The program in African American Studies provides an opportunity for students to complement doctoral studies in their home department with coordinated interdisciplinary training in African American Studies. Students entering the program may come from any department in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Requirements for earning the graduate certificate include the introductory readings course, AAS 500; two additional courses; participation in the yearlong Faculty-Graduate Seminar; and completion of a dissertation on a topic of significance to the field of African American Studies. Students wishing to obtain a graduate certificate in African American Studies are encouraged to consult with the Director of Graduate Affairs, ideally during their first year, to plan their course of study.
Graduate engagement with the department is not limited to students pursuing requirements of the certificate. Participation in the Faculty-Graduate Seminar, with its annually rotating focus area, is open to all Princeton graduate students seeking to engage in the intellectually stimulating community of the department. Recent seminar topics include 'Black Studies in the Digital Age,' 'Sexuality in African American Communities and Cultures,' 'Black Studies and Biopolitics,' 'African/American Diasporic Literature' and 'The Politics of Black Families and Intimacies.' The department also sponsors programming and events throughout the academic year for graduate students at all stages. Formal admission to the certificate will take place upon completion of the general examination and admission to candidacy in the student's home department.
Professor Ruha Benjamin serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of African American Studies.
Note: Students cannot be admitted to Princeton University through the African American Studies Certificate Program since it is not a degree program. All graduate admissions decisions will be made through affiliated departments.