Undergraduate Minor in African Studies

The Minor Degree: Description

The Center for African Studies offers an interdisciplinary minor as a complement to the major for any student enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences .

The 20 hours selected by students for the African Studies minor should form a coherent program of study. This program must be approved by the Center for African Studies.

The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will verify that the student has completed the program on the recommendation of the director of the Center for African Studies and on completion of the requirements below.

Guidelines for LAS Minors

The adviser for the minor may allow one substitution in the requirements for the minor.

For students who completed a major sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the department or unit sponsoring the student's major must approve the minor.

With exceptions to be determined by the LAS Student Affairs Office, students may not complete a minor in the department in which they are completing a major.

Requirements

5 hours: study of an indigenous African language. Acceptable languages include Amharic, Arabic, Bamana, Hausa, Lingala, Swahili, Wolof and Zulu.

15 hours: African Studies core courses. These courses normally contain a minimum of 50 percent African content and are defined according to a list maintained and regularly updated by the Center for African Studies. Courses completed to satisfy the core must come from at least three departments and must include the following three components:

• 3 hrs: Coursework surveying the continent. Choose from AFRST 210-Introduction to Modern African Literature; AFRST 222-Introduction to Modern Africa; AFRST 254-Economic Systems of Africa; HIST 177-History of Africa; and SOC 122-Africa in World Perspective.

• 6 hrs: 300- or 400-level courses. Language courses cannot be used to meet this requirement.

• 6 hrs: Additional courses at any level. African language courses may be used to satisfy this requirement if they are at the advanced level (fifth semester or higher). Only 3 hours of AFRST 199 may be used to satisfy the requirements of the minor.

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The Individual Plan of Study Major in African Studies

The Individual Plan of Study (IPS) major in African Studies allows students to construct individual plans of study according to their interests and career aspirations. Students are encouraged to work closely with the student adviser at the Center for African Studies to design their programs. Courses must be drawn from at least 3 disciplines including, Anthropology, History, Linguistics, Literature, Political Science, and Sociology.

Students are also expected to demonstrate proficiency in one of the following African languages: Arabic, Bamana, Lingala, Swahili, Wolof, or Zulu.

Requirements

A minimum of 48 hours is required for completion of the Individual Plan of Study in African Studies

Component 1: Language Requirement. Two years of language study (or demonstrated proficiency) in an indigenous African language.

Component 2: African Studies core courses. 12 hours must be at the 300 or 400 level. No more than 6 hours may be chosen from a single department.

A list of courses meeting these requirements is available from the department and is also posted on the Center’s website

Departmental distinction: to qualify a student must achieve the following

• at least a 3.5 grade point average in the major
• complete a senior thesis
• receive the approval of the Center's research committee

A Major Plan of Study Form should be completed and submitted to the LAS Students Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester. Please see your adviser.