Major in African American Studies 

There are five segments of the AASP non-concentration major: foundation courses, research methods, a research practicum or lab, AASP upper-level elective courses chosen from “Cultural & Historical Analysis” or “Civic Engagement & Social Justice” emphasis areas, and a senior capstone with 3 options. All major requirements must be taken under the regular grading method and must be completed with a grade of C- or higher (unless otherwise noted).

Every student must also complete their General Education requirements as well as 120 total credits to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in AASP. Please reference the following major card:

General Education AASP Major Card 

BSOS AAS Major

What Can I Do With My Major?: African American Studies

 

Overview of Program Requirements | 35 credits

AASP Foundation Course Requirements | AASP100, AASP200, and AASP101 or AASP202 | 9 credits

  • All majors will complete the following foundation course requirements:
    • AASP100: Introduction to African American Studies
    • AASP200: African Civilization, and
    • AASP101: Public Policy and the Black Community, or AASP202: Black Culture in the United States
  • Directly admitted freshman should complete the requirements within 30-60 credits at the university
  • Internal transfer students should successfully complete at least 1 or more of foundation requirements prior to applying to major

AASP Research Method Requirements | AASP210 and AASP297 or AASP395 | 6 credits

  • All majors are required to complete AASP210: Intro to Research Design and Analysis in African American Studies before AASP297 or AASP395
  • Choose one additional research methods course
    • AASP297: Research Methods in African American Studies
      • This course is designed to be an intermediate qualitative research course
    • AASP395: Fundamentals of Quantitative Research in Socio-Cultural Perspective
      • This course is designed to be an intermediate statistical analysis/quantitative course
  • The research methods segment should be completed between the sophomore and junior year (30-89 credits) or before choosing a senior capstone option

AASP Research Practicum | AASP399 | 2 credits

  • All majors are required to complete 2 credits of a research practicum or lab experience
  • Majors can begin this segment after freshman year and/or the successful completion of 2 foundation courses (AASP benchmarks)

AASP Upper-Level Courses | 15 credits

  • AASP upper-level (300/400) elective courses are divided into 2 thematic clusters: 
    • Cultural & Historical Analysis
    • Civic Engagement & Social Justice
  • Students will select 4 courses of their choice from one cluster and 1 course of their choice from the alternate cluster
  • A list of approved courses will be made available from the program advisor during the early registration period

AASP Senior Capstone Options | 3-6 credits

  • As students approach the completion of 90 credits, they will meet with their academic advisor to discuss capstone options and get permissions/approvals if needed
  • Students will choose one option from 3 distinct senior capstone options 
    • AASP397: Senior Thesis (permissions required)
    • AASP401: Research Directions in African-American Studies
    • AASP468Y/AASP468Z - South Africa Study Abroad - 6 credits