AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES

Director: Jean P. McIver (460-6146)

This minor program provides an interdisciplinary investigation in which students have the opportunity to study, in a systematic way, the experiences, conditions, origins, accomplishments, and contributions of people of African ancestry in the United States. Students are able to deepen their understanding of these people and their experiences by studying their earlier history in Africa and their transition to the New World.

The program in African-American Studies is comprised of nineteen courses offered through seven departments of instruction within the College of Arts and Sciences. The student is able to obtain a minor in this program.

The minor in African-American Studies will take advantage of those characteristics of the African-American experience that make it uniquely valuable for serious academic study and teaching; while it is essentially interdisciplinary, it is also often international in nature. The minor intends to expose the interested student to the diversity as well as the unity of the African-American cultural experience, and the similarities and differences among the cultures of Africa in the perspective of time.

Core Requirements

1. AFR 101, Introduction to African-American Studies (four quarter hours). This course is to be taken immediately after the African-American Studies minor is declared.
2. At least two humanities and two social sciences courses selected from the African-American Studies course offerings. (See below).
3. The election of additional courses to bring the total credits to not fewer than 28 hours to be determined by the faculty advisor in consultation with each student participating in the minor program.

African-American Studies Course Offerings
AFR 101 Introduction to African-American Studies (Required)

Humanities Courses
EH 241 Black Writers in America
EH 441 Contemporary Black Novel
HY 262 African History Since 1500
HY 279 African-American Experience
HY 321 The Caribbean
HY 461 Studies in Third World History (Africa)
HY 477 The Old South
HY 478 The New South
PHL 331 Alienation
PHL 332 Philosophy of Revolution

Social Science Courses
AN 257 Magic and Religion
AN 343 People and Cultures of Africa
PSC 364 Politics of Africa
PSY 201 Psychology of the Black Experience
SY 315 African-American Families
SY 345 Minority Groups

Other
ARH 243 African-American Art History
ARH 250 African Art History

A description of these courses may be found under the appropriate departments.

DESCRIPTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES (AFR) COURSES BEGIN ON PAGE 185.

Interdisciplinary Programs

College of Arts and Sciences