Minor in African Studies

The Minor in African Studies focuses on the history, culture, politics, and economics of the peoples who populate the continent of Africa. As an interdisciplinary field of study, the minor will provide students with an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts that have, and continue, to shape political, economic, and social development in Africa.

The minor enables students to gain expertise in a region that is becoming increasingly more prominent in world politics and economics. The program acknowledges rising student interest in Africa and the diaspora and aims to prepare students for employment in fields such as foreign policy and international development.

Overview of Program Requirements | 15-18 credits

The minor program consists of 15 required credits and 3 optional credits for students who choose to advance their studies by taking an optional capstone course. The sequence of the minor is as follows:

*AASP200: African Civilization

  • Choose 2 courses from each of the following concentrations
    • History, Culture, and Language - 6 credits 
    • Politics, Society, and Development - 6 credits
  • Of the 12 credits, 9 credits must be upper-level (300/400) courses
  • A list of approved Concentration Courses will be made available from the program advisor during the early registration period
  • See sample approved courses further below; see testudo.umd.edu for course availability by term/semester
  • Students may advance their studies by choosing one additional course:
    • AASP400: Directed Readings in African American Studies
    • AASP401: Research Directions in African-American Studies
    • AASP468Y/AASP468Z - South Africa Study Abroad - 6 credits

Sample Concentration Courses for Minor in African Studies

History, Culture, and Language Concentration

Politics, Society, and Development Concentration 

AASP310: African Slave Trade

AASP398D: Issues in African Development

AASP398G: Gender, Labor, and Racial Identity in Diasporic Communities

AASP499C: Race and Reproduction

AASP398Z: African Contributions

AREC365: World Hunger, Population, and Food Supplies

CMLT235 Black Diaspora Literature and Culture

ECON315: Economic Development of Underdeveloped Areas

HIST254: African-American History to 1865

GEOG130: Developing Countrie
No course with a grade less than “C-” may be used to satisfy requirements for the minor program, and an overall GPA of 2.0 is required for graduation. 
*Course fulfills GenEd requirement, see testudo.umd.edu for details
For more information about the Minor in African Studies or to declare the program contact the academic advisor, lahsram9 [at] umd.edu
Schedule a virtual “general advising” appointment here