Financing
Opportunities

PROGRAM INFORMATION

African American Studies, PHD

(Concentration: Cultural Aesthetic)

The mission of the Department of African American Studies (DAAS) is to provide an intellectual arena in which students learn to critically examine, analyze and interpret the experiences, traditions and dynamics of people of African descent. The Department's undergirding philosophy is that the specific historical experiences of a people must be the central axis guiding and informing any effective analysis and interpretation of that people's past, present and future. Our graduate program is informed, in considerable measure, by the Afrocentric paradigm as spearheaded by Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, DAAS' first chairperson. The program reflects a deeply ingrained commitment to the self-directed study of African peoples and has benefited, to that end, from a variety of inputs, conceptual and political, from diverse, but fully committed, faculty participation as well as invaluable contributions from the community. It is the goal of the Department that graduates of our Ph.D. program be prepared to engage in a diverse range of intellectual issues that affect the lives of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.

Campus Location:
Main Campus

Students are able to complete the degree program through classes offered before and after 4:30 p.m. Students able to complete the degree program on a part-time basis (8 credit hours or less per semester).

Department Information
Department of African American Studies 1115 W. Berks Street 810 Gladfelter HAll Philadelphia, PA 19122
afro-am@blue.temple.edu
(215)204-8491

Ranking:

Accreditation:
True
This degree program is accredited by the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS).

Areas of Specialization:
Upon admission into the program, the student should choose one of the two concentrations that are offered: Social-Behavioral or Cultural-Aesthetics. The Social-Behavioral concentration engages interests that include the study of society from a social and behavioral standpoint; interest in issues that may be addressed under the domains of sociology, political science, psychology, sociology, philosophy,anthropology, etc. The Cultural-Aesthetic concentration engages interest in the humanities--particularly history, literature and the performing arts. DAAS faculty members specialize, offer substantial coursework and mentor in a variety of areas, including, Afrocentric Theory, African Civilizations, African and African American Literature, African Languages, the Narrative Tradition, African and African American History, Mass Media, Social and Political Thought, Women's Studies, Cultural Studies, Caribbean Culture; Linguistics, Rhetoric and Composition, African American Psychology, Research Methods, Popular Culture, and Ethnographic Methods.

Job Placement:
Graduates of the Ph.D. program in African American Studies generally find employment based on their area of concentration in one or more of the following areas: * Education -Public and Private High School Administration -College and University Administration - College and University Academic Departments * Social Work * Public Relations * Journalism * Criminal Justice * Non-profit Organizations * Local, State, and Federal Government * Entertainment Industries

Affiliation(s):
DAAS faculty members are affiliated with a variety of professional organizations such as the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS); Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); African Heritage Studies Association (AHSA); Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC); African Studies Association (ASA); Black History Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Association of Black Women Historians; Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL); College Language Association (CLA); Modern Language Association (MLA); National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); Pan African Studies Association; Black Expressive Culture Association, Germantown Friends Summerbridge Program; Young Scholars Program of Temple; American Anthropological Association.

Interdisciplinary Study :
Advisors may encourage a student to take at least one course outside DAAS related to the cultural/aesthetic or social/behavioral track. A student must receive prior approval from his or her major advisor for any courses taken outside the Department which he or she wishes to use to fulfill DAAS requirements. However, for his or her own personal and intellectual enrichment, a student may take as many external courses as he or she wishes.

Study Abroad:
The Department of African American Studies offers study abroad in the Temple University Ghana Program. Graduate students may complete a maximum of six (6) credit hours in the program.

Licensure:
False

Non-degree Student Policy:
Non-matriculated students who desire to take courses in the Department of African American Studies (DAAS) must first submit an academic transcript to the Chairperson or Graduate Director of the DAAS for review. The prospective non-matriculated student will receive a letter stating whether or not he/she has been approved to take courses in DAAS. Upon approval, the student must register through Continuing Education.