Nov 25, 2024

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Undergraduate Certificate in African Studies

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Add a specialty to your degree with an undergraduate certification in African Studies. Gain a special insight into ancient and contemporary Africa from a scholarly perspective. The certificate program encompasses such areas of African affairs as history, political economics, geography, politics, and arts. It serves as a means by which the student can enhance his/her awareness of the diversity that characterizes human existence.

In sum, this program is designed to prepare and equip students with:
1. Inter-cultural sensitivity
2. The ability to develop social policies and cultural competencies applicable to their careers
3. Knowledge of key epistemological issues in African Studies
4. Research, critical thinking, and critical writing skills

Admission Requirements
In order to be admitted to this undergraduate certificate in African Studies, you have to meet any of the following conditions. One, you must be either pursuing an undergraduate degree at EMU in any field of study or you can apply as a post-baccalaureate degree holder. You can also be admitted if you are a graduate student or a graduate degree holder, and you wish to obtain the undergraduate certificate in African Studies. To apply for admission, click on the following link: online admission forms.

Career Opportunities
Students who are still working towards their undergraduate degrees or many professionals with degrees in a variety of educational arenas may find this certification program a means of achieving an edge above the competition. The certificate is intended to complement careers in a wide-variety of fields, including education, social work, international jobs, health care, and political science. Those with careers or majors in international relations, economic and political affairs, public policy and administration, public relations, journalism, community outreach, social services, human resources and cultural diversity, may find this certificate particularly helpful.

Online & Non-online Courses
Note that for both required and restricted elective categories, online and non-online versions of the approved courses are acceptable.

Department Information

Africology & African American Studies, College of Arts and Sciences

Victor Okafor, Ph.D. | Department Head | 620 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.3460 | vokafor@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Victor Okafor, Ph.D. | 620 Pray-Harrold | 734.487.3460 | vokafor@emich.edu

Critical Undergraduate Certificate Information

Undergraduate certificates may only be offered in conjunction with or after a baccalaureate degree. They cannot be ‘stand alone’ certificates, offered to students who are not pursuing or do not have a bachelor’s degree. For students pursuing an undergraduate certificate concurrent with a bachelor’s degree, the certificate will be awarded upon graduation.

A separate Undergraduate Admissions Application is required for this certificate program and should be submitted to the Office of Admissions.

Certificate Requirements: 12 hours

The certificate in African Studies requires completion of the following 12-credit hour requirement. Note that only 300-level or above courses can be applied towards this certificate program, and such courses must be completed at Eastern. In addition, credits applied to this certificate program cannot be used towards the satisfaction of any major or minor requirement.

Core Courses: 6 hours

Restricted Elective Courses: 6 hours

Select six credit hours from the following:

AFC 379 - Special Topics 3 hrs
or
AFC 499 - Independent Study 3 hrs
ARTH 470 - Arts of Africa 3 hrs
GEOG 322 - Geography of Africa 3 hrs
HIST 347 - Sub-Saharan Africa to 1885 3 hrs
HIST 348 - 20th-Century Africa 3 hrs
HIST 349 - South Africa, 1500-Present 3 hrs
PLSC 372 - African Politics 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.