The History Department is proud to announce the recent approval of a certificate Program in African and African Diaspora Studies, sponsored by the department. This certificate program is designed for those students interested in the making of the cultures of persons of African descent. The histories of the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and North America are key elements of this program. Participating faculty will require students to engage in multidisciplinary approaches in order to study the formation of racial and ethnic identities, among other topics, in African and African diasporan cultures. This program will underscore the connection between the formation of those identities and economic developments in their surrounding societies.

While many of the courses presently taught at Norfolk State University emphasize one aspect or another of African or African American history or culture, no program ties them all together. This new program is derived from already existing and approved courses in History, English, the Arts, and the Social Sciences. Undergraduates will have the opportunity to investigate the history and culture of Africans in Africa, the United States, the West Indies, and Latin America. The effect of the diaspora upon the cultures of the Western Hemisphere will be emphasized. Such a program at Norfolk State University will fill an important need. The program will also emphasize those things which are common to all of the Liberal Arts, namely the ability to think critically, write lucidly, and carry out independent and meaningful research.

The specific requirements for the new sequence are:

Prerequisites: HIS 335 and HIS 336

Required courses: HIS 490AF and HIS 370

Electives: Pick one from each group:
A. HIS 371 or HIS 490E,
B. HIS 365 or HIS 446 or HIS 448,
C. ENG 383 or ENG 384 or ENG 385 or ENG 432 or ENG 433
or ENG 440 or ENG 458,
D. DRM 219 or FIA 370 or MUS 234 or MUS 335 or MUS 336,
E. GEO 337 or REL 330 or JRN 299 or POS 315 or POS 463
or PSY 340 or SOC 237 or INT 412

Total: 21 credits, not including prerequisites.