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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The M.A. in African-New World Studies provides interdisciplinary, graduate level training with three areas of emphasis: education, national and transnational policy analysis and cultural studies. This M.A. develops scholars with specific skills, research methodologies, principles, and knowledge which will lead to professional positions in a range of fields as it simultaneously prepares them for further study at the Ph.D. level. The M.A. in African-New World Studies is international in orientation, and its geographic reach is Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America, Europe and Asia, therefore, conceptually, it embraces the African Diaspora. It provides one of the few truly international, multi-disciplinary M.A. models among Africana Studies programs, departments and centers nationally. As such the M.A. is organized to develop research interests and models, advance knowledge, and develop interactive and comparative relationships with similar programs which pursue the life, cultural and social formations, economics, education, language, expressive and performing arts, governmental and other institutional systems, of peoples of African descent wherever they exist.

The goals of the proposed M.A. program are to provide students with some specific skills, knowledge and resources to:

Work in specific programs and units related to African communities in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, Europe, and Asia, international organizations, multi-cultural curriculum development and teaching and other educational contexts, race and social and public policy, journalism and other diverse fields.

Prepare students to use and develop theoretical, analytical, and methodological approaches to critical issues such as those pertaining to race and ethnicity in all their manifestations, development and underdevelopment, technology, relations of domination and power, environmental policies, health and wellness, issues of self determination and mutual cooperation, and all aspects of aesthetic/creative expression.

Create new knowledge through research and close study of relevant communities and disseminate this knowledge to the various communities we serve.
Understand and confront the unique socioeconomic problems facing communities of Africa and the African Diaspora.

Incorporate into an intellectual and research agenda, theoretical and analytical frameworks that focus on a) "Resistance and Struggle," b) "Nationalities and National/ Post National Identities," c) "Migration and Identity/ Geographical Repositioning,"d) "History, Culture, Performative and Expressive Modes," and e) "Schooling, Pedagogical Exigencies, Instructional Practices, and Educational Policies."

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Each applicant to the African-New World Graduate Program must complete a graduate application form and arrange to send transcripts of all prior college (undergraduate and graduate) work and official reports of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and TOEFL (if applicable) to the FIU's Office of Admissions. Each applicant should also send a separate letter of application to the director of the African-New World Graduate Program, along with copies of the above material. The letter of application should include a statement expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives and the choice of the applicant for enrolling in either one of the three areas of specialization. Applicants are strongly encouraged to include examples of academic or other relevant professional work that may support their application. Applicants must request two letters of recommendation from professors able to comment on their academic ability. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Director of the African-New World Graduate Program.

The application file must be complete before the African-New World Studies Graduate Committee will consider the applicant for admission. The deadline for receipt of application--including all supporting materials and letters of recommendation--is March 15th. To be admitted into the African-New World Studies Graduate Program a student must meet the University's graduate admission requirements, which can be found in Florida International University's Graduate Catalog, and the following minimum standards:

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must obtain a grade of B or higher in all courses and achieve a cumulative average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) and present a satisfactory internship (with research paper) or community project (with research paper) or thesis. A Thesis committee or a Internship/Community Project committee composed of at least two FIU faculty will guide the student through successful completion of the thesis or internship (with research paper) or community project (with research paper).

The FIU faculty eligible to serve in a Thesis, Internship or Community Project committee are the faculty members whose names appear on the list of "African-New World Studies Core MA Faculty" presented in this handbook.Other faculty not identified in that list will be considered "Core Faculty" based on research, identified interest, and publications (see the Graduate Director).

Before the end of a student's first year in the program, he/she should form a thesis or internship or community project committee. This committee will consist of a Committee Chairperson and two additional committee members. The Committee Chairperson and one other committee member must be "Core Faculty" of the African-New World Studies Program. The remaining committee member will generally be a faculty member at FIU, although with the approval of the Committee Chairperson and the Graduate Program Director, the third member may come from outside the ANWS Program ("Core Faculty") or University.

Internships and Community Projects are options available only to students who specialize either in Pedagogy of the African Diaspora or in National and Transnational Policy Analysis. Students enrolled in the specialization in Cultural Studies must write a thesis.Internships and community projects are ALWAYS accompanied by a research paper. The research paper is different from a thesis in a number of ways. One difference is that the research paper will not require a formal oral defense by the student in front of his or her committee. While the research paper is not a full thesis, it should nevertheless be rigorous, with original analysis that reflects the student's ability to carry out a well thought out research project to completion.The research paper must be read and approved by the members of the student's committee.

The thesis will be between 70 and 100 pages. The research paper linked to an internship or a community project generally will be between 25 and 50 pages. The student may use original data if she or he and the Committee Chairperson consider it appropriate. However, a thesis or research paper may be based on secondary sources or on library research. In any case it will be based on scholarly sources defined by particular disciplines. While thesis and research papers need not be based on original data collected by the student, they must be rigorous and original. By rigorous, we mean that the thesis/research paper must be tightly argued and logical, well written and well organized. By original, we mean that the thesis cannot simply summarize the arguments or work of others. It must have the student's unique interpretation, which should be cogent--given the data under consideration.

Thesis/Dissertation Deadlines

Form C [committee members & thesis proposal]: Due 1st week of classes

Form D [defense date]: Due 5 weeks before Classes end

Form E [defense results]: Due no later than two (2) weeks after the date of defense

Form F [submitted with final copy of thesis]: Due last week of classes.

Students must consult the Division of Graduate Studies website a http://www.fiu.edu/~gradstud or phone # 305-348-2455, to get the Thesis/ Dissertation and graduation application deadlines for their semester of graduation. If students want to defend earlier than the semester deadline, they must submit Form D two weeks before their preferred defense date. Students must purchase from FIU bookstore (cost: $5) or download free from the website http://www.fiu.edu/~gradstud the Regulation for Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Manual.

CURRICULUM *

Required Credits (for all Specializations)

Specializations

I. Pedagogy of the African Diaspora
(Liaison – Dr. Linda Spears-Bunton and Dr. Mohammed Farouk, College of Education)

This specialization addresses the need for multi-cultural education with a specific emphasis on training personnel to be knowledgeable about Africa Diaspora materials. The national and international rise of multi-cultural studies and interests in the area of education makes this program marketable to a range of educational interests. Targeted as well to meet the needs of teacher training in light of the Florida State Legislation (s233.061) which mandates the teaching of African American history across the curriculum, our students will be prepared to play leadership roles in the development of an international consciousness - of educational contexts, facilities, curricula, inside and outside of the United States.

This specialization will help students teach and develop instructional materials in the area of urban education as well as for other students of different ethnicities; facilitate transmission of pedagogical materials on the African Diaspora; and develop cross and intracultural methodologies. Students must display cultural and linguistic fluency. Students in this specialization may participate in an Internship with an appropriate institution/organization that will culminate in a Research Project for 6 credit hours.

Thesis or Internship (6 credit hours)

REQUIRED COURSES
COURSE NUMBER	COURSE TITLE
AFA 5107	Teachers’ Institute
AFA 6325	Pedagogy of the African Diaspora: Literacy, Culture, Race & Gender Issues
Students must take three courses (9 credit hours) from the list below. Students should consult with the graduate program director since new courses are frequently added and special topic courses sometimes concern the African Diaspora.
EDF 5820	Latin American Education
AFH 4990	EDF 5821 African Educational Systems: A Comparative Approach EDF 5881 Foundations of Bilingual Education
AMH 4930	LAE 5465 Adolescent Literature
AMH 4990	LAE 5466 Multicultural Perspectives in Language & Literature
AMH 4570	LIN 5603 Language Planning: Linguistic Minority Issues
AMH 5935	SSE 6394 Social Studies in Other Nations
AML 2602	SSE 6925 Workshop in Social Studies Education
From the list below, students must take three courses (9 credit hours). Students may take no more than one course in one given discipline.
LIT 5359	African Diaspora Women Writers
LIT 5358	Black Literature and Literacy/Cultural Theory
LIN 5934	Pidgins and Creoles
LIT 5487	Major African-American Writers
LIT 6934	Black Literature & Cultural Theory
AFH 5905	Readings in African History
AFH 5935	Topics in African History
INR 5086	Islam in International Relations
INR 5255	Seminar in African Development
INR 6936	Seminar in Inter- American Politics
FRE 5508	La Francophonie
HAI 5235	Haitian Creole Seminar
HAI 5xxx	Haiti, Language and Culture
SPW 6368	19th Century Spanish- Caribbean Literature
SPN 5536	Afro-Cuban Culture
MUH 5025	History of Popular Music in the United States
MUH5067	Music of the Caribbean
CPO 6206	Seminar in African Politics
REL 5122	African-American Religion
REL 5372	African Spirituality
REL 5384	Rasta, Voodoo, Santeria
REL 5488	Theology and Liberation Movements
ANT 5xxx	Advanced African Diaspora Cultures and Performativity
ANT 5xxx	Representation of Africa and Africans in Films
ANT 6319	The African Diaspora: Anthropological Perspectives
SYD 6705	Race and Ethnicity
SYP 6734	Seminar: Ethnic Minority Aging in U.S.
WOH 5xxx	The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the African Diaspora, 1441-1807
WOH 5xxx	The African Diaspora Since the End of the Slave Trade

II. National and Transnational Policy Analysis
(Liaisons - Dr. Valerie Patterson, College of Health and Urban Affairs and Dr. Jeremy Levitt, College of Law)

Courses will focus on the examination and analysis of National and Transnational Policies relevant to African people in Black urban and rural communities, national and international contexts. Emphasis will be placed on a) leadership training for governmental and non-governmental agencies; b) the development of economic policies, competencies, structures, and strategies for economic development; c) the examination of environmental issues, health policies, wellness and a variety of community practices; and d) the evaluation of current policies that affect black communities internationally.

Students in this specialization may participate in an Internship with an appropriate institution/organization that will culminate in a Research Project for 6 credit hours.

Thesis or Internship (6 credit hours)

REQUIRED COURSES
COURSE NUMBER	COURSE TITLE
AFA 5xxx	National and Transnational Policy Analysis: Africa and the Diaspora (must be taken in the fall of the 2nd year of enrollment after PAD 5256 and URS 6028)
SYA 6305	Research Methods I
PAD 6053	Political, Social & Economic Context of Public Administration
URS 6028	Policy Analysis & Program Planning (Prerequisite: PAD 5256)
Students must take two courses (6 credit hours) from the list below:
CPO 5325	Politics of the Caribbean
CPO 6206	Seminar in African Politics
INR 5087	Ethnicity and the Politics of Development
INR 5255	Seminar in African Development
From the list below, students must take three courses (9 credit hours). Students may take no more than one course in one given discipline.
INR 5607	International Relations and Development
INR 6056	Environment and Development
INR 6089	International Relations and Human Rights
SYD 6705	Comparative Analysis of Ethnicity and Race
SYD 6236	International Migration and Refugees
SYP 5447	Sociology of Inter- national Development
SYP 6306	Comparative Social Movements
Students must take two courses (6 credit hours) from the list below. Students should consult the graduate program director since new courses are frequently added, and special topic courses sometimes concern the African Diaspora.
LIT 5359	African Diaspora Women Writers
LIT 5358	Black Literature and Literacy/Cultural Theory
LIN 5934	Pidgins and Creoles
LIT 5487	Major African-American Writers
LIT 6934H	Black Literature & Cultural Theory
AFH 5905	Readings in African History
AFH 5935	Topics in African History
INR 5086	Islam in International Relations
INR 6936	Seminar in Inter- American Politics
FRE 5508	La Francophonie
HAI 5235	Haitian Creole Seminar
HAI 5xxx	Haiti, Language and Culture
SPW 6368	19th Century Spanish- Caribbean Literature
SPN 5536	Afro-Cuban Culture
MUH 5025	History of Popular Music in the United States
MUH 5067	Music of the Caribbean
CPO 6206	Seminar in African Politics
REL 5122	African-American Religion
REL 5372	African Spirituality
REL 5384	Rasta, Voodoo, Santeria
REL 5488	Theology and Liberation Movements
ANT 5xxx	Advanced African Diaspora Cultures and Performativity
ANT 5xxx	Representation of Africa in Films
ANT 6319	The African Diaspora: Anthropological Perspectives
SYD 6705	Race and Ethnicity
SYP 6734	Seminar: Ethnic Minority Aging in U.S.
WOH 5xxx	The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the African Diaspora, 1441-1807
WOH 5xxx	The African Diaspora Since the End of the Slave Trade

III. Cultural Studies
(Liaisons – Dr. Jean Rahier and Dr. Jean-Robert Cadely, African New World Studies)

Students working in this area will be exposed to the study, research, practice and performance, and analysis of cultural formations in the African Diaspora. Interdisciplinary in structure, fields such as dance, music, literature, art, cinema studies, language, science, and other related areas will be studied. Students will critically analyze issues of a) colonialism, global imperialism, and capitalism and their effects on Africans and peoples of African descent internationally, and b) strategies, traditions and methods of resistance to the same.

Courses will involve comparative studies of African communities in Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe, and other areas of the African Diaspora will be examined; critical reading of cultural manifestations, identities, and practices; analysis of dynamics between traditions and social transformations.

Thesis (6 credit hours) Required Courses (15 credit hours)

REQUIRED COURSES
COURSE NUMBER	COURSE TITLE
AFA 5xxx	ANT 6319 The African Diaspora: Anthropological Perspectives
SYA 6305	LIT 5487 Black Literature and Cultural Theory
PAD 6053	REL 5384 Rasta, Voodoo, Santeria
URS 6028	LIN 5934 Pidgins and Creoles
CPO 5325	WOH 5xxx The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the African Diaspora, 1441-1807
From the list below, students must take three courses (9 credit hours). Students may take no more than one course in one given discipline. Students should consult with the graduate program director since new courses are frequently added, and special topic courses sometimes concern the African Diaspora.
LIT 5359	African Diaspora Women Writers
LIT 5358	Black Literature and Literacy/Cultural Theory
LIN 5934	Pidgins and Creoles
LIT 5487	Major African-American Writers
LIT 6934	Black Literature & Cultural Theory
AFH 5905	Readings in African History
AFH 5935	Topics in African History
INR 5086	Islam in International Relations
INR 5255	Seminar in African Development
INR 6936	Seminar in Inter- American Politics
FRE 5508	La Francophonie
HAI 5235	Haitian Creole Seminar
HAI 5xxx	Haiti, Language and Culture
SPW 6368	19th Century Spanish- Caribbean Literature
SPN 5536	Afro-Cuban Culture
MUH 5025	History of Popular Music in the United States
MUH5067	Music of the Caribbean
CPO 6206	Seminar in African Politics
REL 5122	African-American Religion
REL 5372	African Spirituality REL 5384 Rasta, Voodoo, Santeria
REL 5488	Theology and Liberation Movements
ANT 5xxx	Advanced African Diaspora Cultures and Performativity
ANT 5xxx	Representation of Africa in Films
ANT 6319	The African Diaspora: Anthropological Perspectives
SYD 6705	Race and Ethnicity
SYP 6734	Seminar: Ethic Minority Aging in U.S.
WOH 5xxx	The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the African Diaspora, 1441-1807
WOH 5xxx	The African Diaspora Since the End of the Slave Trade Course Descriptions Definition of Prefixes AFA-African-New World Studies
AFA 5002	African-New World Studies: Theory and Methods (3). A study of the major ideas, thinkers, theories, and communities of African Diaspora scholarship. Research methodology in African Diaspora Studies. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or ANWS Certificate.
AFA 5107	Teaching the African- American Experience. (3). Teachers Institute on Literature, culture, history, politics designed to meet Florida State Teachers Certification requirements. Includes instruction on pedagogy, practical teaching methods, and FCAT.
AFA 5600	National and Transnational Policy Analysis: The African Diaspora (3). Analysis of national and transnational policies as they directly relate and impact the African Diaspora. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.
AFA 5932	Special Topics in African- New World Studies (3). An examination of different features of African-New World Studies not normally offered in the basic curriculum or otherwise offered. May be repeated. Prerequisites: Graduate Standing.
AFA 5934	Special Topics in Black Transnationalism (3). A course designed to give groups of students special studies in the black experience transnationally. Prerequisites: Graduate Standing.
AFA 6920	African-New World Studies Graduate Colloquium (1). Colloquiums presented by faculty, visiting scholars, and graduate students on topics of current research interest. May be repeated with departmental approval. Prerequisites: Graduate standing, graduate advisor approval.
AFA 6940	Community Project/Internship Research in African-New World Studies (1-6). Qualitative and quantitative research using a variety of sources. Research projects conducted in the field by students under faculty supervision. May be repeated with departmental approval. Prerequisites: Graduate standing, graduate advisor approval.
AFA 6971	Thesis Research in African-New World Studies (1-6). Quantitative and qualitative research using a variety of sources, e.g. primary and secondary documents, filed research under faculty supervision. May be repeated with departmental approval. Prerequisites: Graduate standing, graduate advisor approval.

For further information about the graduate program, please contact Dr. Jean-Robert Cadely, Director of Graduate Studies, at cadelyj@fiu.edu, or 305-919-5521.

Updated 3/12/07