African studies exposes students to courses that deal with African culture, literature, history, geography, philosophy, sociology, politics and economic development of Africa. Although the courses will focus on the entire continent, students may, upon the advice of the director and availability of qualified faculty, develop a region or a field of interest. Others might want to have special concentration in history, economics, political science or literature.
Courses that fulfill the requirements for the African studies certificate also allow non-major undergraduates to fulfill college core requirements, including foreign language, humanities, and literature. For instance, students interested in the Swahili language have the possibility of taking various course distributions from the basic language level to culture and literature courses in Kiswahili up to a minimum of 30 credits. Students in the certificate program complete 30 credit hours that can include 15 credits of basic language study and other courses offered by the Department and other academic units throughout the University. The certificate is designed for students who want to develop a specialty in African studies that will complement their existing area of study.