AFRO - African American Studies
Courses
AFRO 100 Intro to African American St credit: 3 Hours.
Interdisciplinary introduction to the basic concepts and literature in the disciplines covered by African American studies; surveys the major approaches to the study of African Americans across several academic disciplines including economics, education, psychology, literature, political science, sociology and others.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 101 Black America, 1619-Present credit: 3 Hours.
Sociohistorical survey of African American experiences from the West African background to North America, from the 17th century to the present. Same as HIST 174.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 103 Black Women in the Diaspora credit: 3 Hours.
Explores the historical, social, economic, cultural and political realities of black women in the African diaspora with an emphasis on the U.S., Canada, Britain, Africa and the English speaking Caribbean. How macro structures such as slavery, imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, and globalization shaped and continue to circumscribe the lives of black women across various geographic regions. Discussion of the multiple strategies/efforts that black women employ both in the past and present to ensure the survival of the self and the community. Same as AFST 103 and GWS 103.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 105 Black Literature in America credit: 3 Hours.
Survey of the literary work of Black Americans from 1746 to the present. Exploration of the social, cultural, and political contexts that have shaped the Black American literary tradition by analyzing not only poetry, drama, autobiographical narratives, short stories, and novels, but also folktales, spirituals, and contemporary music. Same as ENGL 150.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 106 Hist Arch Americas credit: 3 Hours.
Same as ANTH 106. See ANTH 106.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 122 Russia and Black America credit: 3 Hours.
Same as CWL 122 and RUSS 122. See RUSS 122.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 132 African American Music credit: 3 Hours.
Survey of African American music, from its origins to the present with a focus on understanding details of musical performance and the ways in which music interacts with its social and political context. Examines genres such as spirituals, the blues, jazz, R&B, soul, and hip-hop. No previous musical background is necessary.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 134 Religion, Race, and Resistance credit: 3 Hours.
Same as REL 134. See REL 134.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 199 Undergraduate Open Seminar credit: 1 to 5 Hours.
May be repeated.
AFRO 201 US Racial & Ethnic Politics credit: 3 Hours.
Same as AAS 201, LLS 201, and PS 201. See PS 201.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 211 Intro to African-American Film credit: 3 Hours.
Same as MACS 211. See MACS 211.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 212 Introduction to African American Theatre credit: 3 Hours.
Same as THEA 263. See THEA 263.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 215 US Citizenship Comparatively credit: 3 Hours.
Same as AAS 215, AIS 295, GWS 215, and LLS 215. See AAS 215.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 220 Intro to Research Methods AfAm credit: 3 Hours.
Introduction to various methodologies to be employed in the interdisciplinary field of African American/Africana studies. Prerequisite: AFRO 100.
AFRO 221 History of the Prison credit: 3 Hours.
Same as HIST 219 and LA 221. See LA 221.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - Western
AFRO 224 Humanist Persp of Afro-Am Exp credit: 3 Hours.
Presents the Afro-centric world view as it was manifested in traditional African society and in the Afro-American slave community. Shows that this world view merged with European notions of art and humanity, as revealed in modern Afro-American literature, art, and music. Same as CWL 226. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or consent of instructor.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 226 Black Women Contemp US Society credit: 3 Hours.
Sociological perspective of the experience of African American women in the contemporary United States. Specifically, an examination of relationships between the economy, state policy, culture, work and motherhood for this demographic group. Same as GWS 226 and SOC 223.
AFRO 227 Studies in Black Television credit: 3 Hours.
Explores topics in black television in order to a) analyze the economic and political factors that lead to successful series; b) historicize black television of the Diaspora, including the U.S., Caribbean, UK, Canada, and Nigeria; c) identify conventions and define a "black aesthetic;" d) determine how black series in one genre (such as sitcoms or dramas) aid in mapping other genres; and e) discuss how these series navigate stereotypes and cultural shifts. Same as MACS 227.
AFRO 228 Hip Hop Music: History and Culture credit: 3 Hours.
A study of hip-hop from its beginnings in the post-industrial South Bronx of the 1970s to the global present. By focusing on the work of specific artists and movements, we will compare and contrast the production and consumption of hip-hop with other forms of popular music (including jazz, rock, disco, and pop). This course shows how musicians and listeners use hip-hop to express ideas about topics such as economics, nationalism, black power, feminism, and violence.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 231 Lang Diff Dis: American Persp credit: 3 Hours.
Discusses the interaction of culture, ethnicity/race and language among American minorities. Emphasizes language difference theory as related to social and regional dialects and bilingualism/multilingualism. Distinguishes language differences from language disorders through examination of assessment and treatment approaches for different aged populations. Same as SHS 231.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 234 Black Religious Imaginations credit: 3 Hours.
Same as REL 234. See REL 234.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 243 Pan Africanism credit: 3 Hours.
Provides an introduction to Pan African political movements and ideologies from the Americas to continental Africa. Examines the political, social, economic, and ideological relationships and connections between Africans and their descendants in the diaspora from an historical and comparative perspective. Same as AFST 243 and PS 243.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West
AFRO 250 Introduction to Health and Wellness in the Black Community credit: 3 Hours.
An introduction for understanding health-related issues and disparities affecting the African American community. We will explore health status across the lifespan, social and environmental challenges, chronic diseases, lifestyle behaviors, and intervention, research and policy implications. Students will learn how to integrate and situate these complexities in a broader systemic framework and understand how this population exhibits resiliency in the face of these adversities.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 259 Early African American Literature and Culture credit: 3 Hours.
Same as CWL 259 and ENGL 259. See ENGL 259.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 260 Modern African American Literature and Culture credit: 3 Hours.
Same as CWL 260 and ENGL 260. See ENGL 260.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 261 Intro to the African Diaspora credit: 3 Hours.
Introduction to the origin, development, and maturation of the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean, beginning with the transatlantic slave trade and up to the end of the 20th century. Same as ANTH 261.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 275 Afro-American History to 1877 credit: 3 Hours.
Same as HIST 275. See HIST 275.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 276 African American History Since 1877 credit: 3 Hours.
Same as HIST 276. See HIST 276.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 281 Constructing Race in America credit: 3 Hours.
Same as AAS 281, HIST 281, and LLS 281. See HIST 281.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 287 African-American Women credit: 3 Hours.
Same as GWS 287 and HIST 287. See HIST 287.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 290 Af Am Urban Hist Since 1917 credit: 3 Hours.
Examination of the changing interaction among black urban communities, the broader urban citizenry, municipal government, the local and national urban-industrial economy, and federal policy over time, giving particular attention to discourses about the black "ghetto" as both a physical space and set of social conditions. Same as HIST 284. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, HIST 172, SOC, 225, or PS 201.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 298 Spec Topics African-Am Studies credit: 3 Hours.
Seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101, or consent of instructor.
AFRO 310 Race and Cultural Diversity credit: 4 Hours.
Same as AAS 310, EPOL 310, EPS 310, and LLS 310. See EPOL 310.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 340 Dancing Black Popular Culture credit: 3 Hours.
Same as DANC 340. See DANC 340.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority
AFRO 342 Black Men and Masculinities credit: 3 Hours.
The sociological study of African American men in the contemporary U.S. Specifically, black manhood and masculinities and the experiences of this demographic group as it relates to the economy, state, policy, and institutions such as family, criminal justice system, and education. Same as SOC 325. Prerequisite: Introductory social science course.
AFRO 343 Criminalization and Punishment credit: 3 Hours.
Same as AAS 343, AIS 343, GWS 343, and LLS 343. See LLS 343.
AFRO 345 Becoming Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. credit: 3 Hours.
A re-examination of the lives and legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Few Black leaders are held in as high esteem, yet these ministers are often represented as rivals, even adversaries. While their rhetoric and protest strategies differed, there were values and priorities they shared. This course explores the social, religious, and political ideologies that underpinned their struggles for freedom, and considers how their memory is deployed in current social movements. Same as REL 333.
AFRO 372 Class Politics & Blk Community credit: 3 Hours.
Exploration of the complex history of class relations among African Americans during the twentieth century, examining both the internal and external shapers of black class stratification. Considers the historical development of contemporary black "underclass", and the parallel expansion of the black middle class today. Same as HIST 384. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, or SOC 225 or consent of instructor.
AFRO 373 AfAm Cultr Politic Mid20C credit: 3 Hours.
Focusing on African American culture and history from World War II until the early 1960's, topics include citizenship, migration, urban life, the African Diaspora, Civil Rights Movement, and art forms. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and AFRO 101, AFRO 261, ENGL 260 or HIST 276.
AFRO 378 Race and Revolutions credit: 3 Hours.
Focus on the relationship between race and slavery during the revolutions in American and Haiti, respectively. We will seek to understand how the themes of slavery, revolution and race affected blacks, whites and indigenous Americans. We will learn about life during the Revolutionary era by reading the biographies, political pamphlets and personal letters of former slaves, Revolutionaries and everyday men and women as well as historical scholarship. Same as HIST 389. Prerequisite: One African American Studies or History course at either the 100- or 200-level or the consent of instructor.
AFRO 380 Black Women Hist & Cultures credit: 3 Hours.
Same as GWS 380. See GWS 380.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West
AFRO 381 Black Women and Film credit: 3 Hours.
An examination of the contribution of Black women film directors to cinema. The study of documentary, experimental, animated, fictional shorts, and feature films will reveal their unique approach to constructions of the intersection of race and gender. Starting from the 1920's up to the present, the course considers themes, aesthetics, historical contexts, and ideological discourses presented in the films. Same as MACS 381. Prerequisite: College level film course or consent of instructor.
AFRO 382 African Amer Families in Film credit: 3 Hours.
Uses film as case studies to examine the diverse structures, social classes, and internal dynamics among African American families. Critical family processes such as family formation patterns, dating mate selection, parenting, male-female/gender relations, child adolescent, and adult development, family routines and practices, family communication, and family stress and coping will be examined. Also considers how families interact within larger contexts, such as the local neighborhood and key institutions (school, workplace, social service agencies). Films will be supplemented with readings drawn for diverse disciplines (African American Studies, Anthropology, Family Studies, History, Psychology, and Sociology) that allow us to examine key substantive, theoretical, methodological, and policy issues in the study of African American families. Same as HDFS 324.
AFRO 383 Hist of Blk Women's Activism credit: 3 Hours.
Examination of the history of twentieth century black women's activism, specifically concerned with how African American female activists have been critical to building, sustaining and leading black freedom movements. Same as GWS 383 and HIST 383. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 or AFRO 103 or consent of instructor.
AFRO 398 Spec Topics Afro-Am Studies credit: 3 Hours.
Advanced seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Junior status and one of the following: AFRO 224, or HIST 275 or HIST 276, or ENGL 259 or ENGL 260.
AFRO 400 African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Critical examination of the contributions of intellectuals of African descent in the Caribbean and its global circuits. Major streams of social/political thought, cultural analysis, and artistic expression from across the region and its diasporas are analyzed within post- and de-colonial theoretical frameworks. Dialogues with Caribbeanists and thinkers from other parts of the world will also be considered. Same as CWL 400. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 261 or consent of instructor.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West
AFRO 410 Hate Crimes credit: 3 Hours.
Hate crimes represent the manifestation of intergroup bias and aggression. Examples of these crimes will be examined while analyzing longstanding theories in social psychology. Same as PSYC 410. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: PSYC 201 or consent of instructor.
AFRO 411 African American Psychology credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Introduction to the research, theories, and paradigms developed to understand the attitudes, behaviors, and psychological and educational realities of African Americans. Same as PSYC 416. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or one psychology course.
AFRO 415 Africana Feminisms credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Explores readings and research from the perspective of feminists throughout the African diaspora, with a focus on Black feminist thought emanating from the United States. Same as AFST 420 and GWS 415. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 103 and an additional 300 or 400-level African American Studies course or consent of the instructor.
AFRO 435 Commodifying Difference credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Same as AAS 435, GWS 435, LLS 435 and MACS 432. See LLS 435.
AFRO 460 Slavery in the United States credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examination of slavery in the U.S. using primary sources (slave narratives, songs and tales, plantation records, laws and newspapers) from the 18th century through emancipation. Same as HIST 482. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 and one 300-level AFRO course.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
AFRO 466 Race, Science, and Medicine credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examines the development of race in in medical and scientific thought; how public health and medical institutions deploy the concept; and the process by which race emerged as a valid though controversial topic of scientific and biomedical inquiry. Also addressed is the relationship between slavery and nineteenth-century medicine, the birth of the eugenics movement, legacies of medical exploitation and mistrust, trends in genetic medicine, and contemporary disparities in health outcomes and health care delivery. Same as HIST 483. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 and one 300-level AFRO course.
AFRO 474 The Black Liberation Movement, 1955-Present credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
An interdisciplinary exploration of the Black Liberation Movement (BLM) from the years 1955 to present, with emphasis on the last high tide of Black struggle in the turbulent 1960s. The course examines the different waves of the BLM and the strategies used by the BLM, namely “freedom, justice, equality” or integration, “self-determination” or Black nationalism, and “social transformation” or socialism. Same as HIST 478. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, or consent of instructor. Junior, Senior, or Graduate standing.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
AFRO 481 Urban Communities & Public Pol credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examination of how public policy has shaped urban communities and the life chances (i.e., the social, economic, mental and physical well-being) of families of color. Emphasizes the theoretical, political, and economic context of public policy making and specifically address urban issues of housing, communities and families, employment, welfare, and poverty. This course will draw on scholarship by sociologists, historians, policy analysts, race theorists, and economists. Same as SOC 472 and UP 481. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
AFRO 490 Theory in African American St credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Introduction to various theories and methodologies rising out of the study of the Black world based on African American intellectual traditions. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and one additional 400-level AFRO course, or consent of instructor.
AFRO 495 Senior Thesis Seminar credit: 3 Hours.
3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and AFRO 220 or AFRO 490.
AFRO 498 Spec Topics African Am Studies credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated up to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Upper level AFRO course (300 or above) or consent of instructor.
AFRO 500 Core Probs African-Am Studies credit: 4 Hours.
Introduction for grad students to the central concepts, theories, methodologies, and paradigms in Black Studies. Students will also be introduced to the key critical scholars, seminal works and emerging trends in Black Studies. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
AFRO 502 Researching Black Families, Communities, and Neighborhoods credit: 4 Hours.
A critical examination of social scientific approaches to the study of black families, communities, and neighborhoods. Students are introduced to the methodological, epistemological, and ethical challenges of conducting research on this population. The class will be a learning community working together through the research process from the development of a research problem to the dissemination of results. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
AFRO 504 Black Women's Studies credit: 4 Hours.
The study of black women and gender within critical discourses of history, the social sciences, and the humanities. Students are introduced to interdisciplinary and Black Women's Studies paradigms as means to study and understand the experiences of black women in the U.S. and other racialized women's groups.
AFRO 531 Race and Cultural Critique credit: 4 Hours.
Same as AAS 561, ANTH 565, GWS 561, and LLS 561. See AAS 561.
AFRO 552 Ethnography Urban Communities credit: 4 Hours.
Addresses substantive, theoretical, methodological, and policy issues within the field of urban community studies. Focusing primarily on African American urban communities, with comparisons to other racial-ethnic group communities (e.g. Euro-American, Latino, immigrant), ethnographic case studies are used to explore community processes (formation, ghettoization, gentrification, transnationalism), their relationship to historical, economic, social, and political factors, and how these processes are influenced by ethnicity, class, gender and developmental cycle. Attention will also be given to how empirical studies can be used to inform public policies affecting urban communities. Interdisciplinary readings draw primarily from anthropology, education, and sociology. Same as HDFS 543, SOC 578, and UP 578. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
AFRO 560 African Diaspora Seminar credit: 4 Hours.
Study of the key political, social, economic and cultural developments of the African Diaspora in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Using an interdisciplinary framework, students will examine recent scholarship in history, women's studies, political science, sociology and anthropology to understand the experiences and challenges faced by people of African descent. Same as AFST 560.
AFRO 595 Directed Independent Readings credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Primarily but not exclusively for students who are completing a minor or concentration in African American Studies. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
AFRO 597 Problems in African-Am Studies credit: 4 Hours.
Focused reading and study of special problems in African American Studies. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, AFRO 500 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
AFRO 598 Res Sem in African-Am Studies credit: 4 Hours.
Graduate seminar on special topics based on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, AFRO 500 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
AFRO 599 Thesis Research credit: 0 to 16 Hours.
Individual direction in research and guidance in writing theses and dissertations for advanced degrees. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.