African Studies Minor

Political Science and International Relations
Director: Moses K. Tesi

The 18-hour interdisciplinary minor in African Studies offers students the opportunity for systematic and comprehensive study of African arts, cultures, economies, geography, history, literature, politics, and religions. It seeks to provide or enhance skills valuable in areas such as business, government, world affairs, media, education, and ecology. It will also offer students who are interested in pursuing further studies with the foundational tools necessary for graduate work in preparation for careers in university teaching, research, and international public policy. In this age of globalization, the minor in African Studies offers students the knowledge needed to better understand and relate to a part of the world that has contributed and continues to contribute much to world culture and civilization.

Students have an opportunity to choose a global track which requires them to participate in an approved study abroad experience for 3 to 12 credit hours. Please see program director for more information.

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. 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 (9 hours)

PS 4180 - Contemporary African Politics 3 credit hours

Two of the following (6 hours)**:

ANTH 3514 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa 3 credit hours
ART 4870 - African Art 3 credit hours
HIST 3075 - History Abroad 3 to 6 credit hours (approval required by program director regarding country of study required)*
HIST 4430 - Sub-Saharan Africa 3 credit hours
PS 3780 - Study Abroad 3 to 6 credit hours (approval required by program director regarding country of study required)*

Notes:

*If taking two education abroad courses, two different countries must be selected.

** These courses could also be taken as electives.

Electives (9 hours)

Students must distribute coursework across three or more disciplines. A student may take no more than six (6) hours toward the minor in a single department. (Study Abroad programs or Special Topics courses dealing with Africa will not count toward this limit but will not exceed three (3) additional hours in a single discipline.) Students will take their remaining classes from among the following:

ANTH 3514 - Peoples and Cultures of Africa 3 credit hours
ARAB 1010 - Elementary Arabic I 4 credit hours
ARAB 1020 - Elementary Arabic II 4 credit hours
ARAB 2010 - Intermediate Arabic I 3 credit hours
ARAB 2020 - Intermediate Arabic II 3 credit hours
ART 4870 - African Art 3 credit hours
ECON 4470 - Economic Development of the Third World 3 credit hours
ENGL - Studies in Narrative: Contemporary African Writers 3 credit hours
FREN 1010 - Elementary French I 3 credit hours
FREN 1020 - Elementary French II 3 credit hours
FREN 2010 - Intermediate French I 3 credit hours
FREN 2020 - Intermediate French II 3 credit hours
PORT 1010 - Elementary Portuguese I 3 credit hours
PORT 1020 - Elementary Portuguese II 3 credit hours
HIST 3070 - Topics in World History 3 credit hours
HIST 3075 - History Abroad 3 to 6 credit hours
HIST 4425 - Nationalism and Decolonization in Africa 3 credit hours
HIST 4430 - Sub-Saharan Africa 3 credit hours
HIST 4435 - African Slave Trade 3 credit hours
PS 3780 - Study Abroad 3 to 6 credit hours (Approval by program director regarding the country of study required)
PS 4390 - Special Topics in Political Science 3 credit hours (Approval by program director regarding the topic of study required)