
Overview of Our Foundation Certificate in African History
- Posted by African History Project
- Categories Study With Us
- Date 19 August 2022
Our Foundation Certificate in African History is the first qualification of its kind in the world allowing students to study such an academically rigorous course part-time from anywhere in the world.
The year-long programme is ambitious, challenging students to acquire knowledge from across the Pan-African experience. Students will hone their critical thinking and academic writing skills, work with primary and secondary sources, and learn to engage in debate around key people, events and ideas in Africa’s political and intellectual history.
The course counts amongst its alumni educators, journalists, not-for-profit executives, policy advisors, life-long learners, and mature students preparing for a return to higher education.
In this article, we discuss:
- Course Structure
- Lectures and Tutorials
- Depth Reading
- Knowledge Questions
- Depth Studies
- Assignments
- Tutor Support
- Find out more
Course Structure
Using a combination of live lectures and tutorials, deep readings, knowledge questions, and essay assignments, students will explore the depth and breadth of African history on the continent and in the diaspora.
Students will complete three courses over the course of the year, taking one course during each of the Project’s three academic terms.
The three terms run as follows:
- Term 1: September – December
- Term 2: January – March
- Term 3: April – May
Our courses are academically rigorous, allowing students to develop intellectually in leaps and bounds. It is therefore very important that students keep to the study schedule, and demonstrate their learning through participation in lectures and tutorials.
The courses available change each year but usually include options in historiography, political history, intellectual history, religion, philosophy and literature. Please visit the course page for more details.
Lectures and Tutorials
The AHP’s core teaching is based around deep reading and reflection on important primary and secondary sources, as well as critical conversations in highly interactive lectures and tutorials.
Enrolled students are expected to complete any readings and set assignments ahead of each lecture and tutorial. During lectures and tutorials, they are expected to actively partipate in the discussions and will be supported and encouraged to do so by their tutors. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning, helping students to develop their abilities to think for themselves.
Deep Reading
Rather than long reading lists, we provide students with a curated selection of key readings. Our tutors select sources that centre the Black experience and the Black voice, introducing students to thinkers, historians and methods they may not otherwise have come across.
From political essays, to oral traditions and oral histories; from academic essays to poetry and music, our tutors select sources that allow students to undertake a multidisciplinary exploration of the topics at hand. As a school working within the pan-African tradition, we are conscious to expose students to the breadth of experiences and perspectives across the Black world. This can be seen through the geographic diversity of writers and sources on our reading lists.
Knowledge Questions
In keeping with the African philosophy of education that centres above all the nurturing of esteem, our courses are not designed to “catch students out” but to support them in mastering the content.
Knowledge questions guide students through the reading list, helping them to organise their thoughts and highlighting key ideas that will be explored later in tutorials. Students are expected to work through them ahead of time and come to tutorials ready to share and discuss their thoughts.
Depth Studies
These extra lessons allow students to dive more into specific non-core areas of the course. We encourage students to complete the depth studies where they can for their own personal development, however, they are not assessed in the course. Depth studies should be completed if students have extra time or have a particular interest in the concept being dealt with in the depth study but only after the core sections for that week have been completed.
Assignments
All of our courses are assessed by essays. Students need to hand in three essays to complete the Foundation Certificate. For more information about essay assignments, please click here.
Tutor Support
Your course tutor is here to support you as you work through the courses. You may not have the same tutor for all of your courses but all of our tutors are supportive and approachable. They will send you regular emails to keep you on track and remind you of key events within the school. Please direct your course questions to them – they are here to help with your progress through, and understanding of, the course.
Find out more
The best place to start is to come along to one of our public lectures. Here you can meet out lecturers and get a sense of the topics you will be covering on the Foundation Certificate.
If you are interested in studying for the Foundation Certificate, please send our admissions team an email to info@africanhistoryproject.org or using the form below and we can schedule a call to discuss things further or register you for one of our open days.
You may also like

Admission Requirements
