At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
For centuries, multiple networks and the circulation of people and goods across the maritime waters of the Indian Ocean had linked diverse spaces and communities in Africa and Asia. The cross-pollination of cultural ideas is still visible through built spaces, languages, literary works, performances, spiritual cultures, and in many everyday practices. Today many African and Asian countries are mobilizing the history of these exchanges to forge lasting partnerships through economic, educational, environmental, digital, infrastructural, and healthcare projects. This 12-credit certificate in “Africa-Asia Studies” will enable students to gain an integrated and grounded understanding of the past, present, and possible futures for African-Asian exchanges through a range of courses in humanities and social sciences. Students will learn the history of this South-South relationship and how it gained new solidarities in the postcolonial phase after the Bandung Conference in 1955. Students will study how Africa-Asia alliance redefines globalization, global networks, political capital, and also cultural connections. This certificate will also include an optional study abroad opportunity in Africa or Asia.
Program Requirements
To earn an undergraduate certificate in Africa-Asia Studies, a minimum of 12 credits is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| AFR 105 | African Biodiversity and Conservation  | 3 |
| or AFR 110N | Introduction to Contemporary Africa | |
| ASIA 100 | What is Asia? | 3 |
| or ASIA 100Z | ||
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Early African History | ||
| Modern African History | ||
| Women, Gender, and Feminisms in Africa | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| African Studies Methodologies | ||
| Ethnic Conflict in Africa | ||
| Government and Politics of Africa | ||
| Extractive Industries in Africa | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Individual Studies | ||
| Anthropological Demography | ||
| Ethnographic Field Methods | ||
| Introduction to the Religions of the East | ||
| South Asia: A Literary History | ||
ASIA 171 | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Technology & Society in Modern Asia | ||
| The Making and Emergence of Modern India | ||
Non-Course Requirements:
- As per University policy, all credit courses for a certificate require a grade of "C" or higher and at least two-thirds (2/3) of the credits used to complete a certificate must be earned at Penn State. If a student is completing multiple certificates in African Studies, no more than one (1) course may double-count for each.
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program
Contact
University Park
AFRICAN STUDIES PROGRAM
133 Willard Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-5406
jle1@psu.edu