BA overview
The Department offers a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), a B.G.S. (Bachelor of General Studies), a minor in African & African-American Studies, and a minor in African & African Diasporic Languages.
Within the AAAS major or minor, students can select coursework that concentrates in one of these areas: African Studies, African-American Studies, Arabic & Islamic Studies, and Haitian Studies. AAAS students can also choose a blended path, by taking courses from the various concentrations within the field. The minor in African & African Diasporic Languages is meant for students pursuing advanced language study in one of the following languages: Arabic, Haitian-Creole, KiSwahili, and 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 | ||
| Modern Africa | ||
| The Black Experience in the U.S. Since Emancipation | ||
| Introduction to Black Education in the U.S. | ||
| Language and Culture in Arabic-Speaking Communities | ||
| Contemporary Context (choose one course from the following): | 3 | |
| Popular Black Music | ||
| Social Media & African Popular Culture | ||
| African-American Culture | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| AAAS 415 | Women and Islam | |
| Language and Society in Africa | ||
| or other pre-approved courses | ||
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. | ||
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:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARAB 220 | Intermediate Arabic II | 3 |
| HAIT 240 | Intermediate Haitian II | 3 |
| KISW 220 | Intermediate KiSwahili II | 3 |
| SOMI 220 | Intermediate Somali II | 3 |
| WOLO 220 | Intermediate Wolof II | 3 |
| or other approved African language | ||
Capstone Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must complete both of the following: | ||
| AAAS 496 | Field Experience | 3 |
| or AAAS 690 | Investigation and Conference | |
| AAAS 550 | Senior Seminar in: _____ | 3 |