Vanderbilt University's African American and Diaspora Studies program offers an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and comparative curriculum of study of the histories, literatures, music, visual cultures, and politics of people of African descent around the world. To that end, the African American and Diaspora Studies program focuses on several geographic areas: Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. The certificate in diaspora studies has been designed to complement students' disciplinary training, expose them to the interdisciplinary trends in the academy, and broaden their career possibilities.
The diaspora studies certificate provides graduate students with access to interdisciplinary scholarship in the dynamic and continually evolving field of studies in the worldwide African diaspora. The certificate also gives students a competitive edge and interdisciplinary training for the still robust career outlook for specialists in pan-black studies as well as in the search for postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities and social sciences.
The certificate in diaspora studies is open to any student enrolled in graduate study at Vanderbilt University. Acceptance to the program requires the approval of the African American and Diaspora Studies program graduate studies committee, comprising the director of graduate studies, the chair of African American and Diaspora Studies, and one other faculty member from African American and Diaspora Studies.
Students must also submit as part of the application to the certificate program: 1) a one-page description of their interests in African diaspora studies and how it relates to their graduate program of study; and 2) complete an Intent to Enroll form, which must be signed by the student, the AADS director of graduate studies, and the director of graduate studies for the degree program in which the student is enrolled. A signed copy of the form should be submitted to the Graduate School ([email protected]), to the Office of the University Registrar (URO) ([email protected]), and to the AADS program administrator ([email protected]).
For more detailed information on the diaspora certificate, please go to vu.edu/aads or contact the director of graduate studies in the Department of African American and Diaspora Studies.