Departments & Programs

African American & African Diaspora Studies

Major in African American and African Diaspora Studies

Purpose 

The major prepares students for a variety of professional careers or for graduate study. Students planning to enter the workforce immediately after graduation may wish to select a double major. African American and African Diaspora Studies graduates enjoy careers in medicine, theatre and drama, the music industry, local and state governments, education, law enforcement, the criminal justice system, private industries, information science, employment with non-profits, humanist agencies, health care, the legal profession, banking and technology industries, and others.

Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate course work selected from the department’s three concentration areas (see Courses list):

1. Arts
2. Literature
3. History, Culture, and Social Issues

No more than 6 credit hours at the 100 level and no more than 6 credit hours at the 200 level can be counted toward the major. At the time of admission to the department, each student and the undergraduate advisor together plan an individualized program of study, including the selection of a major concentration area.

Majors must complete the following:

1. A150.
2. A355 or A356 (history).
3. A379 or A380 (literature).
4. A493 Senior Seminar in African American Studies.
5. An additional 18 credit hours in AAAD electives are required to complete the major. A minimum of 9 of the 18 credit hours must be at the 300 or 400 level.

Note: Credit hours in the major cannot be double counted.

Students must also complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Recommendations

During the freshman and sophomore years, students should take African American and African Diaspora Studies courses at the 100 and 200 level that satisfy general education requirements. During the senior year, however, majors are strongly encouraged to enroll in the department’s suggested electives (A400, A486, A493, and A495) to help them more clearly define their last year, which AAADS is calling the fourth year senior experience. These 400 level courses are suggested in order to create space within the curriculum to provide majors with additional understandings concerning how they can use their degree in AAADS to secure career opportunities and/or continue their studies at the graduate and/or professional level. The AAADS academic advisor will work closely with students to ensure that all required courses for the major are completed during the first three years, thereby making it possible for majors to utilize the fourth year for specific learning contexts.

Students who plan to have a double major should make this decision as early as possible so that course selections in African American and African Diaspora Studies and the second major can be closely coordinated.

Majors in journalism, telecommunications, business, public and environmental affairs, pre-law, social work, education, and many other disciplines have found African American and African Diaspora Studies courses to be useful, interesting, and important to their chosen fields.