1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 9 May 2012 102 Kern Graduate ...

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African Studies faculty often receive informal enquiries from Political Science and other social
science graduate students in the US and abroad, about the possibility of pursuing African Studies
at Penn State. The Political Science department also receives a number of enquiries about
African Studies (although, there is no formal record, the department estimates a minimum of one
enquiry a year). In addition, the Political Science department indicates that some of its past and
present doctoral students have had significant research interest in Africa. For example, in 2006,
a doctoral student wrote a dissertation, titled, ‘Political Transitions and National Security:
Strategies for Defense and Political Survival in New States’ (the focus of the dissertation is on
Africa even though the title does not indicate this). The student has gone on to publish a recent
article, titled ‘African Peacekeeping in Africa: Warlord Politics, Defense Economics and State
Legitimacy,’ Journal of Peace and Research (47(2), 2010. This student’s demonstrably-strong
research interest in Africa would have been enhanced during his degree program at Penn State
had the proposed dual-title degree program been in existence. As another example, a current
Political Science doctoral student is conducting her dissertation research on the military and
political aims of rebel groups seeking to overthrow governments in Sub-Saharan Africa. This
research could also have been complemented by a thematic integration built, for example, around
the following cluster of courses that have been developed as part of the proposed program: AFR
501, 530, 534, 536 and 6 credits from AAAS/PL SC 443, 454, 434 and 464 (see list of core
courses and other available electives listed later in this proposal).
Such semi-anecdotal evidence suggests that there may be other Political Science doctoral
students whose intellectual and research interest in Africa can be enhanced significantly through
the proposed dual-title degree program. The evidence indicates that a nascent demand exists for
a Penn State graduate African Studies program among our own students and from others, who
are investigating Penn State as a potential place to conduct their doctoral studies. This demand
will crystallize around the proposed program and its seminars. We envisage that Political
Science students, who have taken Africa-related 400-level courses either in their own
departments or with African Studies, will be a strong constituency in many of the dual title
degree graduate seminars.
Outcomes
The Dual-Title Doctoral Degree Program in Political Science and African Studies is expected to
have several beneficial outcomes for graduate education at Penn State in general, and for
Political Science doctoral students, in particular. The program will have the following specific
outcomes.
i. Provide an institutional framework within which Political Science doctoral students can
streamline their interest in African Studies by taking a suite of courses, which
integrates a regional and or thematic concentration.
ii. Provide Political Science students with a multidisciplinary approach (beyond the major
discipline) towards addressing problems of African development.
iii. Provide Political Science students with regional expertise that will be attractive to
prospective employers in academia, the US government, bilateral and multilateral
agencies and NGOs.