African Humanitarian Studies Certificate

Certificate Name and Number: African Humanitarian Studies Certificate – CTAHSG

Department(s)/Unit(s): African Studies, Center for International Studies

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Terms of Entry: Fall, Spring

Enrollment Eligibility: Current degree-seeking student

Certificate Overview: The purpose of the Graduate Certificate in African Humanitarian Studies is to channel the growing interest shown by students today in research and careers related to humanitarian interventions in non-western settings related to poverty, natural disasters, and conflict. While African Studies at Ohio University presents a holistic view of the continent, there is call to focus on the role of the world community in resolving some of Africa’s most pressing humanitarian issues. Only a handful of American universities offer a similar program.

Students plan their course of study for the Certificate with the assistance of the program advisor. They may choose to focus on project planning for interventions, on the culture or politics of humanitarian crises and their aftermath, or on conflict resolution studies. Courses chosen for study in the Certificate provide tools for students wishing to advance a career related to this field.

Certificate Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to synthesize core area concepts and theories and acquire the skills to apply and evaluate these concepts to global opportunities and challenges.
Students will be able to develop effective written and oral communication skills, characterized by the ability to write and present in the styles and forms that are acceptable in the professional world and/or for research in international studies.
Students will be able to develop an effective research skill and demonstrate it in their capstone experience.

Opportunities upon Completion: Many students pursuing graduate study in internationally-focused fields at Ohio University are seeking careers in governmental and nongovernmental organizations that plan and implement responses to humanitarian crises in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Graduate Certificate in African Humanitarian Studies will appeal to those students who may have had internship experiences abroad with such organizations and seek to upgrade their credentials for further employment, or to help students seeking jobs with these organizations to focus their course work in that direction. Research on humanitarian interventions is needed as well and some students may seek the credential to shape dissertation and other research projects.

Completion Requirements: Students should complete

12 credit hours of core courses in humanitarian studies
four (4) credit hours of elective courses.
four (4) hours of capstone project in African humanitarian studies.

Core Options

MPA 5680: Non-profit Fundraising (3.0HR)
MPA 5890: Non-profit Management (3.0HR)
POLS 5560: International Organization (3.0HR)
POLS 5410: African Politics (3.0HR)
GEOG 5410: Geography of Hunger and Food Security (4.0HR)
ECON 5500: Development Economics (4.0HR)
INST 5903: Special Topics in Africa (4.0HR)
EDAD 7310: Conflict Management in Educational Administration (4.0HR)
JOUR 5670: Foreign Correspondence (3.0HR)
POLS 5880: Environmental and Public Policy Dispute Resolution (3.0HR)
COMS 6200: Communication in Social Conflict (4.0HR)

Electives

ANTH 5450: Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3.0HR)
ANTH 5530: Anthropology of Violence and Peace (3.0HR)
ANTH 5550: Medical Anthropology (3.0HR)
ANTH 5944: Seminar in Human Ecology (3.0HR)
HLTH 6140: Public Health Services in Underserved Rural Populations (3.0HR)
HLTH 6150: Maternal and Child Health in Africa (3.0HR)
HLTH 6240: Community Health Programs (3.0HR)
HLTH 6480: Ethical Issues in Health Care (3.0HR)
HLTH 6770: Grant and Proposal Writing in Public Health (3.0HR)
SW 5213: Child Abuse and Neglect (3.0HR)
SW 6822: Designing Rural Services (3.0HR)
SOC 5650: Social Change (3.0HR)
POLS 5400: The Politics of Developing Areas (3.0HR)
POLS 5565: International Human Rights (3.0HR)
EDAD 7072: Education & Development in Developing Countries (3.0HR)
EDAD 8800: Rural Schools and Communities (4.0HR)
ECON 5150: Economics of Health Care (4.0HR)
GEOG 5480: Migration and Development (4.0HR)
GEOG 5310: Geography of Africa (4.0HR)
GEOG 5580: Environmental Hazards (4.0HR)
GEOG 5470: Natural Resource Conservation (4.0HR)
GEOG 5450: Gender, Environment, and Development (4.0HR)
ES 5250: Watershed Management (3.0HR)
ES 6830: Concepts in Environmental Sustainability (3.0HR)
INST 5901: Special Topics in Africa: Contemporary Issues in Africa (4.0HR)
INST 5902: Special Topics in Africa: Literature, Media, and the Arts (4.0HR)
INST 5101: Seminar for the African Child (4.0HR)
COMS 5200: Cross-Cultural Communication (4.0HR)
COMS 6210: Negotiation and Mediation (4.0HR)
HIST 5213: War, Violence, Modernity (4.0HR)
HIST 5411: History of Africa Since 1850 (4.0HR)
ANTH 5620: Human Rights, Law and Justice (3.0HR)

Capstone

INST 6930: Independent Study (1.0-4.0HR)
INST 6940: Professional Project (1.0-10.0HR)

Culminating Experience: A professional project will be due in the final semester. The professional project, typically in the form of a final paper intended for submission to an academic journal allows students to fulfill this requirement.

Financial Aid Eligibility Information:

Degree-seeking students may use federal financial aid only for 1) coursework fulfilling requirements of their degree, including required elective hours, or 2) coursework toward a second financial aid-eligible program.
Students receiving federal financial aid may not take courses for this certificate unless they are also enrolled full-time (9 hours) in their degree program during the same academic term. Financial aid may be used for courses that count toward both degree requirements and the certificate.

Admission Requirements: No additional requirements beyond university graduate admission requirements.

International Students: This certificate program alone does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this certificate. However, this certificate can be completed during any Ohio University graduate program and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to that degree program.