Undergraduate Program in African American Studies
College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Website: https://coss.fsu.edu/aas
Director: Dr. Katrinell M. Davis
African American Studies is an interdisciplinary program that offers two major tracks and a minor. Located in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, the program utilizes faculty from several departments within and beyond the College. African American Studies offers students the opportunity to understand American society and the international arena from the unique vantage point of the African Diaspora, most especially Americans of African descent.
Computer Skills Competency
All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate basic computer skills competency prior to graduation. As necessary computer competency skills vary from discipline to discipline, each major determines the courses needed to satisfy this requirement. Undergraduate majors in African American Studies satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of "C–" or higher in any course at FSU which meets the liberal studies computer competency designation, though it is strongly recommended that students take either CGS 2060 or CGS 2100 in order to satisfy this requirement.
Requirements for a Minor in African American Studies
A total of eighteen (18) credit hours are required for the minor, which consists of nine (9) credit hours from the African American Studies core courses, three (3) credit hours of African or African American history, and six (6) credit hours of supplementary courses. A 2.0 GPA average in African American Studies course requirements is required, and students will not receive credit toward the minor requirements for courses in which grades less than "C–" have been received. The nine hours of African American Studies core courses must include:
- 3 hours of AFA 2000 Introduction to the African American Experience
- 3 hours of AFA 3101 Theories of African American Studies
- 3 hours of AFA 3330 Black Families in America or AFA 4240 African Diaspora
Requirements for a Major in African American Studies
African American Studies Major: A minimum of thirty-six (36) hours of coursework is required within the major. Students may not overlap more than 6 hours of coursework used to satisfy General Education requirements with courses used to fulfill major requirements. Students pursuing a Double Major or a Dual Degree may overlap up to 6 hours with another major. Students must select one of three specialty areas: 1) Social Sciences, 2) Literature and Arts, or 3) History, Religion, and Philosophy. In each case, the student selects fifteen (15) hours from African American Studies core courses, six (6) hours of African and/or African American history, plus fifteen (15) hours of elective courses from a chosen specialty area and related supplemental courses. A 2.0 GPA average in African American Studies course requirements is required, and students will not receive credit toward the major requirements for courses in which grades less than "C–" have been received. A minimum of eighteen (18) semester hours in African American Studies major courses must be taken at Florida State University. With the director's approval, courses offered at Florida A&M University that are not offered at FSU may be used to fulfill the requirements for the African American Studies major.
Students may choose to obtain either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. Students choosing to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree are required to demonstrate proficiency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic through the intermediate (2220) level, as well complete 9 hours of humanities or history courses beyond those used to satisfy general education requirements.
1. Core Course Requirements
Completion of fifteen (15) hours in African American Studies core courses.
- Three required courses (9 hours):
AFA 2000 Introduction to the African American Experience
AFA 3101 Theories of African American Studies
AFA 4851 Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Africana Studies (Special Topic)
- One of the following experiential courses (3 hours):
AFA 3330 Black Families in America or
AFA 4240 African Diaspora
- One of the following research/service learning courses (3 hours):
AFA 3930 Senior Capstone Thesis (Special Topic) or
AFA 4940 African American Studies Internship
2. History Requirement
Completion of six (6) hours in African and/or African American history courses.
AMH 1091 African American Experience in the United States
AMH 2096 Black Women in America
AMH 2097 Nationality, Race, and Ethnicity in America
AMH 4571 Black America to 1877
AMH 4572 Black America Since 1877
AMH 4684 Women and Children in the Civil Rights Movement
HIS 4930 Special Topics in History (Black History through Film)
LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America
3. Social Science Specialty
Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses from the list below and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or supplementary social sciences courses.
- Three required courses chosen from any classes in the Social Science topic areas below (9 hours):
- Political Economy and the Black Community:
AFA 3330 Black Families in America
AFA 3604 Politics of Black Poverty: Issues of Race, Class, and Space
AFA 3930 (Special Topics) or ECS 4431 Economics of the Caribbean
AFA 3930 (Special Topics) or ECP 3143 African Americans & the US Economy
GEO 4404 Black Geographies
POS 4070 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
POS 4624 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
- Culture, Institutions, and Policy:
AFA 4007 Black Political Thought and Social Movements
AFA 4240 African Diaspora
AFA 4007 Black Political Thought and Social Movements
AFA 4358 Culture, Land, and Ecology: A Seminar In Black Environmental History and Politics
SOP 3782 Psychology of the African-American
SYD 4700 Race and Minority Group Relations
- Race and Justice:
CCJ 3673 Social Reality of Black Males
CCJ 3678 Policing Diversity: Race, Gender, Religion, and Crime
CCJ 4662 Minorities, Crime, and Social Policy
CCJ 4938 (Special Topics) Seminar on Racial Profiling
CCJ 4938 (Special Topics) Seminar on Black Males
- Political Economy and the Black Community:
- Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Social Sciences sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)
4. Literature and Arts Specialty
Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses from the list below and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or humanities courses.
- Three required courses (9 hours):
ARH 2630C Survey in African-American Art and Aesthetics
ARH 3515 History of African Art
ARH 4933 Special Topics (African Diaspora)
AML 2600 Introduction to African-American Literature
AML 3682 American Multi-Ethnic Literature
AML 4604 The African-American Literature Tradition
LIT 4329 African American Folklore
DAN 3185 African American Perspectives on Dance
MUH 4531 African Soundscapes
MUH 4801 History of Jazz (1890–1950)
MUH 4802 History of Jazz (1950–Present)
THE 4233 History of African-American Drama
THE 4433 Gender, Race and Performance
THE 4438 African Theatre Performance
- Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Humanities sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)
5. History, Religion, and Philosophy Specialty
Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or humanities courses.
- Three required courses (9 hours):
AMH 1091 African American Experience in the United States
AMH 2096 Black Women in America
AMH 2097 Nationality, Race, and Ethnicity in America
AMH 4571 Black America to 1877
AMH 4572 Black America Since 1877
AMH 4684 Women and Children in the Civil Rights Movement
HIS 4930r Special Topics in History (Black History through Film)
LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America
PHM 2121 Philosophy of Race, Class and Gender
REL 3128 Special Topics in American Religion (African American Religious Experience)
REL 3152 Religion, Race, and Ethnicity
REL 3370 Religion in Africa
REL 3936r Special Topics in Religion (Ecstatic Religions)
REL 4190r Undergraduate Seminar (Religion and the Civil Rights Movement)
- Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Humanities sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)
Supplementary Course List
I. African American Studies
AFA 3330 Black Families in America
AFA 4240 African Diaspora
AFA 4358 Culture, Land, and Ecology: A Seminar in Black Environmental History and Politics
AFA 4007 Black Political Thought and Social Movements
II. Social Sciences
Anthropology
ANT 2534 Race: Bio and Culture
ANT 4352 Peoples and Culture of Africa
Communications
SPC 4710 Interracial/Intercultural Communication
Criminology
CCJ 3673 Social Reality of Black Males
CCJ 3678 Policing Diversity: Race, Gender, Religion, and Crime
CCJ 4662 Minorities, Crime, and Social Policy
CCJ 4938 Racial Profiling
CCJ 4938 Seminar on Black Males
Economics
ECP 3143 African Americans and the American Political Economy
ECS 4431 Economics of the Caribbean
Geography
GEO 4404 Black Geographies
Political Science
CPO 3034 Politics of Developing Areas
POS 4070 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
POS 4624 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
PUP 4024 Interest Groups, Social Movements, and Public Policy
Psychology
SOP 3782 Psychology of the Afro-American
SOP 4722 Prejudice and Stereotyping
Sociology
IDS 2339 The Boundaries Between Us: Exploring Racial Inequality in the U.S.
IDS 3430 Sociology of Hip Hop Culture
SYD 4700 Race and Minority Group Relations
SYD 4730 African Americans in Modern Society
Urban and Regional Planning
URP 5059 Community Involvement and Public Participation
URP 5445 Climate Change and Community Resilience
URP 5743 Neighborhood Planning
URP 5749 Affordable Housing Development
III. Humanities Courses
Art History
ARH 2630C Survey in African American Art and Aesthetics
ARH 3515 History of African Art
ARH 4118 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
ARH 4933 Special Topics in Art History (African Diaspora)
Dance
DAA 1500 Special Topics (Dances of the Caribbean)
DAA 1500 Special Topics (Hip Hop)
DAN 3185 African American Dance
DAN 4935 Special Topics (Dances of African Diaspora)
History
AMH 1091 African American Experience in the United States
AMH 2096 Black Women in America
AMH 2097 Nationality, Race, and Ethnicity in America
AMH 4571 Black America to 1877
AMH 4572 Black America Since 1877
AMH 4684 Women and Children in the Civil Rights Movement
HIS 4930r Special Topics in History (African American History through Film)
LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America
Literature
AML 2600 Introduction to African-American Literature
AML 3682 American Multi-Ethnic Literature
AML 4604 African American Literature Tradition
LIT 4233 Anglophone Postcolonial Literature
LIT 4329 African American Folklore
Music
MUH 4531 African Soundscapes
MUH 4801 History of Jazz: 1890–1950
MUH 4802 History of Jazz: 1950–Present
MUN 2800 World Music Ensemble (FSU Gospel Choir, Blues Lab)
MUN 4903 World Music Ensemble (FSU Gospel Choir, Blues Lab)
Philosophy
PHM 2121 Philosophy of Race, Class, and Gender
Religion
REL 3128 Special Topics in American Religion (African American Religious Experience)
REL 3152 Religion, Race, and Ethnicity
REL 3370 Religion in Africa
REL 3936r Special Topics in Religion (Ecstatic Religions)
REL 4190r Undergraduate Seminar (Religion and the Civil Rights Movement)
Theatre
THE 4233 History of African American Drama
THE 4433 Gender, Race, and Performance
THE 4438 African Theatre Performance
Definition of Prefix
AFA—African American Studies
Undergraduate Courses
AFA 1003. Diversity and Justice (3). This course integrates African authors, pre- and post-Apartheid, to demonstrate the problems of living in a diverse world. It fosters awareness and acceptance of people different from students through the study of African-American culture, and stimulates an appreciation and respect for people of all cultures.
AFA 2000. Introduction to the African-American Experience (3). This course is an interdisciplinary examination of African-American culture and socio-economic status. This course also explores elements of the African Diaspora.
AFA 3101. Theories of African American Studies (3). This course engages theories of race discrimination and oppression as it relates to African Americans. Students systematically and objectively examine the sources of American oppression and explore how it shapes the life chances of African Americans from prior to the Reconstruction Era to the twenty-first century. The course explores the timing and manner of their entry into U.S. society, conflicts with other groups, encounters with prejudice and discrimination, as well as the extent to which they have secured access to cultural, economic, political, and social assimilation into U.S. society.
AFA 3330. Black Families in America (3). This course explores the social, economic, and cultural forces that have shaped the development of African-American families. In examining historical and contemporary transitions in the structure and functioning of African-American families, special emphasis is given to the bifurcation in the distribution of wealth and power in American society, as well as the role of racial stratification. The course also seeks to empirically examine contemporary policy and political debates on crucial issues confronting African-American families.
AFA 3604. Politics of Black Poverty: Issues of Race, Class, and Space (3). This course examines the African American poverty in the U.S. with the goal of understanding how historical conditions and events shaped current circumstances. Students learn about the strengths and weaknesses of antipoverty interventions in addition to some of the unintended consequences of these policies.
AFA 3930r. Special Topics (1–3). This course varies with instructor and semester. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours.
AFA 4007. Black Political Thought & Social Movement (3). This course is a critical introduction to Africana political thought and social movements with an emphasis on the African-American experience. The course is a comprehensive exploration of Africana political history, ideology and political practice.
AFA 4240. African Diaspora (3). This course examines the experiences of Afro-descendant populations around the world in the wake of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The course focuses on the ways in which Afro-descendant peoples outside of Africa understand and negotiate the lives and the global effects of Blackness.
AFA 4358. Culture, Land, and Ecology: A Seminar in Black Environmental History and Politics (3). This course explores the ways that communities of African descent have understood and related to the earth. Specific emphasis is placed on how this understanding and relationship has changed over time due to the socio-historical forces of westernization, capitalism, slavery, colonialism, industrialization, and urbanization.
AFA 4905r. African American Studies Directed Individual Study (1–3). Course topics vary by each student. May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) credit hours; repeatable within the same term.
AFA 4940r. African American Studies Internship (3–6). This course builds on the African American Studies curriculum to provide a solid foundation for subsequent applied work in this interdisciplinary field. As students near the completion of formal course work, an internship in the field affords the opportunity to put what was learned to practical use in applied settings, and to develop professional skills and competencies. May be repeated to a maximum of six (6) credit hours.