Minor in African American and African Studies
The minor in African American and African studies is administered by the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Students who wish to qualify for the program must submit a minor declaration form to the African American and African Studies program.
The African American and African studies minor offers a variety of courses that satisfy the requirements for a minor in African American studies. Interdisciplinary in nature, the African American Studies minor provides an opportunity for students to investigate the history and culture of people of African descent as well as the current political, economic and social interaction among all members of society.
The minor in African American Studies is a 15-credit-hour program, which includes the following:
1. AAST 100 Introduction to African-American Studies. (prerequisite course, does not count toward the grade point average required for the minor)
2. A minimum of 6 hours of 300/400 level Humanities courses from among the following:
DANC 391 African American Perspective in Dance
ENGL 465U African American Literature
HIST 361U African American History to 1865
HIST 362U African American History Since 1865
HIST 455 African American Historiography
HIST/AAAS 475 History of Modern Africa
MUSC 460U History and Aesthetics of Jazz
WMST 302 W All American Women: A Multicultural Approach
3. A minimum of 6 hours of 300/400 level Social Science courses from among the following:
AAAS 395, 396 Topics in African American Studies
COMM 434 African-American Rhetoric
CRJS 450 Blacks, Crime, and Justice
CRJS 495 Diversity and Criminal Justice
POLS 309U Race, Culture, and Public Policy
POLS 316 Politics of Africa
POLS 410U Black Politics
POLS 412 Politics of the Civil Rights Movement
PSYC 460 Psychology of African-Americans
SOC 323 Sociology of Minority Families
SOC 426 Sociology of Minority Groups
SOC 495 Community Justice
4. With the Approval of the director, courses that focus on the African American experience can also fulfill the requirements of the minor.
5. Students must file a minor declaration form in the ISRE Resource Center located in BAL 317. No course taken to satisfy the requirement of the minor can be from a student's major field.
6. Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in the 15 credits taken.
The undergraduate courses listed above are approved for the Minor in African American Studies. See the complete on-line course catalog and schedule books for course index (call) numbers and additional information.
If you are interested in minoring in African American and African Studies, please download and complete the AAAS Program Declaration form. Returned the completed/signed form to BAL 2023. If you have questions about the minor, email Dr. Melvina Sumter at msumter@odu.edu.
