Faculty of Humanities and Education

Department of History, Philosophy & Psychology

Postgraduate Programmes

MA Global African Studies (Online)

MA Global African Studies (Online)

About the Programme

The Masters degree in Global African Studies is a fully online joint programme between the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) focuses on the theories, principles, practice, and policies promoting integrated and holistic human development at the local, national, regional, and international levels in ‘Global Africa’.

What Will I Study?

The programme focuses on:

  • Theories, principles, practice and policies promoting integrated and holistic human development
  • Theories and approaches to human and socio-economic development, underdevelopment, development management, & developmental states
  • Environmental and natural resources management
  • Sustainable development, and gender and development

Research

This Programme is taught by a team of internationally recognised scholars drawn from UJ and The UWI.  Members of the team have expertise in a wide range of development issues in Africa and the Caribbean, with special reference to areas highlighted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as climate change, gender equity, poverty reduction and alleviation. 

Career Opportunities

This programme is for:

  • Persons interested in promoting sustainable development in Africa and the Caribbean
  • Persons wishing to learn about and engage in social and development issues in Africa and the Caribbean
  • Anyone seeking to understand and advance the global role of Africa in the 21st century

Get Started

At a Glance

  • Degree Level: Postgraduate
  • Qualification: MA
  • Duration: 1 year (full-time) 2 years (part-time)

Contact


Programme Details

There are five (5) modules in this degree programme. Modules 1 – 4 contribute two thirds of the final marks and module five contributes one third:

  1. Advanced Methodology for Global African Studies: This module equips students with necessary research skills to engage in research on issues of development in Global Africa through the application of methodological approaches used in social science research – including planning, designing and executing research, theoretical frameworks, argumentation, research ethics, data collection and analysis, and discourse analysis. 
  2. Pan-African Thought: This module provides a historical overview of Pan-Africanism focusing on its political, socio-economic, cultural, and philosophical aspects. The perspectives of Pan-African theorists and practitioners from Africa, the Caribbean, and America will be highlighted in this module including such figures as Edward Blyden, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Amy Ashwood Garvey, Frantz Fanon, Kwame Nkrumah, Walter Rodney, Steve Biko, Ruth First, Angela Davis, Mariama Bâ, Valentin Y. Mudimbe, Paulin Hountondji, Ali Mazrui, Maya Angelou, and Thabo Mbeki. 
  3. Critical Development Theories:The purpose of this module is to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop a critical and informed position on Pan-African and other development theories; critically analyze the practice of development using such theories, and apply this knowledge to development challenges in Africa and the Caribbean.
  4. Social Policy: The purpose of this course is to develop the knowledge and skills of students of Pan-African and other social policy from a social development perspective. The module will deepen students’ understanding of the relationship between social, economic, and political factors, and their implications for social policy in Africa and the Caribbean.
  5. Minor Dissertation in Global African Studies: The purpose of this module is to demonstrate the student’s ability to complete an independent research project on a relevant problem in Pan-African development or related issues. Research for this minor dissertation will be supervised jointly by two members of Faculty – one from each from The UWI and UJ. The word limit for this research paper, which must be based on original research, is 20,000 words (excluding notes). 

Tuition Cost: Bds $25,000.00
 

 

Students seeking admission to the MA Global African Studies at The University of the West Indies should have a Bachelor’s degree at a minimum of Lower Second-Class Honours level, in a relevant subject. However, the main criteria for admission will be the prospective student’s work experience and/or demonstrated interest in Global Africa. Expressions of interest in the programme are accepted ALL year.
 
For the admission criteria for this programme at UJ, please visit: www.uj.ac.za/faculties/humanities/departments2/politics-and-international-relations/programmes/postgraduate