Professionalization Seminar

This course explores the mechanics of a doctorate degree in Africana Studies. We will explore the constitution of our field through the elaboration of exam lists and narratives, query its pedagogical application in the design of undergraduate syllabi, and begin to outline and enact our participation in the profession both within and beyond the academy. At the end of this class, students will have constructed a portfolio that will assist their progress towards a degree and provide the tools with which to chart pathways once a degree is in hand. A key component of the professionalization courses is the construction of an undergraduate syllabus by each student, which will subsequently be revised and discussed during the dissertation proposal defense, and which will be taught in either the first semester of the student’s fourth or fifth year.