African Studies Program expands through dual-title doctorate, graduate minor

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since its inception, the African Studies Program in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts has taken a highly interdisciplinary approach to teaching and researching the African continent’s history, culture, geography, environment, economics, politics, literature and languages.

Over the last couple years, the program has significantly expanded its reach by adding to its offerings a dual-title doctorate and graduate minor, as well as postdoctoral fellowships. African Studies Director Sinfree Makoni, Liberal Arts Professor of African Studies and Applied Linguistics, said the programs provide a truly “trans-disciplinary” experience to students who want to apply their specific field to social, political, economic, educational, linguistic or health contexts related to Africa and its diasporas.

The results have been notable: In 2022, African Studies had four graduate students. Now, there are 30.

“Through this, we’ve been able to grow the program without a significant increase in funding,” Makoni said. “What’s unique here is that normally you don’t have students from five or more different disciplines in the same class who are bringing to bear completely different types of expertise and intellectual experiences. And the thing that unites the students is their interest in Africa or the African diasporas, even though they’re coming at it from different disciplines and orientations.”

“The program systematically produces flexible, adaptable thinkers, often with a specific regional expertise,” added Lara-Stephanie Krause-Alzaidi, a postdoctoral fellow in Penn State’s Africana Research Center and an African Studies affiliate. “I think this combination of flexibility and the ability to dive deeply into specific contexts and to think from there, as it were, will be appreciated not only in the academy but in many internationally oriented work environments.”

Edwin Dartey is among those students. Last month, the dual-title doctoral student in applied linguistics and African studies was one of 18 out of more than 600 applicants to receive an inaugural Fox Endowment scholarship from the University’s J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. Awards like these have become common among the program’s students, Makoni noted.

“In today’s academic and professional landscapes, there is a growing recognition of the value of interdisciplinary scholarship, particularly in addressing the kinds of multifaceted issues that define our global context,” Dartey said. “Universities, research institutes and policy organizations increasingly seek scholars who can think across disciplinary boundaries, integrate diverse methodologies and contribute to collaborative problem solving. My training through the dual-title program positions me well for these roles.”

The dual-titled doctoral degree is available to those working toward doctorates in applied linguistics, comparative literature, French and Francophone studies, geography, and political science, while the graduate minor is open to any student enrolled in the Fox Graduate School interested in pursuing Africa-related topics within their respective programs. Students from a broad range of majors including hospitality management, architectural engineering, art education, communications, economics, and demography and health policy administration have taken the minor, according to Makoni.

“Because the students are from all these different disciplines, we’re managing to put a lot of ideas in African studies across the University, which you would not have managed to do without the dual-title or minor,” Makoni said. “We teach them and they go back to their department, and they engage with students in their program about African studies. It’s great for the students, as well as for faculty, who have to adjust the way we teach when we’re working with students from different disciplines. For me, that’s been fascinating.”

Students in the program participate in transdisciplinary research teams from Penn State and other universities, and work on research proposals for external grants. They also publish widely, enhancing their international status, Makoni said.

Other program initiatives include the African Studies Global Virtual Forum, a series of talks given throughout the year by scholars from around the world complemented by an inter-institutional summer school that has been held at Penn State, Nelson Mandela University in South Africa and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar.

“Most international students, including me, struggle with a sense of belonging — programs like the Global Virtual Forum have been instrumental in connecting me with other African scholars who are willing to mentor and share their perspectives on academic and non-academic matters,” said Mercy Muganyizi, a doctoral candidate in architectural engineering who’s pursuing the graduate minor.

Until entering the dual-title doctorate program, Dartey’s research had been firmly situated in applied linguistic theories. But through courses taught by Makoni and other African Studies faculty, he began to see how his own identity as an African could inform and enrich his academic work.

“Instead of seeing Africa merely as a geographical backdrop for data collection or extractive research, I began to understand it as a dynamic analytical framework — one that offers critical insight into global phenomena and challenges dominant ways of knowing,” Dartey said.

Dartey said the program has proven to be a great intellectual home, allowing him to connect with students from diverse disciplines through the Global Virtual Forum, the Afro-Applied Linguistics Reading Group and the Doctoral Students Writing Group, where “meaningful dialogue is not only encouraged but expected.” Beyond that, the program’s more informal gatherings and social events allow students to connect on a more personal level and build a tighter community of scholars, he said.

Those conversations have sharpened Dartey’s research skills and broadened his perspectives.

“This program is more than an academic complement to my work in applied linguistics; it is a vital space for deepening the relevance, impact and humanity of my scholarship,” he said. “I have come to appreciate how diverse intellectual traditions can converge around questions that matter deeply to African communities and the diaspora. This has challenged me to think beyond the methodological boundaries of applied linguistics and to situate my research within broader social, historical, and political contexts.”

Wilhelmina Antwi decided to combine her doctoral studies in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications with the African studies graduate minor. Through her work in her native Ghana with the British High Commission, where she facilitated cross-cultural communication between United Kingdom representatives and local Ghanaian audiences, she witnessed firsthand the significant role context plays in effective communication.

“When I arrived at Penn State to pursue my Ph.D. in mass communications, I realized that while my research focuses on science communication in developing countries, particularly Ghana, I needed a more robust theoretical and methodological foundation to understand the cultural, historical and socio-political contexts that shape how scientific knowledge is received and interpreted across different African societies,” she said. “The African Studies program offers exactly this depth. Through the minor, I've been exposed to interdisciplinary perspectives that complement my communication research beautifully, from understanding Indigenous knowledge systems to examining how colonial legacies impact contemporary science education and public trust in scientific institutions.”

Muganyizi first became interested in the graduate minor through the course, AFR-ENGR 497: African Futures.

“At first, I was worried how my architectural engineering background would fit because of the perception that engineers and scientists cannot learn humanities,” she said. “But when I took my first class in the African Studies program, my perspective on humanities changed, and right now I wish that any graduate student interested in understanding Africa would pursue the program.”

Muganyizi said the minor has integrated perfectly with her doctoral dissertation’s focus on extreme heat mitigation strategies in Tanzania. In one of her African studies courses, she realized that the continent’s economic and governmental systems were one of the primary hindrances to technological innovation there.

“In this era, when everyone is talking about AI, for example, it is equally important to understand the history of economic revolutions and how some of the technological innovations may not work in Africa,” she said. “When I think about my research, I take multiple lenses. I look at the history of economic development of Africa, and I also look at the governance system and geopolitics, language, culture, etc.”

That outlook has helped her bring a true multidisciplinary approach to her work, she added.

“This program has prompted me to pause and consider how engineers could provide solutions by being mindful of the environment and understanding the humanistic perspectives on societal issues,” she said. “I believe that, for any profession or discipline, understanding Africa and its geopolitical significance or influence is an added advantage to any scholar.”

For Makoni, he said the addition of the dual-title doctorate and graduate minor has been “the most intellectually rewarding part of my career here at Penn State.”

“And the college’s administration has been so supportive,” he said. “That level of support has made the management of the program much easier than I thought. It’s made it a pleasant experience.”