At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The purpose of this 12-credit Certificate is to provide students with an opportunity to comprehend the breadth of African literature, visual arts, and performance, and how these creative cultural practices respond to and shape political, economic, and social concerns. Through courses that introduce them to an inclusive array of African artistic and expressive practices, students will gain fluency in the cultural and creative diversity of African and Afro-diasporic peoples. Students will receive training in critical theory that prepares them to understand and interpret forms of expressive culture in African contexts and through African knowledge systems. They will learn to analyze the complex interrelations of local and global audiences, networks, and traditions in both formal artistic practice and vernacular art forms in their material, immaterial, and embodied expressions. Students may choose to focus on an area of study (e.g. performance) or to pursue an interdisciplinary selection of courses.
Learning objectives include:
- Students will be able to identify, describe, and analyze prevalent forms of African expressive culture and artistic practice and the key issues they address;
- Students will be able to think critically and discuss how local and global networks shape the production, dissemination, and reception of myriad forms of expressive cultures;
- Students will understand the ways in which African creative and artistic expression contributes to politics, social life, and knowledge production;
- Students will gain hands-on experience in field research or artistic practice through study abroad opportunities;
- Students will gain skills related to a career in the arts or in foundations, museums, educational institutions or other non-profits that support, research in, or teach cultural diversity and the arts.
Program Requirements
To earn an undergraduate certificate in African Literature, Visual Arts, and Performance, a minimum of 12 credits is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
Africa in Cinema  | ||
| African Art | ||
| African Studies Methodologies | ||
| Introduction to African Literatures | ||
| Introduction to West African Dance and Culture | ||
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Contemporary Africa | ||
| Afro-Hispanic Civilization | ||
| Women, Gender, and Feminisms in Africa | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Language Rights, Policy, and Planning | ||
| Topics in the Art of the African Diaspora | ||
AFR 459 | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas | ||
| Topics in African Art | ||
| African Drama | ||
| African Novel | ||
| Mojah Fusion Dance | ||
DANCE 411 | ||
| African Literature of French Expression | ||
| Reading Black, Reading Feminist | ||
No prerequisites required.
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