College of Arts and Sciences

African-New World Studies

Program Director : Dr. Linda Spears-Bunton

Department’s Phone Number : (305) 348-2976
Department’s FAX Number : (305) 348-2086

For More Information, go to

• Program's web site
• College of Arts and Sciences web site

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Brief Description of the Program:

       The M.A. in African-New World Studies provides interdisciplinary, graduate level training with three areas of emphasis: education, national and transnational policy analysis and cultural studies. This M.A. develops scholars with specific skills, research methodologies, principles, and knowledge which will lead to professional positions in a range of fields as it simultaneously prepares them for further study at the Ph.D. level. The M.A. in African-New World Studies is international in orientation, and its geographic reach is Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America, Europe and Asia, therefore, conceptually, it embraces the African Diaspora. It provides one of the few truly international, multi-disciplinary M.A. models among Africana Studies programs, departments and centers nationally. As such the M.A. is organized to develop research interests and models, advance knowledge, and develop interactive and comparative relationships with similar programs which pursue the life, cultural and social formations, economics, education, language, expressive and performing arts, governmental and other institutional systems, of peoples of African descent wherever they exist.

       The goals of the proposed M.A. program are to provide students with some specific skills, knowledge and resources to:

• Work in specific programs and units related to African communities in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, Europe, and Asia, international organizations, multi-cultural curriculum development and teaching and other educational contexts, race and social and public policy, journalism and other diverse fields.
• Prepare students to use and develop theoretical, analytical, and methodological approaches to critical issues such as those pertaining to race and ethnicity in all their manifestations, development and underdevelopment, technology, relations of domination and power, environmental policies, health and wellness, issues of self determination and mutual cooperation, and all aspects of aesthetic/creative expression.
• Create new knowledge through research and close study of relevant communities and disseminate this knowledge to the various communities we serve.
• Understand and confront the unique socioeconomic problems facing communities of Africa and the African Diaspora.
• Incorporate into an intellectual and research agenda, theoretical and analytical frameworks that focus on a) "Resistance and Struggle," b) "Nationalities and National/ Post National Identities," c) "Migration and Identity/ Geographical Repositioning,"d) "History, Culture, Performative and Expressive Modes," and e) "Schooling, Pedagogical Exigencies, Instructional Practices, and Educational Policies."

Application Requirements:

      Each applicant to the African-New World Graduate Program must complete a graduate application form and arrange to send transcripts of all prior college (undergraduate and graduate) work and official reports of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and TOEFL (if applicable) to the FIU's Office of Admissions. Each applicant should also send a separate letter of application to the director of the African-New World Graduate Program, along with copies of the above material. The letter of application should include a statement expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives and the choice of the applicant for enrolling in either one of the three areas of specialization. Applicants are strongly encouraged to include examples of academic or other relevant professional work that may support their application. Applicants must request two letters of recommendation from professors able to comment on their academic ability. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Director of the African-New World Graduate Program.

• Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
• Applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and a combined score of 1000 or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants must submit both grade transcripts and GRE scores for consideration.The student must also have a GPA of 3.5 on any previous graduate work.
• Applicants should request that two letters of recommendation from individuals able to judge a student's academic potential be sent directly to the Director of the African-New World Studies Graduate Program: African-New World Studies, Florida International University, Academic One-162, 3000 North East 151Street, North Miami, Florida 33181.
• Applicants are encouraged to submit examples of written work and other supporting materials.

Additional Requirements for International Students:

• Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and obtain a score of 550 or higher.