African American Studies
African American Studies (AAS) brings together an interdisciplinary community of scholars to offer courses leading to a minor. Our faculty is committed to exploring creative approaches to research and teaching by making the study of African Americans a central element in their scholarship and courses. Our faculty also promote research across departmental boundaries, thereby producing scholarship touching upon politics, identify, religion, and other variables. The interdisciplinary methodology of AAS informs students who work in a variety of disciplines, including history, political science, sociology, anthropology, music, economics, literature, education, and psychology. While the majority of our courses examine the history and culture of African Americans, the minor concentration also enables students to study Africans in the homeland and the Diaspora.
The interdisciplinary minor consists of 18 credit hours offered in African American Studies, with the cooperation of several departments within the College of Arts & Sciences. To earn the minor students are required to take AAS 1063. They must also take at least 3 credit hours in the categories of Literature and Fine Arts, 3 in the Social Sciences, at least 6 hours in the Humanities, and one 3-hour elective at the 3000 or 4000 level.
| Required Course | ||
| AAS 1063 | Introduction to African American Studies | 3 |
| Literature and Fine Arts | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| African American Music | ||
| Studies in African American Literature | ||
| Humanities | ||
| Choose two of the following: | 6 | |
| African American History to 1865 | ||
| African American History since 1865 | ||
| The African Diaspora | ||
| African-American History and Culture | ||
| History of Modern Civil Rights Movement | ||
| African American Leadership in the Twentieth Century | ||
| African Civilization to 1880 | ||
| Modern Africa | ||
| Social Sciences | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Modern Civil Rights Law | ||
| African American Politics | ||
| African Politics | ||
| Race and the Media | ||
| African Americans and the Law | ||
| Elective | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Courses
AAS 1001 First Year Seminar: 1 hour.
One hour lecture. First-year seminars explore a diverse arrary of topics that provide students with an opportunity to learn about a specific discipline from skilled faculty members
AAS 1063 Introduction to African American Studies: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. An interdisciplinary examination of African-American history and culture, including the Diaspora, literature, music, reform movements, and black liberation in the U.S
AAS 1103 African American Music: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. A study of African musical and cultural traditions with focus on the impact of these traditions on the development and advancement of African American Music. (Same as MU 1103)
AAS 2203 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Three hours in an introductory social science). Three hours lecture. Introduction to the sociological examination of race and ethnicity; overview of theories and methods; exploration of how race and ethnicity impact individual and group identity and social institutions and structures. (Same as SO 2203 and AN 2203)
AAS 2363 Introduction to African American Literature: 3 hours.
Three hour lecture. (Prerequisites: EN 1103 or 1113 or their equivalent). An introductory course that examines the major authors and texts of the African American Literary Tradition. (Same as EN 2363)
AAS 2990 Special Topics in African American Studies: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years.)
AAS 3013 African American History to 1865: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. An historical examination of the life and culture of African Americans in the United States from European colonization to the end of the Civil War. (Same as HI 3013)
AAS 3023 African American History since 1865: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. An historical examination of the life and culture of African Americans in the United States from the beginning of Reconstruction to the present. (Same as HI 3023)
AAS 3043 Modern Civil Rights Law: 3 hours.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher. Three hours lecture. An analysis of American law as a tool for social change in education, employment, public accommodations, and voting rights. (Same as PS 3043)
AAS 3153 African Art and Culture: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: AN 1103 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. An examination of the role of traditional art in the beliefs and customs of representative African cultures. (Same as AN 3153 and ART 3153)
AAS 3193 African Cultures: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: AN 1103 or AN 1143 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Course provides a study of sub-Saharan African cultures, including diverse social, political organization, gender roles, and culture change. (Same as AN 3193)
AAS 3353 Race, Crime and Justice: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites CRM 1003 and SO 1003 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Racial differences in criminal behavior, victimization, and criminal processing, emphasizing the unique experiences of racial minorities in these areas (same as CRM 3353 and SO 3353)
AAS 3713 History of African American Women: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Examination of black women from their African origins to the present; emphasizes the social, economic and political engagement of women in American society, including reform movements, family life, business, and the arts. (Same as HI 3713/GS 3713)
AAS 4000 Directed Individual Study in African American Studies: 1-6 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
AAS 4093 The African Diaspora: 3 hours.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher ) .Three hours lecture. An interdisciplinary and comparative analysis of the dispersal of Africans throughout the world by examining the cultural, philosophical, literacy, and historical development of the Diaspora
AAS 4143 Gender, Race, and Social Movements: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. This course examines theories and research on social movements, gender and race in the United States. (Same as SO 4143/6143 and GS 4143/6143)
AAS 4273 African American Politics: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: PS 1113). Three hours lecture. The nature, processes, structures, and functions of African American politics in the domestic arena and international arena. (Same as PS 4273)
AAS 4343 Studies in African American Literature: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of English requirements in the student’s major). Three hours lecture. A study of selected authors and/or topics in African American literature. (Same as EN 4343)
AAS 4363 African-American History and Culture: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of any 1000-level history course) African-Americans from their Africian origins to the present, emphasizing black-white relations in the making of America. (Same as HI 4363)
AAS 4373 History of Modern Civil Rights Movement: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of any 1000-level history course). Three hours lecture. A history of the Black struggle for equality in the United States between 1930 and 1970. (Same as HI 4373 )
AAS 4383 African American Leadership in the Twentieth Century: 3 hours.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher ). Three hours lecture. An interdisciplinary course that examines the evolution and sociopolitical impact of African American leadership during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries
AAS 4393 Postcolonial Literature and Theory: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of English requirements in the student’s major). Three hours lecture. A critical introduction to postcolonial studies, examining the literatures of colonized or previously colonized peoples and their diasporas. (Same as EN 4393 )
AAS 4543 African Politics: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: PS 1513 and junior standing). Three hours lecture. Contemporary sub-Saharan Black Africa; prospects for political development or decay. Role of parties, bureaucracy and military and their relation to elite formation and political integration. (Same as PS 4543 )
AAS 4643 Race and the Media: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: SO/AAS 2203, or CO 1403, or AAS 1063 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Examines the relationship between society, race, and the media. An examination of the social influence of how racial representations are produced, distributed, and consumed. (Same as SO 4643 and CO 4643)
AAS 4783 African Civilization to 1880: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of any 1000-level history course or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. This is a survey course which traces the major developments in Africa to 1880. (Same as HI 4783)
AAS 4793 Modern Africa: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Completion of any 1000-level history course or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. This course traces Africa's history from 1880 to the present. It discusses how Africa lost and regained its sovereignty and the dilemma of independence. (Same as HI 4793)
AAS 4983 African Americans and the Law: 3 hours.
Prerequisite Sophomore standing or higher). Three hours lecture. Analysis of the legal and constitutional history of African Americans from the codification of slavery and discrimination in the North to the rise of segregation. (Same as HI 4983)
AAS 4990 Special Topics in African American Studies: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years.)
AAS 6143 Gender, Race, and Social Movements: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. This course examines theories and research on social movements, gender and race in the United States. (Same as SO 4143/6143 and GS 4143/6143)
AAS 6990 Special Topics in African American Studies: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years.)
AAS 8543 Diversity and Discrimination Law: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Analysis of federal and state laws and regulations on diversity in the workplace, emphasizing race and national origin, sex, physical disability, religion, and age. (This course is available to students enrolled in the Graduate Online Diversity Certificate Program. It is not open to students seeking to complete degree requirements.) (Same as HI 8543 )
AAS 8603 Racism and the Color Line: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite:Graduate Standing and enrollment in the Diversity Certificate Program ). Three hours lecture. An analysis of race relations and racial inequality in the United States. Designed for online Diversity Certificate program students. ( Same as HI 8603)
AAS 8793 Rae and Cultural Diversity in the Workplace: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite:Graduate standing and enrollment in the Diversity Certificate Program). Three hours lecture. An analysis of concepts, issues, and laws relating to race and cultural diversity in public and private organizations. Designed for online Diversity Certificate Program students. (Same as HI 8793)