African Studies

African Studies Director: Armelle Crouzieres-Ingentron (French)
Office: LeChateau 113 - Phone: 802-443-2427
E-mail: crouzier@middlebury.edu
Office Hours: MTWF: 1:30-2:45; Th: 11-12:15 and by appointment.

Africa has probably been mythologized in Western culture more than any other continent. Yet beyond the stereotypes lie dynamic, complex worlds. Middlebury's African Studies program opens doors to these many worlds.

Through interdisciplinary coursework, study abroad, and language immersion, students are encouraged to move beyond preconceived notions of Africa to reflect critically and creatively on the nature of particular African predicaments, past and present.

The continent is three times the size of the United States. Landscapes range from rain forests to deserts, savanna grasslands to snow-capped mountains, small rural homesteads to bustling cities. It was the birthplace of humankind and has seen the rise and fall of myriad societies and states over the millennia.

Today, the continent is home to hundreds of languages and cultures. Through trade, religion, migration, arts, and the exploitation of its natural resources, Africa has felt the impact of transnational and global changes and has affected other regions of the world in turn.

And, while we often hear stories of slavery, colonialism, war, poverty, and disease, there are equally profound stories of Africans finding creative ways to face challenges, making a living, reshaping their cultural norms and practices, and pursuing their hopes and dreams.

—Jacob Tropp, Senior Fellow in African Studies, associate professor of history

Sample Senior Thesis Projects

• A comparison of government efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa, Malawi, and Uganda;

• An exploration of the experiences of Sudanese refugee youth in Cairo, Egypt;

• An analysis of liberation theology in post-colonial Cameroon.

Choosing African Studies

The International Studies Committee considers petitions from individual students who have specific plans to complete all the requirements for the international studies major, incorporating courses on Africa as their area studies focus. Students may consider this alternative if they can commit themselves to study a language offered at Middlebury to the advanced level, and to study the appropriate indigenous African language to a level of reasonable competence.

Students whose petitions are accepted will be monitored by Middlebury faculty associated with African studies, in consultation with the director of the international studies major. Students interested in African studies should contact the African studies director.