African and African American Studies (AAAS) offers opportunities for critical examination and sophisticated understanding of the cultural, social, political, economic, and historical factors that have created and shaped Africa and its diaspora, including black experiences in the United States, the Caribbean, and throughout the globe. The minor consists of six three-credit courses, some of which may require prior approval, and a portfolio submission of representative work in the minor. Requirements for the minor are as follows:
- 3 credits: African studies elective
- 6 credits: African American studies elective
- 9 credits: Electives in African, African American, African diaspora, and/or comparative racial studies including any combination of:
- courses from any of the lists below;
- courses approved for credit toward the AAAS minor listed in each semester course bulletin;
- study-abroad courses approved for AAAS elective credit (requires program director advance approval); or
- senior seminar, capstone, or internship course in the student’s major that significantly engages AAAS topics (requires program director advance approval).
- Portfolio of representative work in the minor, submitted to program director in the final year
Credits toward the minor must come from at least three distinct disciplines; at least four courses must be at the 300-level or above; up to two courses may be cross-counted between the AAAS minor and another major or minor. Some courses are more applicable or available to certain majors than others.
Students should work with the program director, in addition to their major advisors, to work out a coherent program of study. Meeting at least once semester with the director is suggested. Students are required to work with the program director to compile and submit a final portfolio of a representative selection of work from various AAAS classes, ordinarily in the final year of coursework in the minor.
Electives in African Studies
| AH202 |
African Art |
| HS308 |
White Man’s Burden: Colonialism and the Historical Origins of Racism |
| HS373 |
Africa: Past and Present |
| HS388 |
Conquest and Colonization in Africa: 1884-1965 |
| HS389 |
Women and Social Change in Modern Africa |
| HS443 |
Apartheid and Its Demise in South Africa |
| HS480 |
Seminar: Cold War in Southern Africa |
| ML270 |
Introduction to African Literature |
| PS302 |
African Politics |
Electives in African American Studies
| AH207 |
African-American Art |
| CM374 |
Documentary Production: Baltimore Stories |
| EN367 |
Race and Ethnicity in American Literature |
| EN373 |
African American Literature |
| HS358 |
African-American History through the Civil War |
| HS359 |
African Americans and Jazz |
| HS360 |
African-American History Since Emancipation |
| HS366 |
The Civil Rights Crusade |
| HS428 |
The Making of the Early Republic: A Study of Race, Place, and Ideology |
| PL399 |
Anthropology of Slavery |
| PS389 |
African-American Political Thought |
| TH262 |
African-American Religious Thought |
Additional Electives in African Diaspora and Comparative Racial Studies
| FR205 |
Living and working in the French Caribbean Today |
| FR304 |
Introduction to Francophone Cultures |
| FR305 |
Living and Working in the French Caribbean Today |
| FR330 |
Introduction to Francophone Literature |
| FR375 |
Women’s Voices in the Francophone World |
| FR376 |
Outsiders in Sub-Saharan Francophone Literature
|
| HS367 |
Black Women in the Atlantic World |
| HS461 |
Seminar: The African Diaspora |
| HS406 |
Transatlantic Slave Sites: Study Tour |
| HS424 |
Race, Place, and Memory in American History |
| HS485 |
Seminar: Comparative Slavery in the Americas |
| LW409 |
Race and Gender in Employment (Special Topics) |
| ML363 |
Voices across America |
| SC365 |
Neighborhood and Community in Urban America |
| SC421 |
Seminar: Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality |
| SC471 |
Minority Group Conflict |
AAAS Approval Required
The electives listed below may count toward AAAS credit if the final paper or project significantly engages African, African American, or African diaspora studies. The student must seek approval in advance from the program director and it is the student’s responsibility to work with the course instructor to ensure that the final paper or project is on AAAS topics.
| AH204 |
Islamic Art |
| CM330 |
Stereotypes in U.S. Film and Television |
| CM347 |
The Documentary Tradition |
| CM366 |
Reporting on Urban Affairs |
| EC348 |
Development Economics |
| EN367 |
Topics in American Literature (e.g., representing segregation, impersonating race, jazz literature) |
| EN376 |
Post-Colonial Literature |
| EN384 |
Topics in Post-Colonial Literature |
| EN385 |
Seminar in Post-Colonial Literature |
| EN388 |
Seminar in Multiethnic American Literature |
| HS345 |
The Peoples of Early America |
| HS348 |
The Civil War and Reconstruction |
| HS361 |
Merchants and Farmers, Planters and Slaves: The Roots of American Business, 1600-1850 |
| HS463 |
Colonial British America |
| LW409 |
Special Topics in Law and Social Responsibility (Race and Gender in Employment) |
| MK346 |
Buyer Behavior |
| PY253 |
Multicultural Issues in Psychology |
| SC204 |
The Family |
| SC221 |
Sociology of Race, Gender, and Class |
| SC307 |
Male and Female Roles |
| SC361 |
Social Inequality |
| SC362 |
Global Inequality |
| SN345 |
Hispanic Caribbean Literature |
| SN351 |
Literature and Identity Politics in Peru |
| SN370 |
19th-Century Latin American Novel |
| SP312 |
Cultural Diversity in Communication |
| PS351 |
Third World Politics |
Other courses may be approved for credit toward the AAAS minor if they significantly engage AAAS learning aims. Check the course bulletin each semester.
An international, service-learning, or internship course is recommended. Study-abroad courses must be in Africa or in a black-majority location in the diaspora (e.g., Guadeloupe); up to three study-abroad courses can count toward the AAAS minor, in consultation with the Department accepting the credit. Service-learning is integral to courses designated as such, which entails working with African American or African diaspora populations in the greater Baltimore area. Internship courses are offered through a student’s major and it is the student’s responsibility to seek program director approval for AAAS credit. Students may also take up to two courses offered through the Baltimore Student Exchange program at other area colleges and universities; however, these courses must be pre-approved by the program director.