Graduate Certificate Alum Dr. Eric Mason graduated with his PhD in Global African Religions and a Graduate Certificate in African American Studies in December 2022. Dr. Ibigbolade Simon Aderibigbe served as his dissertation director. We invite you to read more below regarding Dr. Mason's advice for students interested in the African American Studies program. What are your research interests and your plans following graduation? I am currently pursuing a faculty position in Africana Religions and/or Africana Studies, while continuing my service to the community by providing assistance and expertise to local non-profit organizations. I possess a profound passion for the dynamic intersection of Africana Religions and technology, which features in my dissertation and ongoing research. My latest project features a multidisciplinary team delving into the innovative use of haptic technology in facilitating the acquisition of Yoruba liturgical artefacts, specifically focusing on Yoruba Divination Poetry, among individuals who are not proficient in the Yoruba language. My secondary research aspirations are geared towards unraveling how religious institutions deftly balance their spiritual mission with the pragmatic demands of running a business. I aim to explore how these institutions dynamically interact with the broader economic and financial systems within which they are embedded. What was your favorite AFAM course and why? This is a very difficult question to answer, given all the wonderful course offerings. The best I can do is narrow it down to two: Graduate Introduction to African American Studies and African American Religious History. The former course focused heavily on thinkers in the field, including UGA’s very own scholars, with an expansive definition of what it means to be African American. I appreciated the way it positioned African American experience within the broader African Diasporic experience, demonstrating the shared destiny amongst the global African community. The latter course was a bit more granular, a needed component of my own scholarship, focused on the development of the African American church along side and within the white American church. Why should students consider a graduate certificate in AFAM? This is a much easier question to answer. The graduate certificate provides a much-needed addition for most graduate programs. It adds perspective on the American condition by introducing students to African American thinkers and scholars, activists and organizers, and leaders and politicians.
