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The final project will be a capstone assignment that is interdisciplinary and integrates themes, content, and methods from the student’s course of study. The project may engage theoretical issues, be an application thereof, and/or be a piece of original research. In consultation with the director of the program the student will assemble a committee of three (3) African Studies faculty, with one from the Social Science disciplines, another from the Arts and Humanities disciplines, and a third from a discipline that is most appropriate for the student’s project.

This faculty exam committee must be set up by the end of the second quarter in the program. The director will appoint one of the faculty members as chair of the committee. Each student will develop a three to five page (3-5 pp.; approximately 1000-1500 words) double spaced research proposal and a bibliography of at least 50 sources that must be approved by the guidance committee by the end of the third quarter in the program. The proposal must include the following: purpose of the project, its significance, its relationship to the program of study, the methodology(ies) to be used, and the presentation format.

The final project text of 25 to 50 pages must be submitted and approved by the guidance committee by the seventh week of the final quarter of the program. Textual citations and bibliography will conform to the standards of the MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style as appropriate.

With permission from the faculty project chair, the student may enroll for up to five hours of INST 696 per quarter; no more than a total of 10 credit hours may count toward graduation requirements. Grades of PR will be submitted until the project is completed; normally, a grade of CR will be given, but the committee does have the option of awarding a letter grade. 

Upon review, the faculty committee will make one of the following decisions:

1. Unconditional pass
2. Conditional pass (revisions or additional work required)
3. Fail 

*The time frame is based on the normal schedule for completion of the degree, with students entering in Fall Quarter and taking five quarters to complete the 70 hour minimum. However, it is recognized that some programs are delayed because of financial or visa problems, internships or personal circumstances, and that some students may graduate in a quarter other than Fall. In these cases, the schedule for the professional project will be adjusted.

Required Forms 

1. Capstone Requirement Approval
2. Professional Project Proposal
3. Professional Project Evaluation