PROGRAM IN CRITICAL THEORY

Critical Theory Certificate Program Requirements

How to participate in the critical theory certificate program?

1. Declare affiliation to the Critical Theory Cluster. To affiliate, please fill out this form or e-mail criticaltheory@northwestern.edu
2. Complete five courses chosen from a list of approved courses and meet the requirements listed below.
   1. Courses for the certificate must be comprised of five letter-graded (A, B, C) courses authorized for graduate credit. Courses counted for the certificate must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
   2. No more than two courses can be counted towards the certificate from the student’s degree program.
3. Submit an Application for a Graduate Certificate. 

Course requirements (total 5 courses)

All courses that may count toward the Critical Theory Certificate can be found on our graduate courses page: APPROVED COURSE LIST

Foundational Critical Theory seminars, chosen from these generally defined fields (at least 2 courses):

• Critical Theory and Literary Studies: Poststructuralism, cultural studies, and postcolonial theory in literary analysis and theory; the influence of psychoanalysis, Marxism, structuralism, semiotics, and post-structuralist thought on contemporary textual analysis; cultural critique and context-centered methodologies.
• Critical Theory and Philosophy: Themes may include the origins of critical theory in Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche; the contemporary re-emergence of critical theory in the work of the Frankfurt School; and/or the poststructuralist thinkers such as Derrida and Nancy.
• Critical Theory and the Study of Politics: The concepts of progress and power in politics and in the study of politics; the sources of modern political critique in the Frankfurt School and phenomenology; the critique of positivism in the social sciences; the critique of sovereignty, identity, and race; empire and post-colonial politics.
• Critical Theory in the Global South: Includes postcolonial, decolonial, trans-national and intersectional approaches to critical theory. Topics may include plural epistemologies, forms of power, histories, aesthetics, and forms of critique; issues of translatability and untranslatability of core concepts; the study of violence, social justice, trauma and memory informed by critical theory in its trans-national dimensions; projects aiming to diversify critical theory’s canon; and/or the study of the significance of critical theory in the global south and vice versa.
  

Remaining Courses (3):

• Chosen from the list of approved courses.

We welcome requests to count a course that is not on the list. Please send your request to criticaltheory@northwestern.edu. In the request, please provide the course number/title, description, syllabus (if available), and any other helpful information about the course as it relates to critical theory content.

certificate awarding:

When you have completed the certificate requirements, please fill out the Application for a Graduate Certificate (scroll toward bottom of page to find link to application). Each course counting toward the Critical Theory Certificate must be listed. The application requires approval by Critical Theory Certificate Associate Director, Professor Peter Fenves, and for students also pursuing a PhD or Master's, the Director of Graduate Studies of the degree program. Please note, you should submit the certificate application once all requirements have been completed, but no later than the time that you file for graduation (in the final quarter of study).

If approved, the Critical Theory Certificate award will appear on your transcript. Certificates are processed by The Graduate School at the end of each quarter. The award will appear on your transcript at the end of quarter in which your certificate was approved. 

Please reach out to the Critical Theory Cluster administrator (criticaltheory@northwestern.edu) if you have any questions. You may also visit The Graduate School webpage about Certificates for more information.