• How to Participate
• Courses and Requirements
• Programming and Events

Program Description
The Program of African Studies (PAS) is the oldest African Studies program in the United States. Founded in 1948, PAS enjoys a unique legacy of sponsoring research on Africa, training students in African Studies, and facilitating the involvement of Northwestern’s departments and schools in the African continent. It was conceived as an interdisciplinary program, spanning the whole range of academic disciplines. This African Studies Cluster supplements these efforts and supports graduate training among students interested in African Studies by providing:  a) a common coursework structure integrated with students’ departmental curricula, b) resources for student research, including travel abroad, c) interdisciplinary venues to present work in progress and to receive feedback from faculty and fellow students, and d) opportunities for collaborative research.  The program features a core group of faculty internationally renowned for research in topics related to the African continent.

Students interested in pursuing a PhD in Art History, Comparative Literary Studies, English, French and Italian, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology are encouraged to find a second intellectual “home” in this interdisciplinary cluster.

Program Faculty
Caroline Bledsoe (African Studies), Cynthia Bowman (Law), Georgi Derlugian (Sociology), Bachir Diagne (Philosophy), Maragaret Drewal (Performance Studies), Doris Garraway (French and Italian), Jonathon Glassman (History), Wendy Griswold (Sociology), Michael Hanchard (Political Science), Karen Hansen (Anthropology), Katherine Hoffman (Anthropology), Richard Joseph (Political Science), Robert Launay (Anthropology), Richard Lepine (African & Asian Languages), William Murphy (Anthropology), Evan Mwangi (English), Jide Nzelibe (Law), Dylan Penningroth (History), Carl Petry (History), Nasrin Qader (French and Italian), Will Reno (Political Science), Sandra Richards (Theater and Drama), David Schoenbrun (History), Rudiger Seeseman (Religion), Kearsley Alison Stewart (Anthropology), Krista Thompson (Art History), Muhammad Sani Umar (Religion), Akbar Virmani (Political Science), Rudolph Ware (History), Alex Weheliye (English), Lynn Whitcomb (African & Asian Languages)