A dynamic and growing community of dedicated Africanists - combined with substantial resources and strong support - make Emory University a setting with much to offer for graduate studies related to Africa.

All Africanist students are admitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences through departmental programs. Africanist graduate students pursue Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology, Art History, Comparative Literature, History, Political Science, the Graduate Division of Religion, Women's Studies and the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts (ILA).(The ILA’s interdisciplinary degree promotes an African focus through its Culture, History and Theory program.)

Since departmental requirements and interests differ, prospective applicants should consult departments directly for particulars. Applicants should note, too, that interdisciplinary units such as the ILA or Women’s Studies may be able to accommodate interests that cross disciplinary boundaries, including combinations such as history and anthropology, for example. It is not uncommon for applicants interested in Africa to apply to both a disciplinary department and an interdisciplinary program.

Graduate departments and programs generally admit students with tuition and stipend fellowships. In addition, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of competitive merit awards, including the Emory Minority Graduate Fellowship and the George W. Woodruff Fellowship.

The overall application deadline is January 3, though specific departments may have dates that differ slightly. Application forms may be downloaded from http://www.emory.edu/GSOAS/application.html.

The Institute of African Studies provides an intellectual setting for Africanists, scholars and students alike, to interact and share their research interests. A series of lectures, symposia and performance events highlights various areas of the continent and brings our multidisciplinary interests together on nearly a weekly basis. The Institute also coordinates graduate course offerings in the field, runs an interdisciplinary forum for graduate students and offers summer and conference funding that supplements departmental support.

The Africanist Graduate Student Forum provides an engaging, supportive and challenging setting where students discuss their research and exchange ideas. With the assistance of one or more Africanist faculty, the Forum plans events that reflect the interests of graduate students, including workshop sessions on field research and proposal preparation, book discussion sessions and film screenings. Using a budget offered by the Institute of African Studies, the Forum programs Africa-focused events of interest to the Emory and Atlanta communities.

Additional resources for Africanist graduate students at Emory include the Department of African-American Studies; the Carter Center; the Michael C. Carlos Museum's impressive collection of African art (some of the museum's artifacts are displayed in these pages); the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the extensive Africanist materials found in the Emory University Libraries, including the Pitts Theology Library's collection of religious periodicals published in Africa.

Funding Policy

The Institute of African Studies over the past several years has received modest funding from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences that is re-granted to Africanist (and Afro-Caribbeanist) graduate students. Funding is generally reserved for summer field site visits and/or language training in African languages and is given as a supplement to summer research and training funds provided by students’ home departments. A call for applications is posted on the Africanist student listserv in the spring and final awards are made once students know the amount granted by their home departments. A small committee of IAS faculty make decisions on the funding amount on the basis of 1) the merit of the request, 2) the number of previous grants to the same student, 3) whether or not the student has actively participated in the Africanist Graduate Student Forum and other IAS programs.

In addition, small grants to supplement departmental funding may be offered for participation in Africanist conferences during the academic year. In such a case, a call for applications is posted on the Africanist student listserv.

Finally, the faculty will consider requests for training or research travel during the academic year. Such requests, which are effectively outside the usual process of application, are generally funded at a more modest level than summer grants. Students who receive a grant for training or research during the academic year are generally not eligible to apply for summer funding.

For more information about the Institute of African Studies at Emory, please write or call:

Institute of African Studies Emory University, 1385 Oxford Road Atlanta, GA 30322
phone:404-727-6402 fax: 404-727-6724

E-mail: pamela.scully(at)emory.edu