African and African American Studies

Questions about these requirements? Contact Keirsten Melbourne.

The Department of African and African American Studies offers a graduate degree in African and African American Studies. The program offers rigorous interdisciplinary training in the humanities and the social sciences, with a focus in a disciplinary field, leading to the PhD.

Advising

 All incoming students will be assigned a graduate advising committee for pre-dissertation years (G1 & G2). This committee will be composed of: DGS (or Graduate Committee Representative), Graduate Program Coordinator, and at least two faculty members from AAAS. One AAAS faculty member will be designated “primary advisor.” (The purpose of the committee is to help with course selection, field general questions about the program, plan areas of focus and exams, etc.)  

Committee assignments will be coordinated to take into account factors like faculty leave schedules, advising load distribution, declared student interest, faculty rank, and expected exam areas.   

Students may petition the DGS in writing to change their committee after the first year.  

In the first year, the student must meet with their graduate advising committee at least three times, preferably:   

1. prior to, or at the beginning of, the Fall semester 
2. during Spring course pre-registration in the Fall semester, and  
3. at the end of Spring semester to review the graduate student self-report.  

During the second year (G2), the student must meet with their graduate advising committee at least twice per academic year, preferably once during Spring course pre-registration in the Fall, and again at the end of the academic year to review the graduate student-self-report.  

At the General Exam, Prospectus stage, and beyond (G3 & G4+), examination and dissertation committees will take over and are expected to meet at least annually “to reflect on the progress towards the dissertation, and on other aspects of the candidate’s professional profile (teaching, attending conferences, giving papers, publishing articles, etc.).”   

Academic Residence

A minimum of two years of full-time study (14 4-credit courses or equivalent) is required.

Program of Study

Students must take a combination of 14 courses of which 7 must be courses in a primary field. The distribution of courses in the first three years of study is as follows:

First Year

African and African American Studies 201 and/or 202  

These required courses focus on major theories and philosophical perspectives on the study of Africa (201) and the Americas (202). At least one of these courses will be offered every year and both will be offered in any two-year period. Students can take these classes in their first or second year.  

In addition, students must ordinarily take at least six other courses of which at least two must be in the Department of African and African American Studies and two in the primary field.  

Save under exceptional circumstances, the Department of African and African American Studies does not give credit toward the PhD for courses from other universities, and under no circumstances would the Department give credit for more than two courses.  

Second Year 

Students must ordinarily take at least six courses in their second year.  

Students will ordinarily be required to take all of the following courses or their equivalents by the end of their second year:  

• one graduate seminar in African or African American History
• one graduate seminar in African or African American Humanities
• one graduate methods course
• one graduate seminar in African or African American Social Sciences (other than History)
• the Graduate Seminars AAAS 201 and AAAS 202.

During their second year, students must produce a paper of publishable quality. This must be done no later than the second term of their second year. This can be done in a graduate seminar (like AAAS 201 or 202) or in an independent tutorial through AAAS 391 (Directed Writing). Students will not be allowed to take their oral general examination unless they satisfactorily complete a research paper.  

By the end of the second year, the total number of courses should be 14, including at least 5 in African and African American Studies and 7 in the primary field. In particular, students should take all courses required for an AM in their primary field. 

Third Year   

Students must have completed all coursework and language requirements prior to their oral exams for their admission to candidacy.  

By the end of the fall term of this year, students must have completed the oral exam described below.  

Master of Arts (AM)

The department does not admit candidates for a terminal AM degree, but students who have met all the course requirements for the degree may petition to be awarded an AM in African and African American Studies. (Students may also find that they can meet the requirements for the AM in their primary field. Students should consult with the DGS in their primary field if they wish to pursue this option.)

Other Requirements:

Teaching

• An important element of graduate education in the program is the experience of working as a teaching fellow in courses in African or African American Studies. The department encourages students to seek teaching opportunities in their primary fields. The graduate committee must verify that a student has had sufficient preparation in teaching before voting the degree.
• Students are required to teach at least three courses during their third and fourth years of graduate school. Students ordinarily teach at least two courses in African and African American Studies and one in their primary field. If designated as part of the student’s financial package, students are expected to teach in their third and fourth years at the rate of two-fifths per term. The Department will assist the student in securing teaching positions. Priority for teaching fellow positions is given to students in their third and fourth years of graduate study.

Languages

The student’s advising committee will identify the language or languages appropriate for the student’s research in the primary field and make appropriate recommendations. 

The general expectations are as follows:  

African American Track 

Students are required to take one language (other than English) to the level of proficiency. 

African Track 

Students are required to take two languages (other than English) to the level of proficiency, at least one of which must be an African language. 

Afro-Latin American and Caribbean Track 

Students are required to take two Afro-Latin American languages to the level of proficiency.  This encompasses European languages (such as Spanish, Portuguese, French), African languages, and Afro-Diasporic languages (e.g. Kreyol, Papiamento).    

However, the advising committee, in consultation with the DGS, may propose modifications to these requirements if, in their judgment, an alternative is needed.   

Students may fulfill the language requirement in one of three ways: 

1. Students pursuing a Masters in Passing in their primary field must default to the language requirement standards of the graduate program in their primary field. If their primary field does not have a language requirement, they may avail themselves of options 2.b, 2.c, or 3 (below).
2. Students who do not elect to pursue a Masters in Passing in their primary field may choose among the following options, in consultation with their advising committee:
   1. Students already proficient in a language (other than English) may complete a proficiency test with the graduate program in their primary field.
   2. If the primary field department does not offer the necessary proficiency test(s), students should reach out to the AAAS Graduate Program Coordinator for test coordination.
   3. Students not proficient in a language (other than English) may enroll in and pass (with a minimum of a B) 2 semesters/8 credits of language (this includes courses at the Harvard Summer School) or equivalent in a summer language institute in the US or abroad.   
3. Students who received a degree from an institution of higher learning in which instruction was conducted primarily in a language other than English may request a waiver for their language requirement from their advising committee, if the committee considers the language appropriate to the student’s training.              

The student’s advising committee is responsible for determining whether the student has met an appropriate language requirement before scheduling the general exam.  Written confirmation of the fulfillment of this requirement must be sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator via email. 

Grade Requirements

Students must maintain a grade average of B+ or better in each year of graduate work. At no time may a student register for a term if they have more than one incomplete. Where the primary field requires either that all courses be passed at or above a certain grade or that the student’s average grade be higher than B+, the student will be required to meet that requirement for courses in the primary field.

No more than one incomplete may be carried forward at any time by a graduate student in African and African American Studies. It must be made up no later than six weeks after the start of the next term. In applying for an incomplete, students must have signed permission from the instructor and the director of graduate studies, or the course in question may not count toward the program requirements. If students do not complete work by the deadline, the course will not count toward the program requirements unless there are documented extenuating circumstances.

Admission to Candidacy

Oral Examination

Once students have completed their coursework, they begin to prepare for their oral exam in their primary field. For this purpose, they require a committee consisting of their major advisor and at least two others, at least one of whom should be a member of the discipline of the primary field. This committee–the student’s orals committee–meets with the student once their coursework is complete and defines a bibliography and a set of topics on which the student will be examined orally in the first term of the third year. Once the student has passed the oral exam, they prepare a written prospectus.

Prospectus

The prospectus is due at the latest by the end of the first term of the fourth year of residence. The student must discuss the prospectus with each member of the dissertation committee and then have a final oral exam on that prospectus: If the committee accepts the prospectus at the exam, the student is admitted to candidacy and begins research for the dissertation.

NOTE: Along with AAAS, many departments and independent groups organize dissertation colloquia for students in their fourth, fifth, and sixth years, at which they may present and discuss their research.

Dissertation

During the period that a student is working on the dissertation, the student will have a primary advisor and a dissertation committee. Each term, the student will consult with and report to the dissertation committee, which will in turn report to the committee on graduate studies as to the progress toward completion of the dissertation. While the student’s principal advisor will ordinarily become the primary advisor, and the prospectus committee will ordinarily become the dissertation committee, a student, in consultation with the DGS, may choose other faculty members. The dissertation committee must consist of a primary advisor and at least two others, at least one of whom must be a member of the discipline of the primary field. The primary advisor is the chair of the dissertation committee and must be a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). In addition, at least one other member of the dissertation committee must be a member of FAS.

Upon approval of the dissertation by the dissertation committee, the department, student, and the dissertation committee will agree upon a date for the dissertation defense. Completion of the dissertation is ordinarily expected by the end of the sixth year.

The dissertation defense is an oral examination open to any member of the university at which the dissertation committee leads in questioning the candidate on their work. Upon completion of the oral examination, the members of the graduate committee will consult with the dissertation committee and vote as to whether the candidate should be recommended for the PhD degree in African and African American Studies and whether the candidate passed with distinction.

Satisfactory Progress

The faculty monitors each student’s progress year by year. During the period between admission to candidacy and submission of the dissertation, the dissertation committee is asked whether the candidate is making satisfactory progress and has to certify in writing when the candidate has completed two draft chapters.

Summary of Requirements

• Fourteen courses in total:
  • African and African American Studies 201 and 202
  • one graduate seminar in African or African American History
  • one graduate seminar in African or African American Humanities
  • one graduate seminar in African or African American Social Sciences (other than History)
  • one graduate methods course
  • seven primary field courses
  • one elective graduate course.
• Any courses required for an AM in the primary field
• Completion of one research paper of publishable quality (may be completed through AAAS 391)
• Language requirements as specified
• B+ average at the end of each year (and any other requirements of the primary field)
• No more than one incomplete outstanding at any given time
• Oral exam for admission to candidacy
• Teaching experience
• Prospectus exam
• Dissertation completion
• Dissertation defense