African Diaspora Studies Minor

The African Diaspora* Studies minor is one of four minors that the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity was mandated to develop through a curricular focus on traditionally marginalized, under-represented, or misrepresented groups in the U.S. The point of such a focus is to prepare students to meet the increasingly complex demands of living in a multiracial, multiethnic, and poly-cultural world.

The courses will cover a broad range of issues, from the historically constructed and contested nature of identity to issues of cultural representation and social justice and will allow students to:

• study the Self in relationship to the Other
• use historical and comparative methodologies for developing a contextual understanding of the issues being studied
• combine epistemological /theoretical concerns with an analysis of "real-life" problems as a way to understand the relationship between theory and practice
• develop a critical approach to the processes of knowledge construction
• explore the linkages between U.S. and global politics, economics, culture, etc.             

Courses to Fulfill the African Diaspora Studies Minor

Students choosing a minor in African Diaspora Studies will need to complete at least 18 credit hours in order to fulfill the minor requirements. The courses listed under Conceptual Frameworks (1.) are required courses and make up 6 of the 18 credit hours needed. The remaining 12 credits should consist of 1 class from each of the remaining course topics (2.-6.). ▪The Capstone Seminar may count toward the African Diaspora minor if the course topic is relative, please see your minor adviser with any questions or concerns.

1. Conceptual Frameworks (Required)

CSCR-10600 Intro to African Diaspora
CSCR-12300 Intro to Culture, Race, & Ethnicity Concepts _{<formerly known as Concepts in Race and Ethnicity>}

2. Policy and Praxis (elective)

CSCR-32400 Critical Race Theories
CSCR-35200 Punishment, Prisons, & Democracy
HPS-20500 Critical Health Issues

3. Culture and History

CSCR-25000 Hip-Hop Cultures
CSCR-26100 Watching Race in American Media
ENGL-47000 Seminar
HIST-20900 Ethnic US since the Civil War
HIST-37100 Slavery and the Union
MUNM 25600 Bessie Smith to MTV
MUNM 25900 African American Music

4. Power and Liberation

CSCR-35100 Race & Sexual Politics
CSCR -43300 Education, Oppression, and Liberation
POLT-14100 Power: Sex, Class and Race
POLT-34200 Liberalism and Marxism
POLT-40100 Seminar: Comparative and International Studies

5. Comparative and International

CSCR-30700 Race and Colonialism
CSCR-43400 Capstone Seminar
ANTH-39000 Africa
POLT-34001 Selected Topics
POLT-34004 Music of African Diaspora
POLT-40200 Seminar

6. Capstone

CSCR-43400 Capstone Seminar in Culture, Race, and Ethnicity
▪This seminar will fit within the African Diaspora minor requirements if the topic of discussion relates, please see your minor adviser if you have any questions or concerns. While not required, capstones are strongly recommended.

*Prior to Fall 2009 any student who completed POLT – 14500, Politics of Identity, along with Intro. to African Diaspora has fulfilled the required courses requirement for this minor.