College of Arts and Sciences
Bloomington
Acting Chairperson
Associate Professor Valerie Grim
Departmental E-mail
aaads@indiana.edu
Departmental URL
www.indiana.edu/~afroamer
Graduate Faculty
Adjunct Graduate Faculty
Program Information
Master of Arts
Dual M.A./M.L.S.
Dual M.A./M.P.A.
Ph.D. Minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies
Courses
An asterisk [*] denotes associate membership in University Graduate School faculty.)
Professors
A. B. Assensoh, Winona Fletcher (Emerita, Theatre and Drama), Eileen Julien, Phyllis Klotman (Emerita), John McCluskey, John Stanfield*, William Wiggins Jr. (Emeritus)
Associate Professors
Valerie Grim, Audrey McCluskey*, Iris Rosa
Assistant Professors
Matthew Guterl, Trica Keaton
Distinguished Professor
David Baker (Music)
Professor
Raymond Hedin (English)
Associate Professor
Carolyn Calloway-Thomas (Communication and Culture)
Graduate Advisor
Professor A. B. Assensoh, Memorial Hall East M27, (812) 855-2248
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The multidisciplinary Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies seeks to:
- create and share with academic and nonacademic communities scholarship of the highest quality dealing with the broad range of the African American and African Diaspora experience;
- promote the study and understanding of the historical and contemporary connections among Africans, African Americans, and other New World black communities; and
- affirm the democratic tradition of equal opportunity for all by combating all forms of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, class, and religious differences. The department assumes the ongoing responsibility of creating materials and conducting seminal research that aids in the development and shaping of African American and African Diaspora Studies as a discipline.
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The Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University is committed to being one of the world's leading multi- and interdisciplinary graduate studies programs focused on peoples of African descent in the United States in comparison to African-descent peoples in other globalized contexts. With an emphasis on diverse epistemologies, theories, methodologies, ethical considerations, and innovative teaching pedagogies, our goals are:
- to offer students an intense program in the examination of African American issues as well as diasporic African descent issues in and outside the United States and their transnational continuities and discontinuities;
- to encourage students to develop and/or fine-tune excellent and creative research skills, superb writing and oral communications skills, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary analytical skills, technological competencies, innovative problem solving and problem creation skills, collaborative research skills, and intercultural competence skills;
- to provide students with invaluable intellectual training by bridging curriculum content and practical experience gained from oral history, survey, and ethnographic field work, research based in museums and library archives; and internship opportunities in a broad spectrum of agencies, organizations, and institutions;
- to sustain a learning environment in which students create as well as refine critical questions and develop problem creation as well as problem solving skills in the humanities and social sciences and synthesizing bridges between the humanities and social sciences in their explorations and interpretations of African descent experiences in the United States and abroad;
- to give students planning to pursue doctoral training in the social sciences, humanities or in interdisciplinary fields excellent research foundations;
- to prepare students for a broad spectrum of career possibilities in academia, creative and performing arts, nonprofit management, public policy, libraries, philanthropy, museums, urban studies, conflict resolution, and social services.
The purposes of this program are:
- to offer students an intense program in the analysis of African American issues;
- to expose students to both historical and current methodological approaches;
- to expose students to issues throughout the African Diaspora;
- to refine critical and problem-solving skills in both the humanities and social sciences;
- to extend a sound basis for those going into a doctoral program; and
- to prepare students for administrative, teaching, communication, and social service careers.
In sum, the program provides a theoretical base of knowledge, methods of research, and a context for analyzing African American and Diaspora experiences that can be invaluable either in further graduate studies or in a specific job or career choice.
Admission
The program is open to any eligible student with a bachelor's degree from an accredited college. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Letters of recommendation, a brief personal essay, and GRE scores are the main sources of information upon which decision will be made.
Course Requirements
All students will complete a minimum of 32 credit hours with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Students are required to complete courses in the following categories:
- Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies, parts I and II;
- Choice of two proseminars (Writings and Literatures; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Performing, Visual and Material Arts; and Historical and Cultural Studies);
- Research and Master's Thesis Colloquium;
- Seminars in area of specialization;
- Core Readings; and
- Field Study and Research Seminar
Foreign Language
M.A. candidates may satisfy the foreign language requirement by showing satisfactory completion of course work or passing a language proficiency exam. Students in the History, Culture, and Social Issues concentration have the additional option of selecting between computer science or statistical methods.
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The dual M.A./M.L.S. program requires completion of a minimum of 58 credit hours of graduate course work. (The degrees if completed separately would require 68 credit hours.) Students must apply for admission to the master's programs of both African American and African Diaspora Studies and the School of Library and Information Science and meet the admissions criteria established for each. The two degrees must be awarded at the same time.
M.A. in African American and African Diaspora Studies
Requirements (28 credit hours minimum)
General Requirement (12 cr.):
A500 Introduction to Afro-American Studies (4 cr.)
A690 Core Readings in Afro-American Studies (4 cr.)
Proposed graduate internship
Specialization (12 cr. minimum):
Students would take a minimum of 9 graduate hours in one of the three concentration areas in African American and African Diaspora Studies. An additional 3 graduate hours should be taken in one of the other concentration areas.
M.A. Thesis A698 Field Study Seminar (4 cr.)
Master of Library Science Requirements (30 credit hours)
Completion of the M.L.S. Foundation courses (15 cr.)
Either SLIS L623 Information in the Humanities or
SLIS L625 Information in the Social Science (3 cr.)
SLIS elective courses (12 cr.)
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Students must apply separately to and be accepted into both the African American and African Diaspora Studies Master of Arts degree program and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs degree program. Students must indicate on both application forms that they are applying for the AAADS/SPEA dual degree.
M.A. in African American and African Diaspora Studies
Requirements (28 credit hours minimum)
General Requirement (12 cr.):
A500 Introduction to Afro-American Studies (4 cr.)
A690 Core Readings in Afro-American Studies (4 cr.)
Proposed graduate internship
Specialization (12 cr. minimum):
Students would take a minimum of 9 graduate hours in one of the three concentration areas in African American and African Diaspora Studies. An additional 3 graduate hours should be taken in one of the other concentration areas.
M.A. Thesis A698 Field Study Seminar (4 cr.)
M.A. of Public Affairs Requirements (36 cr.)
M.P.A. Core (21 cr.)
V501 Professional Development Practicum: Information Technology (1 cr.)
V502 Public Management (3 cr.)
V503 Professional Development Practicum: Writing and Presentation (1 cr.)
V505 Professional Development Practicum: Teamwork and Integrated Policy Project (1 cr.)
V506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (3 cr.)
V517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.)
V540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.)
V560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.)
V600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.)
Specialized Concentration (15 cr.)
Students are required to develop specialized concentrations comprised of courses approved by SPEA faculty advisors.
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The department offers the Ph.D. minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies for students enrolled in any doctoral program at Indiana University. The minor requires 15 credit hours: A500 and A503: Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies I and II, and 9 credit hours of a concentration in one of the department's three concentration areas:
- arts;
- literature; and
- history, culture, and social issues.
With written permission of the graduate advisor, students may take two courses (6 cr.) in one concentration area and one course (3 cr.) in another.
Admission
Doctoral students in good standing are admitted to the African American and African Diaspora Studies minor through interview or correspondence with the graduate advisor. At the time of admission, each student and the graduate advisor together plan an individualized program of study, including the selection of a major concentration area.
Course Requirements
A total of 15 credit hours, to include three courses (9 cr.) in one concentration area and two courses (6 cr.) in another area. With written permission of the graduate advisor, students may take four courses (12 cr.) in a single concentration area and one course (3 cr.) in another area.
Grades
A cumulative grade point average of 3.4 is required of work for the Ph.D. minor.
Examination
A comprehensive examination usually is not required; however, the decision to waive the examination rests with the faculty committee of the student's concentration area.
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General Courses
Literature
Arts
History, Culture and Social Issues
Cross-Listed Courses
A500 Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies Part I (3 cr.) Representative readings in interdisciplinary and comparative scholarship; the origins and development of African American and African Diaspora Studies; current issues and trends.
A503 Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies, Part II (3 cr.) As the second half of the sequence in the year-long introductory course on Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies, this course focuses specifically on the research methods, theoretical issues, and approaches to publishing in the African American and African Diaspora Studies discipline.
A590 Special Topics in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected Afro-American problems and issues of limited scope, approached within an interdisciplinary format. Topics will vary, but will ordinarily cut across departmental concentration areas.
A591 Black Intellectual Traditions (4 cr.) Surveys the evolution of "racial" ideas and ideologies among African Americans. Participants will discuss how black intellectuals have engaged in dialogue and debate about strategies for coping with injustice, while formulating diverse concepts of justice, salvation, artistry, and positive black identity.
A690 Core Readings in African American and African Diaspora Studies (4 cr.) Preparation for the comprehensive master's examination. Colloquium in which students will read and critically examine, both in oral presentations and in written assignments, core texts which reflect the complexity and pluralism of African American and African Diaspora Studies.
A695 Research and Master's Thesis Colloquium (3 cr.) This interactive seminar utilizes a collaborative team approach within an interdisciplinary framework to address issues and questions students have concerning fieldwork, compiling data, and interpreting historical and cultural primary and secondary sources.
A698 Field Study Seminar (4 cr.) Development of the final master's project. A critical paper, a thesis-length documentation of a field study, or a substantial record of creative activity is required.
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A501 Seminar in the Harlem Renaissance (4 cr.) Study of the major historical figures of the period designated by cultural historians as the Harlem Renaissance (ca. 1919-29), emphasis on the sociopolitical reasons for the proliferation of art, music, and literature during this significant decade, with examination of the causes and lasting influences on contemporary black culture.
A502 Seminar on Wright, Baldwin, and Ellison (4 cr.) A close critical study of selected works by Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison to assess their relationship with Harlem Renaissance emphases, contemporary American writing, and the black arts movement. The relationship of these men and their works to relevant sociopolitical issues such as McCarthyism, the liberation of African nations, and the civil rights campaigns of the early 1960s will also be examined.
A561 Afro-American Autobiography (3 cr.) A survey of autobiographies written by black Americans in the last two centuries. The course emphasizes how the autobiographers combine the grace of art and the power of argument to urge the creation of genuine freedom in America.
A571 Black Literature for Teachers (3 cr.) A survey of black American literature from the Harlem Renaissance to the present with opportunities for research into teaching materials. This course is designed primarily for teachers. Credit not given for this course toward Ph.D. minor.
A579 Early Black American Writing (3 cr.) Afro-American writing before World War II with emphasis on critical reactions and analyses. Includes slave narrative, autobiography, rhetoric, fiction, and poetry.
A580 Contemporary Black American Writing (3 cr.) The black experience in America as it has been reflected since World War II in the works of outstanding Afro-American writers: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
A583 Blacks in American Drama and Theatre, 1767-1945 (3 cr.) Image of blacks as reflected in American drama from 1767 to 1945. Selected dramas of both white and black playwrights, such as Isaac Bickerstaffe, William Wells Brown, Eugene O'Neill, and Richard Wright, who depicted blacks on the stage.
A584 Blacks in American Drama and Theatre, 1945-Present (3 cr.) Image of blacks as reflected in American drama from 1945 to the present. Emphasis on the contributions of black playwrights, such as Lorraine Hansberry, Langston Hughes, Imamu Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Ted Shine, and Ed Bullins.
A585 Seminar in Black Theatre (3 cr.) Contributions of blacks to the theatre in America. Reading and discussion of selected dramas and critiques with opportunities for involvement in the oral interpretation of one or more of the plays.
A678 Early Black American Poetry, 1746-1910 (3 cr.) A literary and historical survey of general trends and individual accomplishments in early Afro-American poetry, ranging from narrative folk poems, the formalist poetry of Jupiter Hammon and Phillis Wheatley, and the popular poetry of Frances E. W. Harper and Paul Laurence Dunbar to early modern poetry.
A679 Contemporary Black Poetry (3 cr.) An examination of black poetry from Dunbar to the present, emphasizing the emergence, growth, and development of black consciousness as a positive ethnic identification.
A680 The Black Novel (3 cr.) Analysis of the Afro-American novel from the Harlem Renaissance to the present: genesis, development, and current trends. Emphasis on traditions arising out of the black experience and on critical perspectives developed by black critics and scholars.
A689 Independent Project in Black Literature (3 cr.) Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for research on a chosen topic and by encouraging nontraditional approaches or settings in the application of concepts developed in formal classes.
A692 Pro-seminar in Writings and Literature in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the Diaspora and the Americas; as well as the history canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal-thinker biographies of the field.
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A594 Black Music in America (3 cr.) A survey of black music from its African origin to the present with special emphasis on its social, economic, and political implications.
A597 Popular Music of Black America (3 cr.) A sociocultural and musical analysis of urban black popular music, its performers, producers, and composers, from the 1940s to the1980s; rhythm and blues, rock n' roll, soul, ballads, funk, disco, and the raps.
A694 Pro-seminar on Performing, Visual, and Material Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies ( 3 cr.) This pro-seminar on performing, material, and visual arts in AAADS introduces students to interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the Americas and the Diaspora. Course also introduced graduate students to the history, canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal thinker biographies of the field.
A699 Independent Project in Black Music (3 cr.) Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for in-depth research on a chosen topic and by providing settings for the creative and practical application of concepts developed in formal class settings.
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A552 History of the Education of Black Americans (3 cr.) Education of black Americans and its relationship to the Afro-American experience. Trends and patterns in the education of black Americans as they relate to the notions of education for whom and for what.
A669 Independent Project in Black Social Issues (3 cr.) Designed to meet individual interests of students by providing opportunities for research on a chosen topic and by encouraging nontraditional approaches or settings in the application of concepts developed in formal classes.
A691 Pro-seminar on Cultural and Historical studies in African American and African Diaspora studies (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the Americas and the Diaspora; as well as the history canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal-thinker biographies of the field.
A693 Pro-seminar on Social and Behavioral Sciences in African American and African Diaspora Studies (3 cr.) Interdisciplinary and globalized approaches to Africans in the Americas and the Diaspora; as well as the history canons, paradigms, theories, methods, and seminal-thinker biographies of the field.
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LITERATURE
English
L655 American Literature and Culture 1900-1945 (4 cr.)
ARTS
Music
M582 The Bebop Era (3 cr.)
M583 Duke Ellington (3 cr.)
M584 Research in the History and Analysis of Jazz (3 cr.)
M596 Art Music of Black Composers (3 cr.)
HISTORY, CULTURE, SOCIAL ISSUES
Anthropology
E450 Folk Religions (3 cr.)
E455 Anthropology of Religion (3 cr.)
E457 Ethnic Identity (3 cr.)
E650 African Systems of Thought (1-3 cr.)
Communication and Culture
S727 Seminar in Cross-Cultural Communications (3 cr.)
Criminal Justice
P680 Seminar: Issues in Criminal Justice (3 cr.)
Folklore
F609 African and Afro-American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.)
F625 North American Folklore/Folk Music (3 cr.)
History
E531 African History from Ancient Times to Empires and City States (3 cr.)
E532 African History from Colonial Rule to Independence (3 cr.)
E534 History of Western Africa (3 cr.)
Political Science
Y657 Comparative Politics (3 cr.)
Sociology
S610 Urban Sociology (3 cr.)
S631 Intergroup Relations (3 cr.)
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