The Department offers a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) or B.G.S. (Bachelor of General Studies) in African & African American Studies, a minor in African & African American Studies, and a minor in African & African Diasporic Languages.
Within the general AAAS major or minor, students can select coursework that concentrates in one of these areas within the field: African Studies, African American Studies, Arab & Islamic Studies, or Haitian Studies. AAAS students can also choose a blended path, taking a variety of coursework from the various concentrations within the field. The African & African Diasporic Languages minor is meant for students pursuing advanced language study in one of the following languages: Arabic, Haitian-Creole, KiSwahili, or Wolof.
African & African-American Studies Major Requirements
Students pursuing the either the BA or BGS degree must complete the following requirements:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to African & African-American Studies | 6 | |
| Choose one course from two areas: | ||
| Arabic & Islamic Studies | ||
| Arabic and Islamic Studies | ||
| African Studies | ||
| Introduction to Africa | ||
| Introduction to African History | ||
|
or AAAS 115
|
Introduction to African History, Honors | |
| Introduction to West African History | ||
| African-American Studies | ||
| Introduction to African-American Studies | ||
| The Black Experience in the Americas | ||
|
or AAAS 116
|
The Black Experience in the Americas, Honors | |
| African and African-American Studies Core Knowledge & Skills | 6 | |
| Historical Context (choose one course from the following): |
3 | |
| African Traditional Religion and Thought | ||
| Haiti: Culture and Identity | ||
| The Black Experience in the U.S. Since Emancipation | ||
| Islamic Literature | ||
| The History of Islam in Africa | ||
| Contemporary Context (choose one course from the following): |
3 | |
| Contemporary Haiti | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of North Africa and the Middle East | ||
| Modern Africa | ||
|
or AAAS 307
|
Modern Africa, Honors | |
|
or HIST 307
|
Modern Africa, Honors | |
| The Black Experience in the U.S. Since Emancipation | ||
| Ministers and Magicians: Black Religions from Slavery to the Present | ||
Required Electives |
15 | |
| Select five of the following courses not fulfilling a requirement above. One course may be numbered 100-299 for this requirement; the rest must be 300 or higher. Two courses may be Advanced Language courses. See a full list of electives: Here | ||
| African Language Proficiency (required for BA degree only) |
||
| Students pursuing the AAAS BA degree must complete proficiency in an approved African language. Satisfied by one of the following: | ||
| Intermediate Arabic II | ||
| Intermediate Haitian II | ||
| Intermediate KiSwahili II | ||
| Intermediate Somali II | ||
| Intermediate Wolof II | ||
|
or other approved African language
|
||
| Capstone Requirements | ||
| Students must complete both of the following: | ||
| AAAS 496 | Field Experience | 3 |
| or AAAS 690 | Investigation and Conference | |
| AAAS 550 | Senior Seminar in: _____ | 3 |
- B.A., B.G.S. Degrees Requirements (African Concentration)
- B.A., B.G.S. Degrees Requirements (African-American Concentration)
- B.A., B.G.S. Degrees Requirements for a combined African and African-American Studies concentration
- B.A., B.G.S. Degrees Requirements for Arabic & Islamic Studies
- B.A., B.G.S. Degrees Requirements (Haitian concentration) *By petition approval only*
