African Studies

• MA with Specialization in African Studies

About the Program

The Collaborative master’s with a Specialization in African Studies is especially designed for master’s students in participating programs in the Faculties of Arts and Social Science, Public Affairs, and the Sprott School of Business who wish to enrich their training in a particular discipline or area of study by developing expertise in African Studies through interdisciplinary dialogue.

The following master’s programs participate in the Collaborative Program in African Studies:

• Anthropology
• Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies (thesis and research essay MAs only)
• Business Administration (MBA)
• Economics
• English
• French and Francophone Studies
• Film Studies (thesis and research essay MAs only)
• History
• International Affairs
• Legal Studies
• Political Economy
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Women’s and Gender Studies

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Admission Requirements

Students who are enrolled in a master’s program in one of the participating units may apply to the Institute of African Studies for admission to the Collaborative Program. Admission to the program is determined by the Institute of African Studies Graduate Committee and will normally take place before the end of September the year of admittance in one of the participating master’s programs.

Admission requirements to the Collaborative master’s with a Specialization in African Studies are:

• Registration in the master’s program of one of the participating units;
• Approval of a student’s program of study by the Graduate Committee of the Institute of African Studies and the student’s home department. Students in a research essay or thesis program will be expected to choose a topic for the essay or thesis that is directly related to African Studies. Students in an approved course-work program will be required to take some elective courses in designated or approved courses with significant African content.

Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the Collaborative Program in African Studies must meet the requirements of their respective home units as well as those of the Collaborative Program. The requirements of the Collaborative Program do not, however, add to the number of credits students are required to accumulate by their home unit and the credit value of the degree remains the same.

The requirements of the Collaborative Program are:

1. 0.5 credit in AFRI 5000 African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives

2. 0.0 credit in AFRI 5800 Scholarly Preparation in African Studies which requires participation (normally at least 5) in public talks at Carleton in African Studies and a satisfactory presentation of proposed thesis or research essay or a term paper on an Africa Studies topic before African Studies faculty, graduate students and others for comments and feedback.

3. In addition, the following requirement(s) specific to particular master’s programs of the supporting units:

• Anthropology: Students in the course-work option would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses designated having sufficient African Studies content, at least 0.5 credits of which coming from ANTH 5109, ANTH 5202, ANTH 5209, ANTH 5809, SOCI 5404, or an Anthropology or Sociology course approved by the Graduate Coordinator of the Institute of African Studies.
• Business Administration: Students would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses designated having sufficient African Studies content,within the School of Business or elsewhere, with permission of the School.
• Economics: Students are required to take at least one of ECON 5500, ECON 5504, ECON 5505; those pursuing the non-thesis option are also required to take an approved African Studies elective.
• English: Students in the course-work option would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses designated having sufficient African Studies content, at least 0.5 credits of which coming fromENGL 5008 or ENGL 5010, or an English course approved by the Graduate Coordinator of the Institute of African Studies.
• French: Students in the Comprehensive Exam program would be required to have their general exam (FREN 5907) in the area of African Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Supervisor of French and the Graduate Coordinator of the Institute of African Studies.
• History: Students in the research essay option, 1.0 credits with African Studies content are required. At least 0.5 credits must be a History course such as HIST 5812, HIST 5900, HIST 5902, or an appropriately themed fourth year seminar. Up to 0.5 credits of courses with African Studies content may be taken outside the History department with departmental permission.
• International Affairs: Students in the course-work option would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses accepted by the Institute of African Studies Graduate Coordinator as having sufficient African content, and accepted by the NPSIA MA Program Supervisor or Associate Director as being relevant to the student’s program of study. These courses would normally be drawn from the social science courses listed under the collaborative program.
• Political Science: Students in the course-work option would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses designated having sufficient African Studies content, at least 0.5 credits of which coming from PSCI 5107, PSCI 5203, PSCI 5801, or another Political Science course approved by both the Graduate Supervisor in Political Science and the Graduate Coordinator of the Institute of African Studies.
• Sociology: Students in the course-work option would be required to take 1.0 credits in courses designated having sufficient African Studies content, at least 0.5 credits of which coming from SOCI 5404, ANTH 5109, ANTH 5202, ANTH 5209, ANTH 5809, or a Sociology or Anthropology course approved by the Graduate Coordinator of the Institute of African Studies.

4. For those doing a thesis or research essay/paper, submission and successful defence of a master’s thesis or research essay/paper on an African Studies topic in the participating unit. The proposed topic must be approved by the student's home unit and by the Graduate Committee of the Institute of African Studies. At least one of the student's advisors or members of the examining committee will normally be selected from among
the core faculty for the Collaborative Program. If not, the student must write a summary explaining the relevance of the thesis or research paper to African Studies, which will then be reviewed by the Graduate Committee of the Institute of African Studies and approved if deemed satisfactory.

Selection of Courses

The courses listed below (all are worth 0.5 credit) are relevant to students of African Studies and could, with the approval of the specific requirements of the units involved, be used as courses to help fulfill degree requirements. There are also often graduate courses and 4000-level courses in a number of units at Carleton that are offered on an ad hoc basis that have significant content appropriate to African Studies. To have any such course count towards their degree requires approval of the Director of the Institute of African Studies when it is being offered.

Note: the number of spaces in graduate courses offered by other departments may be limited, and registration may be conditional upon obtaining the prior approval of the department concerned. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that permission is obtained from the appropriate department prior to registering in any of the following courses.