African American Studies Minor

Director: Thomas L. Bynum, Department of History

The African American Studies Program offers an undergraduate interdisciplinary minor. The primary objective is to provide students an opportunity to examine the multidimensional, multicultural experiences of African Americans and their responses to the blending of an African heritage and American culture.

The person who completes the African American Studies minor will have enlarged perspectives and increased skills and marketability for jobs in the fields of education, criminal justice, social work, governmental departments and agencies, and in the private sector.

Interdisciplinary Minors

Interdisciplinary minors require the student to complete a minimum of 15 to 21 hours from a list of specific courses. Unless otherwise noted, a student may take no more than 6 hours of courses from a single department until he or she surpasses the required minimum number of hours necessary for completing the minor. Exceptions to this rule may be found within the discussions of several of the minors. In most cases, a student is also limited to just 3 hours of credit toward the minor in the same department or discipline in which he or she is taking a major. Except for the Paralegal Studies minor, no course may be counted both for major and minor credit. Students must fulfill all departmental prerequisites for any course within an interdisciplinary minor. In some cases, advisors may approve course substitutions within these program requirements.

Required Courses (12 hours)

AAS 2100 - Introduction to African American Studies 3 credit hours
AAS 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture: Survey of Afro-American Literature 3 credit hours OR
ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours
AAS 3250 - Perspectives on Black Psychology 3 credit hours OR
PSY 3250 - Perspectives on Black Psychology 3 credit hours
AAS 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours
OR
AAS 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours

Electives (6 hours)

AAS 4600 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in African American Studies 3 credit hours
AAS 4990 - Independent Study in African American Studies 3 credit hours
ART 4870 - African Art 3 credit hours
ART 4880 - African American Art 3 credit hours
MUHL 4540 - History of Black Gospel Music 3 credit hours
PS 3170 - Civil Rights Policy and Politics 3 credit hours
SOC 4240 - Race and Ethnic Relations 3 credit hours
AAS 3514 - People and Cultures of Africa 3 credit hours OR
ANTH 3514 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa 3 credit hours
AAS 3340 - The Black Experience in Modern Afro-American Literature 3 credit hours OR
ENGL 3340 - African American Literature 3 credit hours
AAS 3470 - Geography of Africa 3 credit hours OR
GEOG 3470 - Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa 3 credit hours
AAS 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours
AAS 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours
AAS 4430 - Sub-Saharan Africa 3 credit hours OR
HIST 4430 - Sub-Saharan Africa 3 credit hours
AAS 4490 - Mexico and the Caribbean 3 credit hours OR
HIST 4490 - Mexico and the Caribbean 3 credit hours
AAS 4750 - African American Social and Intellectual History 3 credit hours OR
HIST 4750 - African American Social and Intellectual History 3 credit hours
AAS 4530 - History of Jazz 3 credit hours OR
MUHL 4530 - History of Jazz 3 credit hours
AAS 4200 - African American Film, Theater, and Television Images 3 credit hours
AAS 3200 - Cultural Diversity: Competency for Practice 3 credit hours OR
SW 3200 - Cultural Diversity: Competency for Practice 3 credit hours
AAS 3180 - African Politics 3 credit hours OR
PS 3180 - African Politics 3 credit hours