Africa

The graduate program in African history covers the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial
periods and spans the entire continent south of the Sahara. The program consists of two phases:
during the first phase--covering the first, second, and part of the third years--students take a
wide variety of courses in their primary and secondary fields, begin to develop a dissertation
research project, complete their language requirements, apply for research funding, begin their
training as teachers, prepare for their oral exams, and write and present a dissertation
prospectus. During the second phase, usually beginning in their third year, students conduct
original research in Africa, complete their teaching responsibilities, and write and present their
dissertations.