Bachelor of Arts in African Languages and Cultures
Some time ago, the internationally acclaimed journal The Economist proclaimed Africa the ‘emerging continent’. That statement confirmed what Africa experts have been predicting for years. New Africa experts are therefore more than welcome! You will come to understand Africa from current affairs, historical, cultural, literary and linguistic perspectives.
What
Ghent University's African Studies programme is unique in Belgium. Only at our university can you take the entire programme. Another distinctive feature of our programme is its interdisciplinarity: you will come to understand Africa from a current affairs, historical, cultural, literary and linguistic perspective. You will learn Swahili and Lingála, two languages with millions of native speakers across Eastern and Central Africa. Through language acquisition and linguistic analysis, you will gain a deep understanding of their grammatical structures. This will help you acquire other African languages.
In addition to the linguistic richness, you will also study Africa’s cultural diversity and the diaspora, including topics such as diversity and identity, religion and art, and politics and globalisation. The programme also focuses on the history of Africa and its interaction with other continents. This will help you understand today’s European society and its often stereotypical image of Africa.
Additionally, you will learn how language shapes daily life in Africa, how it brings together communities, and how the linguistic landscape was affected by colonisation. In course units such as African Literature, you will uncover how authors reflect on topics such as migration, racism, and gender. You will also learn to make connections between language, culture and society.
For whom
Are you interested in learning about the languages and cultures of Africa from an unbiased, critical perspective, with an academic approach? Are you curious about the African continent and its current struggles, and how these can be historically explained? Are you willing to travel to Africa to take classes, undertake a work placement, or conduct research? Then our study programme is the right choice for you! No specific prior knowledge is required, but an innate interest in Africa is essential!
Structure
Bachelor
The study programme is based on three cornerstones: African Languages, African Cultures, and Language, Culture and Society in Africa. These, in turn, contain six clear curricular strands: language acquisition, linguistics, anthropology, history & current affairs, literatures, and methods. You will also learn how to study Africa and its languages and cultures by engaging with academic literature and by conducting research and fieldwork in Africa during a proper Africa term. You choose an elective set, in which you learn to look beyond your own discipline.
In the first year, you take various general course units together with students from other study programmes. Alongside these, you begin by studying African languages and cultures. You will learn two African languages, Swahili and Lingála, and be introduced to African linguistics. We will also introduce you to how language, culture and society in Africa interact, and you will take introductory course units in anthropology and African history.
In the second year, you will deepen your knowledge of Swahili and Lingála, and take course units on language and history, language documentation and language description in Africa, as well as cultural anthropology in Africa. In addition, we will introduce the methodological aspects of African Studies in a course unit on fieldwork. You will expand your knowledge of African literatures and work with historical sources. The two-yearly course unit Africa: Current Affairs, Discourse and Imaging furthers your knowledge of the relationship between language, culture and society.
The third year contains an ‘Africa Term’, which you can spend at one of our African partner universities or at a European university with a strong African Studies Department. You continue with your elective set, as well as with Lingála and the two-yearly course unit Anthropology of Visual and Material Cultures in Africa. You will be introduced to theories on multiculturalism and religion. In addition, you will have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of elective course units, such as Arabic. You finalise the third year by writing a Bachelor’s paper.
Master
Completion of the Bachelor’s programme gives access to the one-year English-taught African Studies Master’s programme. The programme comprises three thematic course units: Language, History, and Identity; Literature, Media and the Arts; and Conflict and Society. It also includes discipline-specific course units (African Anthropology, History and Current Affairs, Literature, Linguistics, Archaeology) and a number of elective course units. You conclude your Master’s programme with a Master’s dissertation on a topic of your choice.
- Your bachelor's degree also provides access to other master's programmes beyond those mentioned above, including a Master’s Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: een educatieve master). You can find an overview under the 'Further Studies' tab.
Labour Market
The African Studies programme does not lead towards a specific profession. Surveys among alumni show that most students find a job soon after graduation. Most of them actually apply their knowledge of Africa in their jobs. Our graduates end up in the integration and diversity sector, tourism, the socio-cultural sector, the business world, the government or foreign aid sector, and in academic research.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Languages & Cultures: You will dive deep into Africa’s incredible linguistic diversity and have the chance to study one or two African languages—like Swahili or Lingála. Through courses in anthropology, history, and literature, you will explore the continent’s rich cultural landscape. Over time, you will see how language, culture, and society shape each other. You will also engage with decolonial thinkers, giving you the tools to understand and contribute to today’s debates with real insight.
- Building bridges: Multidisciplinarity and multiperspectivism. This program is all about seeing things from multiple angles. Alongside your core African Studies courses, you will pick electives that broaden your perspective or focus on professional or advanced studies. You will develop the skills to think creatively and solve problems in real-world contexts.
- International Experience: International exposure is a big part of what makes this program special. Since it is taught entirely in English, you will study alongside peers from around the world and learn from international guest lecturers. This global environment sharpens your language skills and builds your social and intercultural confidence.
- Talent Development: We balance hands-on courses with research and methodology training, and you will have the freedom to tailor your studies to your interests. This approach helps you grow academically and professionally, fostering a critical and independent mindset.
- Career Opportunities: Our graduates combine deep subject knowledge with strong research and analytical skills—opening doors to a wide range of careers. And since the program is in English, you will have an edge in both national and international job markets.
Strengths
- Our African Studies program is taught by a passionate team of lecturers who are not only dedicated teachers but also internationally recognised researchers. Teaching assistants often bring real-world experience and a personal connection to the languages and cultures they teach. Classes are dynamic. Lecturers use new media and interactive teaching methods to keep things engaging. We also prioritise close, personal contact between faculty and students, offering guidance and support throughout your studies.
- The program is truly international. You will study in English alongside students from around the world and regularly interact with guest lecturers and speakers from African institutions.
- We value divers perspectives and encourage you to explore your own interests and talents. The curriculum is flexible, so you can shape your studies to match your goals.
- Research and education go hand in hand here. You will learn how to create new academic knowledge, with a strong focus on critical thinking, specialisation, and innovation.
- With its interdisciplinary, international, and English-taught approach, our Master’s program opens doors to a wide range of careers in both the public and private sectors—locally and globally. The combination of language and cultural expertise with strong academic skills gives you a unique edge, whether you’re entering the job market or pursuing further studies.
- And we are always improving. By benchmarking against other top African Studies programs worldwide, we make sure our curriculum stays sharp and up-to-date.
Challenges
- Stakeholder involvement in striving for excellent education deserves stimulation. We want to achieve this by (1) introducing prospective students with alumni, by (2) continuously encouraging students to participate in meetings, surveys and focus groups, and by (3) keeping in touch with the local and international professional field to keep in tune with the labour market.
- Good communication and outreach initiatives: The quality and the quantity of student influx needs to be maintained, and improved where possible. For that purpose, we already avail ourselves of promotional yet correct information during study information days (SID-ins) or other information days, in brochures, on websites and on social media, in open classes, lecture series, and classes for a secondary school audience. We want to reach yet a bigger group of young adults to emphasise the impact and importance of African Studies and put our programme in the picture.
- We want to thoroughly prepare our students for their future careers. We have taken initiative in that regard, and statistics show that most of our students find a job without any problems. Still, we think it is important to connect the expertise of our students to potential employers.
Accreditation
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 01/02/2023.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.