The African Studies Program supports research, teaching, and outreach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, bringing together scholars in multiple disciplines, students, teachers, and community partners to consider all aspects of land and life in Africa. The African Studies Program is a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center for Africa, a unit in The International Division, and a member of the campus consortium of internationally oriented programs known as the Institute for Regional and International Studies.

The program was established in 1961 by an interdisciplinary team of internationally respected scholars including Jan Vasina, Philip Curtin, Frederick Simoons, and Aristride Zolberg. The center continues to enjoy a reputation for excellence, having awarded more degrees to Africa specialists than any other American university. No other university boasts such a depth and range of expertise in Africanist scholarship. Over 70 affiliated faculty offer more than 100 courses in 35 departments around campus. The Department of African Cultural Studies offers students an opportunity to study a number of African languages including Arabic, Hausa, Swahili, Yoruba, Wolof, and Zulu, as well as options for self-directed study of less-commonly taught languages.

Undergraduates from any department can benefit from access to our programs and top-ranked faculty by completing a certificate in African studies. The certificate is highly interdisciplinary and welcomes students with backgrounds in the humanities, social sciences, business, health, agriculture, or the environment. What unites certificate students is a shared interest in the people, places, and stories of the continent of Africa.

A certificate in African Studies indicates that a student has acquired an interdisciplinary knowledge about the African continent, its histories, its stories, and its people. African studies alumni serve in a number of important leadership positions in both the private and public sectors. Former students have gone on to serve as ambassadors, presidential advisors, and leaders of investment firms and Washington think tanks. Many undergraduate certificate holders launch their internationally oriented careers by joining the Peace Corps after graduation.

How to Get in

Students interested in declaring the undergraduate certificate should contact the African Studies Program undergraduate advisor (advising@africa.wisc.edu).

Requirements

15 credits in African Studies approved courses

At least two SUBJECTs represented: ¹

¹

 No more than two courses from any one SUBJECT may count toward the certificate. A cross-listed course may count in either—but not both—SUBJECTs in which it is cross-listed.

Residence and Quality of Work

• Minimum 2.000 GPA on all certificate courses
• At least 8 certificate credits must be completed in residence

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

1. (Historical Grounding) understanding the historical, political, and cultural forces and conditions that have given rise to the unity and diversity in the region today.
2. (Multi-disciplinarity) analyzing contemporary political, economic, and cultural realities in the region from at least two disciplinary perspectives, ideally including humanities, social sciences and sometimes natural science approaches.
3. (Depth of knowledge) mastering at the undergraduate generalist level a particular facet of life in the region by taking courses on a particular sub-region or country, or by studying a regional language, or by taking at least two courses on the region in one discipline.

Advising and Careers

We require that students visit with the advisor at least once per semester. Advising for the certificate is run by the African Studies Program advisor, Aleia Ingulli McCord, advising@africa.wisc.edu, who can assist you in developing your plan of study for the certificate, track progress toward the certificate, explore study abroad and international internship options, and begin the career exploration process. We offer walk-in advising, advising workshops, and scheduled appointments.

We strongly encourage students to enroll in  Africa: An Introductory Survey (AFRICAN/​AFROAMER/​ANTHRO/​GEOG/​HISTORY/​POLI SCI/​SOC  277), to study an African language, and to study abroad on the continent.

L&S Career Resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
  • INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
  • INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
• Learn about internships and internship funding
  • INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
• Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives

People

205 Ingraham Hall 
1155 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706
phone: (608) 262-2380
fax: (608) 265-5851
africa.wisc.edu/
advising@africa.wisc.edu

Marissa Moorman, Faculty Director, mjmoorman@wisc.edu
Aleia McCord, Associate Director, aleia.mccord@wisc.edu
Olayinka Olagbegi-Adegbite, Assistant Director, olagbegiolay@wisc.edu

Faculty members specializing on Africa are based in more than 40 departments throughout the university's schools and colleges: https://africa.wisc.edu/about-us-intro/academics-faculty-members/

African Studies Program Steering Committee: Nancy Kendall nkendall@gmail.com; Mary Hark hark@wisc.edu; Janis Tupesis jtupesis@medicine.wisc.edu; Nevine El-nossery elnossery@wisc.edu; Jeremy Foltz jdfoltz@wisc.edu; Matthew Brown matthew.h.brown@wisc.edu; Matthew Turner mturner2@wisc.edu; Luis Madureira lmadurei@wisc.edu

Wisconsin Experience

As a regional center within the Institute for Regional and International Studies, we support and enhance international and global awareness in our student communities and inspire informed thinking about the complexities of our world. We encourage our students to connect to international networks and our regional communities through our program’s lecture series, film screenings, and varied outreach events and activities. We encourage our students to study abroad, do international internships, learn foreign languages, and expect them to gain an interdisciplinary grounding in global and regional affairs. We provide resources and expertise on our world area to students, and prospective students, and more broadly to K–12 teachers and students, postsecondary educators and graduate students, businesses, the media, the military, the community at large, and anyone else who is interested.

Resources and Scholarships

Information about funding through the African Studies Program is available on our website. We also encourage our students to explore funding options available through the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) Awards Office.