The African and African American Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary examination of the many ways in which African and African-descended peoples have created robust lives for themselves and, in turn, contributed to the creation of the modern world. The program’s mission is advanced by its core undergraduate curriculum and certificate and minor programs that examine the culture, arts, history, politics, economics and current status of African Americans, Africans and the African Diaspora, especially in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The curriculum combines a research-based understanding of the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and the arts with practical applications (internships, community/civic engagement and research projects) to prepare students for lifelong learning, advanced study in a variety of fields, successful careers and productive public service in an increasingly diverse society, especially in Arizona.

African and African American Studies

Course Requirements
The major in African and African American studies requires 45 credit hours of course work. A minimum of 30 credit hours must be AFH, AFR and AFS courses. The remaining course work must be in a related field approved by an advisor. All students in the major are required to take the following 15 credit hours of core courses:

AFH 300 Pre-colonial Africa (3)
AFS 200 Introduction to African and African Diaspora Studies (3)
AFS 301 Race and Racism in Africa/African Diaspora (3)
AFS 318 African and African Diaspora Women Writers (3)
AFS 484 Field Experience/Internship (3) or AFS 498 Proseminar (3)

Regional Emphasis Area
In addition to the 15-credit-hour core curriculum, students in the African and African American studies program may choose a 15-credit-hour regional emphasis area in Africa, Caribbean and Afro-Latin America, or African America. The courses that satisfy the requirements for each regional emphasis area are grouped thematically to provide students a variety of choices to satisfy their academic interests:

• History.
• Governance and politics.
• Family, health, gender and society.
• Culture and literature.

Africa Emphasis Area Requirements
Students who opt for the Africa regional emphasis area must take the following courses, for a total of 15 credit hours:

AFS 355 Democracy and Civil Society in Africa (3)
AFS 340 The Making of Modern Africa (3)
Related Courses* (9)

* Six credit hours of Africa-related courses (i.e., 50 percent or more Africa content) at the 300 level and three credit hours of courses at the 400 level are required. At least nine of the 15 hours in this emphasis area must be completed at ASU.

Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Emphasis Area Requirements
Students who opt for the Caribbean and Afro-Latin America regional emphasis area must take the following courses, for a total of 15 credit hours:

AFS 304 Islands of Globalization (3) or AFH 319 Black Experience in Latin American (3)
AFS 345 The Making of the Caribbean Society (3)
Related courses* (9)

* Six credit hours of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American-related courses (i.e., 50 percent or more Caribbean and Afro-Latin American content) at the 300 level and three semester hours of courses at the 400 level are required. At least nine of the 15 semester hours in this emphasis area must be completed at ASU.

African America Emphasis Area Requirements
Students who opt for the African America regional emphasis area must take the following courses, for a total of 15 credit hours:

AFR 210 Introduction to African American Studies, C (3)
AFS 363 African American History to 1865, SB, C, H (3) or AFH 364 African American History Since 1865, SB, C, H (3)
Related courses*

* Six credit hours of African American-related courses (i.e. 50 percent or more African American content) at the 300 level and three credit hours of courses at the 400 level are required. At least nine of the 15 credit hours in this emphasis area must be completed at ASU.

Thematic Emphasis Area
Students in the African and African American Studies program may also opt for a 15-credit-hour thematic emphasis area by taking the following courses:

AFH 305 The Global History of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (3) or AFS 415 Black Political Thought and the Limits of Liberal Democracy (3)
Related courses*

* Twelve credit hours of courses chosen from at least three thematic areas listed below, or from other African and African American Studies-related courses, (i.e. 50 percent or more thematic content) at the 300 and 400 levels are required. At least nine of the 15 credit hours in this emphasis must be completed at ASU.

History

AFH 300 Pre-colonial Africa (3)
AFH 305 The Global History of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (3)
AFH 319 Black Experience in Latin America (3)
AFH 465 Harlem Renaissance: A Cultural History: 1877-1945 (3)
AFS 340 The Making of Modern Africa (3)
AFS 345 The Making of the Caribbean Society (3)
AFS 363 African American History to 1865, SB, C, H (3)
AFS 364 African American History since 1865, SB, G, H (3)
AFS 366 African Archaeology: Pre-colonial Urban Culture, SB, C, H (3)
AFS 466 Peoples and Cultures of Africa, SB, G, H (3)

Governance and Politics

AFR 210 Introduction to African American Studies (3)
AFS 200 Introduction to African and African Diaspora Studies (3)
AFS 301 Race and Racism in Africa/African Diaspora (3)
AFS 304 Islands of Globalization: Caribbean Political Economy 93)
AFS 320 Africa: Politics, Environment, and Development (3)
AFS 327 Human Rights in Africa (3)
AFS 355 Democracy and Civil Society in Africa (3)

Culture and Literature

AFH 303 African and African American Art (3)
AFH 318 African and African Diaspora Women Writers (3)
AFH 331 Studies in African American Women Writers of Pre-Harlem Renaissance (3)
AFH 333 American Ethnic Literature, L/HU, C (3)
AFH 335 Survey of African Literatures (3)
AFH 353 African American Literature: Beginnings Through the Harlem Renaissance, L/HU, C (3)
AFH 354 African American Literature: Harlem Renaissance to the Present (3)
AFH 459 Studies in African American/Caribbean Literatures, L (3)

Gender, Family and Society

AFR 375 Race, Gender, and Sport, SB, C (3)
AFR 428 Critical Race Theory (3)
AFR 460 Race, Gender, and Media, C (3)
AFS 312 Contemporary African And African Diaspora Women (3)
AFS 360 Black Families in the Diaspora: U.S. and Caribbean (3)
AFS 370 Family, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity, SB, C (3)

Of the remaining course work, 15 hours may be taken in related area courses (i.e., non-African and African American Studies programs prefixes with at least 50 percent African, Caribbean, and Afro-Latin American, or African American content) in consultation with the African and African American studies advisor and/or director.

Students are expected to fulfill the college’s language requirement in African languages or any of the languages spoken by the African diaspora, such as Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish.