, Sudanese Arabic, Swahili, Tigrinya, Wolof (9-15)
- If already fluent in an African language, you may receive a waiver of this requirement or language study can be applied to African Studies core requirements – Contact Dr. Howard for details.
- Summer Intensive programs - You may fulfill your language requirement during the summer at the following programs:
1. SCALI at Indiana University (12)
2. Intermediate Swahili in Mombasa, Kenya, or Yale University
3. Advanced Swahili GPA in Tanzania
4. Advanced Zulu GPA in South Africa
4. Social Sciences (15 credits in at least 3 disciplines):
- Anthropology – Dr. Diane Ciekawy
- History: Dr. Nick Creary, Sholeh Quinn
- Political Science: Dauda Abubakar
- Geography: Drs. Edna Wangui, Tom Smucker
- Economics: Dr. Julia Paxton
5. Arts & Humanities (i.e. Literature/Arts/Theater) (5 credits): Drs. Esiaba Irobi, Zelma Badu-Younge, Ghirmai Negash, Zakes Mda, Gene Blocker, Paschal Younge, Andrea Frohne, Vibert Cambridge
6. Research Methods (5 credits):
- TCOM: Field Research in Developing Countries
7. Institute for the African Child summer sessions (5 credits per course – 2 course minimum, 3 course maximum). The Institute for the African Child offers several short-term, intensive courses during the summer that enable students to gain a full quarter's worth of credit. Some courses may also count towards the core program requirements. Past courses have included, “Education, AIDS and Development in Africa,” “Linguistic Human Rights of the African Child,” “Theater for Development: An International Perspective,” and “Food and Nutrition Security in Africa.”
Elective Course Requirements
(7-22 hours)
You may enroll in 7-22 hours of courses in a discipline or professional area of your choice (i.e. Anthropology, Business, Communications, Economics, Education, Geography, Health and Human Services, History, Humanities, Political Science, Public Administration).
Comprehensive Exam, Thesis, or Professional Project Options
1. Comprehensive Exams are required in the last quarter before you graduate. The exam will include several questions. You will have four hours to complete three essay questions of your choice. These questions will encompass the key disciplines of African Studies (i.e. History, Political Science, Anthropology, Education, Humanities). The exams will be graded by core faculty and will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis.
2. Thesis. If you are interested in writing a thesis, discuss this with the director as soon as possible. Thesis proposals can be developed in the Research Methods courses. Proposals should be approved by your committee by the third week of spring quarter of your first year. A thesis can be written in lieu of the comprehensive exam.
3. Professional Project. If you are planning to undertake a Professional Project to complete the Capstone Requirement, please review on http://www.internationalstudies.ohio.edu/student-info/forms-guidelines.htm
The project guidelines are listed under each program's section as the guidelines vary somewhat from program to program.
The forms can be found under the "General" section:
1) Capstone Requirement Approval
2) Professional Project Proposal Approval
3) Professional Project Evaluation
If you have any questions, please see your program director.
Yamada International House, 56 E. Union Street, Athens OH 45701 (740) 593-1840