African American Studies, BALAS
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in African American Studies
African American Studies is a field that systematically explores the life and culture of African American peoples and their African Diaspora relationships, patterns, and ties. Those who major in African American Studies will learn about the historical, political, ideological, legal, social, artistic, and economic issues affecting African Americans. They will learn about the dignity-affirming struggles of African American people to have their humanity acknowledged, valued, and understood.
The major in African American Studies (AFRO) is to provide students with a transdisciplinary perspective on the origin, role and policy implications of race in the United States and world political economy, society and culture, over time. AFRO students will learn diverse concepts, theories and methodologies for analyzing the experiences and perspectives and the cultural and intellectual production of African Americans and African descended people, largely though not exclusively in the United States. An African American studies major will be encouraged to achieve excellence in developing vital creative and critical competencies, including oral and written communication, and computer and statistical skills. Students majoring in AFRO will also be encouraged to join a new generation of leadership grounded in African American studies knowledge and committed to public engagement to meet the continuing challenges of a diverse democratic society, as well as to foster national discourse to produce public policy aimed at achieving social justice.
This program is designed to serve undergraduate students primarily interested in the social sciences and humanities, though all students are welcome and encouraged to enroll in the program. This program prepares students for graduate study and research in traditional disciplines and interdisciplinary fields and for careers in the private or public sectors such as teaching, social work, human resources, criminal justice, management and administration, city planning, marketing, policy-making, medicine and law.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in African American Studies
A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see your adviser.
Departmental distinction:
To graduate with distinction, students must complete the following:
- 3.3 overall G.P.A
- 3.6 program G.P.A
- Complete AFRO 495 Senior Thesis Seminar with a grade of 3.3 or better
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours
Minimum required major and supporting course work: Equates to 48 hours. Twelve hours of 300- and 400-level African American Studies courses must be taken on this campus.
University Requirements
Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement. The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
fulfilled by AFRO 100 and one additional Social & Behavioral Science course | ||
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
fulfilled by AFRO 100 | ||
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the fourth semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-20 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation and Professional Development | ||
| LAS 101 | Design Your First Year Experience | 1 |
OR | ||
| LAS 100 & LAS 101 | Success in LAS for International Students and Design Your First Year Experience | 3 |
OR | ||
| LAS 102 | Transfer Advantage | 1 |
| Total Hours | 1 or 3 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Core Requirements and Electives | ||
| When a course is listed under two or more categories, the student may decide which of the requirements the course should fulfill. It may not be used to fulfill more than one of those requirements | ||
| I. Core Course Requirements | 12 | |
| AFRO 100 | Intro to African American St | 3 |
| AFRO 220 | Intro to Research Methods AfAm | 3 |
| AFRO 490 | Theory in African American St | 3 |
| AFRO 495 | Senior Thesis Seminar | 3 |
| II. Theory and Methods Requirement | 6 | |
| At least one Theory and one Methods course beyond the core. | ||
| Theory | ||
| AFRO 224 | Humanist Persp of Afro-Am Exp | 3 |
| AFRO 411 | African American Psychology | 3 |
| AFRO 415 | Africana Feminisms | 3 |
| AFRO 474 | The Black Liberation Movement, 1955-Present | 3 |
| Methods | ||
| AFRO 201 | US Racial & Ethnic Politics | 3 |
| AFRO 411 | African American Psychology | 3 |
| AFRO 460 | Slavery in the United States | 3 |
| III. Thematic Areas | 21 | |
| Students must take 21 hours of Thematic Area coursework. At least one course must be taken from each of the following five areas, and the remaining 6 hours must be taken from only one of any of the five areas. | ||
| A. Comparative Race, Racialized Communities and Identities | ||
| AFRO 101 | Black America, 1619-Present | 3 |
| AFRO 103 | Black Women in the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 199 | Undergraduate Open Seminar | 1 to 5 |
| AFRO 215 | US Citizenship Comparatively | 3 |
| AFRO 234 | Black Religious Imaginations | 3 |
| AFRO 275 | Afro-American History to 1877 | 3 |
| AFRO 276 | African American History Since 1877 | 3 |
| AFRO 281 | Constructing Race in America | 3 |
| AFRO 287 | African-American Women | 3 |
| AFRO 290 | Af Am Urban Hist Since 1917 | 3 |
| AFRO 298 | Spec Topics African-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 310 | Race and Cultural Diversity | 4 |
| AFRO 312 | Psychology of Race & Ethnicity | 3 |
| AFRO 372 | Class Politics & Blk Community | 3 |
| AFRO 378 | Race and Revolutions | 3 |
| AFRO 383 | Hist of Blk Women's Activism | 3 |
| AFRO 398 | Spec Topics Afro-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 407 | Slavery & Race in Latin Am | 3 |
| AFRO 410 | Hate Crimes | 3 |
| AFRO 411 | African American Psychology | 3 |
| AFRO 415 | Africana Feminisms | 3 |
| AFRO 435 | Commodifying Difference | 3 |
| AFRO 460 | Slavery in the United States | 3 |
| AFRO 465 | Race, Sex, and Deviance | 3 |
| AFRO 466 | Race, Science, and Medicine | 3 |
| AFRO 474 | The Black Liberation Movement, 1955-Present | 3 |
| AFRO 498 | Spec Topics African Am Studies | 3 |
| B. Cultural Production and Cultural Movements | ||
| AFRO 101 | Black America, 1619-Present | 3 |
| AFRO 103 | Black Women in the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 105 | Black Literature in America | 3 |
| AFRO 132 | African American Music | 3 |
| AFRO 211 | Intro to African-American Film | 3 |
| AFRO 212 | Introduction to African American Theatre | 3 |
| AFRO 224 | Humanist Persp of Afro-Am Exp | 3 |
| AFRO 226 | Black Women Contemp US Society | 3 |
| AFRO 227 | Studies in Black Television | 3 |
| AFRO 231 | Lang Diff Dis: American Persp | 3 |
| AFRO 259 | Early African American Literature and Culture | 3 |
| AFRO 260 | Modern African American Literature and Culture | 3 |
| AFRO 261 | Intro to the African Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 298 | Spec Topics African-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 340 | Dancing Black Popular Culture | 3 |
| AFRO 342 | Black Men and Masculinities | 3 |
| AFRO 345 | Becoming Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. | 3 |
| AFRO 372 | Class Politics & Blk Community | 3 |
| AFRO 373 | AfAm Cultr Politic Mid20C | 3 |
| AFRO 381 | Black Women and Film | 3 |
| AFRO 382 | African Amer Families in Film | 3 |
| AFRO 398 | Spec Topics Afro-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 400 | African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean | 3 |
| AFRO 415 | Africana Feminisms | 3 |
| AFRO 435 | Commodifying Difference | 3 |
| AFRO 465 | Race, Sex, and Deviance | 3 |
| AFRO 481 | Urban Communities & Public Pol | 3 |
| AFRO 482 | Immersion Journalism | 4 |
| AFRO 498 | Spec Topics African Am Studies | 3 |
| C. Political Economy, Public Policy and Contemporary Issues | ||
| AFRO 101 | Black America, 1619-Present | 3 |
| AFRO 103 | Black Women in the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 199 | Undergraduate Open Seminar | 1 to 5 |
| AFRO 201 | US Racial & Ethnic Politics | 3 |
| AFRO 221 | History of the Prison | 3 |
| AFRO 226 | Black Women Contemp US Society | 3 |
| AFRO 243 | Pan Africanism | 3 |
| AFRO 275 | Afro-American History to 1877 | 3 |
| AFRO 276 | African American History Since 1877 | 3 |
| AFRO 290 | Af Am Urban Hist Since 1917 | 3 |
| AFRO 298 | Spec Topics African-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 310 | Race and Cultural Diversity | 4 |
| AFRO 315 | African American Politics | 3 |
| AFRO 342 | Black Men and Masculinities | 3 |
| AFRO 345 | Becoming Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. | 3 |
| AFRO 372 | Class Politics & Blk Community | 3 |
| AFRO 380 | Black Women Hist & Cultures | 3 |
| AFRO 398 | Spec Topics Afro-Am Studies | 3 |
| AFRO 410 | Hate Crimes | 3 |
| AFRO 415 | Africana Feminisms | 3 |
| AFRO 421 | Racial and Ethnic Families | 3 |
| AFRO 460 | Slavery in the United States | 3 |
| AFRO 465 | Race, Sex, and Deviance | 3 |
| AFRO 498 | Spec Topics African Am Studies | 3 |
| D. Global Interconnections: Black Transnationalism and the African Diaspora | ||
| AFRO 103 | Black Women in the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 106 | Hist Arch Americas | 3 |
| AFRO 215 | US Citizenship Comparatively | 3 |
| AFRO 243 | Pan Africanism | 3 |
| AFRO 261 | Intro to the African Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 378 | Race and Revolutions | 3 |
| AFRO 400 | African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean | 3 |
| E. Black Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies | ||
| AFRO 103 | Black Women in the Diaspora | 3 |
| AFRO 226 | Black Women Contemp US Society | 3 |
| AFRO 287 | African-American Women | 3 |
| AFRO 342 | Black Men and Masculinities | 3 |
| AFRO 380 | Black Women Hist & Cultures | 3 |
| AFRO 381 | Black Women and Film | 3 |
| AFRO 382 | African Amer Families in Film | 3 |
| AFRO 383 | Hist of Blk Women's Activism | 3 |
| AFRO 415 | Africana Feminisms | 3 |
| AFRO 421 | Racial and Ethnic Families | 3 |
| AFRO 435 | Commodifying Difference | 3 |
| AFRO 465 | Race, Sex, and Deviance | 3 |
| IV. Cognate or Supporting Coursework | 9 | |
| Students must complete 9 hours of supporting coursework. Supporting coursework courses consists of a set of courses which are logically grouped, and which reflect or support a student's interests outside of the African American Studies major. Supporting coursework courses must be approved by the Department's undergraduate advisor. | ||
| Total Hours | 48 | |
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in African American Studies
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a fourth level of a language other than English. See the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| LAS 101 | 1 | AFRO 220 | 3 |
| AFRO 100 | 3 | Theory course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | General Education course or Composition I | 3 |
| Composition I or General Education course | 4 | Language Other than English (4th level) | 4 |
| Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | General Education course | 3 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Methods course | 3 | Thematic Area B course | 3 |
| Thematic Area A course | 3 | Thematic Area C course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Thematic Area D course | 3 | Thematic Area E course | 3 |
| Thematic Area course | 3 | Cognate or Supporting Coursework | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| AFRO 490 | 3 | AFRO 495 | 3 |
| Cognate or Supporting Coursework | 3 | Cognate or Supporting Coursework | 3 |
| Thematic Area course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 2 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in African American Studies
Upon completion of the major in African American Studies, students will be able to:
- DESCRIBE the main stages in the historical development of the African American experience that reflects both continuity and change, and the different component parts of the human experience.
- ASSESS the historical development of peoples of African descent in broad global context, emphasizing historical, contemporary, and future implications.
- ANALYZE the experiences of Black people using the perspectives, data, and interpretations from two or more disciplinary fields (e.g., historical studies, cultural studies, social studies).
- EVALUATE successes and failures as people have used their values to initiate efforts to achieve social justice for African Americans and people of diverse social backgrounds.
- DESIGN a strategies and tactics that provide a solution to a major civic or social challenge facing Black communities in various parts of the world, illustrating how "Academic Excellence and Social Responsibility" in Black Studies have contributed to this process.
for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences in African American Studies
Department of African American Studies
African American Studies Faculty
afro-advising@illinois.edu
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
overview of college admissions & requirements: Liberal Arts & Sciences