Program Overview

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Introduction to the African Cultural Studies Program

The Department of African Cultural Studies at the University of WisconsinMadison offers a unique and comprehensive program for students interested in the languages and expressive cultures of Africa and Africans around the world. The department's mission is to provide research and teaching in these areas, with a faculty specializing in literature, music, film, critical applied linguistics, drama, critical theory, diaspora studies, and new media.

Admissions

Admission to the African Cultural Studies program requires a bachelor's degree with substantial coursework related to the expressive cultures of Africa. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program's requirements. The admissions process is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School.

• Fall Deadline: December 15
• Spring Deadline: This program does not admit in the spring.
• Summer Deadline: This program does not admit in the summer.
• GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required.
• English Proficiency Test: Required for applicants whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English.
• Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): Not applicable.
• Letters of Recommendation Required: 3

Prerequisites

Admitted applicants with an insufficient background in African cultural studies may be asked to complete additional coursework beyond the regular degree requirements. Applicants should have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 grading scale or equivalent academic performance on other scales.

Application Requirements

All applicants to the program must apply online by the fall deadline. The department cannot review an applicant who has not met all Graduate School admissions requirements.

• University Transcripts: Upload transcripts or academic records from each institution attended.
• English Proficiency Requirement (International Applicants): International degree-seeking applicants will need to prove English proficiency using the Graduate School's requirements.
• Purpose Statement: A statement of purpose should make clear that you understand the kinds of courses offered and the research interests of the faculty and substantiate how your own interests intersect with the faculty expertise.
• CV or Résumé: Curriculum vitae or résumé listing language experience, awards, honors, or publications.
• Letters of Recommendation (3): Recommenders will receive a notice via email and will submit their letters accordingly.

Funding

The department automatically considers all applicants for support through teaching assistantships and various UWMadison fellowships. All admitted students are guaranteed five years of funding, typically in the form of TAships, as long as they are making satisfactory progress.

• Teaching Assistantships: The department regularly funds teaching assistantships for both language and literature/culture courses.
• Ebrahim Hussein Fellowship: The Ebrahim Hussein Endowment for research in African expressive cultures was established in the College of Letters & Science in 2003.
• Other Funding Resources: The Graduate School provides additional information helpful to graduate students in need of funding.

Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 30 credits, with 24 credits of residence coursework and 15 credits of graduate-level coursework. Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA and complete a Qualifying Paper (QP) by the beginning of the fourth semester.

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 24 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 15 credits
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required
• Other Grade Requirements: MA candidates should maintain a 3.5 GPA in all AFRICAN department courses and may not have any more than two Incompletes on their record at any one time.
• Assessments and Examinations: By the beginning of the fourth semester, the candidate will complete a Qualifying Paper (QP) in the form, length, and quality of a publishable article.
• Language Requirements: Two years of study of an African language are required.
• Required Courses:
  • Two years of study of an African language
  • AFRICAN 700: Reading and Writing African Cultural Studies (3 credits)
  • AFRICAN 803: Theories of African Cultural Studies (3 credits)
  • Two AFRICAN department seminars numbered 900 to 999 (6 credits)
  • Six AFRICAN department elective courses chosen in consultation with the graduate advisor (18 credits)

Policies

The Graduate School's Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures.

• Probation: A semester GPA below 3.0 will result in the student being placed on academic probation.
• Advisor / Committee: Candidates are required to meet with the director of graduate studies every semester prior to enrolling for the next semester.
• Credits Per Term Allowed: 15 credits
• Time Limits: Students who have not produced a publishable (passing) QP by the beginning of the fourth semester must write a brief request for an extension to the end of the fourth semester.
• Grievances and Appeals: These resources may be helpful in addressing concerns.

Professional Development

The department fully supports and encourages students to attend and participate in any professional development events hosted by the Graduate School.

Learning Outcomes

The program aims to achieve the following learning outcomes:

1. Recognize canonical authors and texts, historical forms, genres, and structures, and recognize aesthetic and cultural concerns in Africa and its diasporas.
2. Develop in-depth knowledge in a sub-field of specialization within African cultural studies.
3. Demonstrate their understanding of major theories, approaches, concepts, and current and classical research findings in African and diaspora literary and cultural studies.
4. Develop a level of proficiency in the different ways of knowing Africa and the diaspora through language, literatures, and cultures.
5. Understand their own learning processes and possess the capacity to intentionally seek, evaluate, and learn from information, and recognize and reduce bias in their thinking.
6. Effectively retrieve and comprehend primary sources in English and African languages, and secondary sources from a range of disciplines.
7. Gain firm knowledge of existing research in their area of specialization and its gaps.
8. Develop or improve speaking, listening, writing, reading skills in an African language, and integrate these skills to communicate effectively.
9. Communicate effectively through essays, oral presentations, and discussion, so they may share their knowledge, wisdom, and values with others across social and professional settings.
10. Show knowledge of conventional rhetorical strategies, and integrate research by other authors while distinguishing between their own ideas and those of others.
11. Write and speak across disciplinary boundaries with regard to existing research about Africa and the diaspora in the humanities and social sciences.
12. Discuss cultural texts from various theoretical and critical perspectives, formulate ideas and make connections between literary/cultural concepts and themes.
13. Demonstrate command of the terminology and methodology of cultural studies, construct complex arguments, and use primary and secondary sources to support arguments.
14. Articulate the place of their own research in relation to existing research on related topics.