Curriculum

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Minor in AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

(AFAM)

The minor in African American Studies recognizes an attempt to compress the unique and diverse experiences of the African American into a manageable and definable program of study. Viewed from the cross-disciplinary perspective, the African American Studies minor is concerned with providing a comprehensive and honest picture of the life and institutions of the American people of African ancestry and of their role in the development of the United States. The person who completes the African American Studies minor will have enlarged perspectives and increased awareness of diverse cultures; these are skills well-suited for jobs in governmental departments and agencies and with private organizations. As a related minor on any teacher certification program, African American Studies should add new dimensions to classroom teaching.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The minor in African American Studies requires a minimum of 21 semester hours.

This includes three required courses: AFAM 190, AFAM 343, AFAM 353, and twelve additional credit hours of restricted electives, as follows: at least one history course from HIST 330, HIST 359, or HIST 390; at least one cultural studies course from the following: ENG 393, COMM 463, FLK 330, or REL 309; and remaining six hours from the electives listed below. The minor in African American Studies compresses the unique and diverse experiences of African Americans into a manageable and definable program of study that acknowledges the interconnectedness of these experiences with the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora.

Viewed from multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives, courses in the African American Studies minor provide the opportunity for students to study, analyze and develop a comprehensive understanding of the African American experience in ways that both link and differentiate past and present circumstances in the African Diaspora. A diaspora approach to the study of the African American experience is concerned with the following two issues: 1) the way in which African cultural, social, religious, and political forms influence African descended persons and communities, and how such forms change through interaction with non-African cultures; and 2) comparisons and correspondence among communities of African descended people who are geographically separated and/or culturally distinct.

A person who completes the African American Studies minor will have enlarged perspectives and increased awareness of the diversity of experiences within African American cultures; these are skills well suited for advanced study at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and for jobs in governmental departments and agencies and with private organizations. In fulfilling the minimum requirements for a minor, the student normally should not include more than 6 hours of electives with any one course prefix.

Approved electives include: at least one of the following history courses: HIST 330, HIST 359, or HIST 390; at least one of the following cultural studies courses: ENG 393, COMM 463, FLK 330, or REL 309; and two additional courses from the following: AFAM 490, CSJ 200, CRIM 361, SOCL 260, and SOCL 362. Additional courses may be approved by the advisor.

For a major, we suggest Diversity & Community Studies, which focuses on formations of identity, advocacy and social change, and systems.