Major Requirements

African American Studies Major

A minimum of thirty-six (36) hours of coursework are required within the major. Students pursuing a Double Major or a Dual Degree may overlap up to 6 hours with another major. Students must select one of three specialty areas: 1) Social Sciences, 2) Literature and Arts, or 3) History, Religion, and Philosophy.

In each case, the student completes twelve (12) hours from African American Studies required core courses, twelve (12) hours of advanced courses from the approved list, plus twelve (12) hours of approved supplementary courses from approved list, of which 6 hours must be at the 3/4000 level. The approved supplementary courses draw from departments including history, criminology, geography, public administration, political science, and sociology.

A 2.0 GPA average in African American Studies course requirements is required, and students will not receive credit toward the major requirements for courses in which grades less than “C–” have been received. A minimum of eighteen (18) semester hours in African American Studies major courses must be taken at Florida State University. With the director’s approval, courses offered at Florida A&M University that are not offered at FSU may be used to fulfill the requirements for the African American Studies major.

Students may choose to obtain either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. Students choosing to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree are required to demonstrate proficiency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic through the intermediate (2220) level, as well complete 9 hours of humanities or history courses beyond those used to satisfy general education requirements.

Computer Skills Competency

All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate basic computer skills competency prior to graduation. As necessary computer competency skills vary from discipline to discipline, each major determines the courses needed to satisfy this requirement. Undergraduate majors in African-American Studies satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of “C–” or higher in CGS 2060 or CGS 2100.

1. Core Course Requirements

Completion of twelve (12) hours in African American Studies core courses.

A. Three required courses (9 hours):

  • AFA 2000 Introduction to the African American Experience
  • AFA 3101 Theory and Dynamics of Racism and Oppression
  • AFA 4853 Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Africana Studies

B. One internship/senior seminar (3 hours):

  • AFA 4940 African American Studies Internship or One Senior Seminar
    • Senior seminars are 4000 level and higher AFA or approval supplemental courses. The senior seminar requirement may be substituted with a successfully completed Honors in the Major (HITM) project.
2. Advanced Courses Requirement

Students must complete twelve (12) hours of advanced courses from the approved list. Courses that meet this requirement include:

  • AFA 3330 Black Families in America
  • AFA 3353 Race Class and Gender
  • AFA 3373 Psychology of Hip Hop
  • AFA 3604 Politics of Black Poverty: Issues of Race, Class, and Space
  • AFA 4007 Black Political Thought & Social Movement
  • AFA 4240 African Diaspora
  • AFA 4358 Culture, Land, and Ecology: A Seminar in Black Environmental History and Politics
3. Approved Supplementary Courses

Students must complete twelve (12) hours of Approved Supplementary Courses from the approved list, of which 6 hours must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. Courses draw from subject areas and departments including:

  • American History
  • American Literature
  • Art History
  • Criminal Justice
  • Dance
  • Economics
  • English
  • Family Development
  • Geography
  • History
  • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • International Relations/Affairs
  • Latin American History
  • Literature
  • Music History
  • Public Administration
  • Political Science
  • Religion
  • Sociology
  • Theater
  • And more!

If you have a course you believe may count towards this requirement, contact the program director for questions about approval.

Social Science Specialty

Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses from the list below and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or supplementary social sciences courses.

A. Three required courses chosen from any classes in the Social Science topic areas below (9 hours):

Political Economy and the Black Community:

  • AFA 3330 Black Families in America
  • AFA 4930 (Special Topics) or ECS 4431 Economics of the Caribbean
  • AFA 4930 (Special Topics) or ECP 3143 African Americans & the US Economy
  • GEO 4404 Black Geographies
  • POS 4070 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
  • POS 4624 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights

Culture, Institutions, and Policy

  • AFA 4240 African Diaspora
  • AFA 4007 Black Political Thought and Social Movements
  • AFA 4358 Culture, Land, and Ecology: A Seminar In Black Environmental History and Politics
  • SOP 3782 Psychology of the African-American
  • SYD 4700 Race and Minority Group Relations

Race and Justice:

  • CCJ 3673 Social Reality of Black Males
  • CCJ 3678 Policing Diversity: Race, Gender, Religion, and Crime
  • CCJ 4662 Minorities, Crime, and Social Policy
  • CCJ 4938 (Special Topics) Seminar on Racial Profiling
  • CCJ 4938 (Special Topics) Seminar on Black Males

B. Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Social Sciences sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)

Literature and Arts Specialty

Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses from the list below and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or humanities courses.

A. Three required courses (9 hours):

  • ARH 2630C Survey in African-American Art and Aesthetics
  • ARH 3515 History of African Art
  • ARH 4933 Special Topics (African Diaspora)
  • AML 2600 Introduction to African-American Literature
  • AML 3682 American Multi-Ethnic Literature
  • AML 4604 The African-American Literature Tradition
  • LIT 4329 African American Folklore
  • DAN 3185 African American Perspectives on Dance
  • MUH 4531 African Soundscapes
  • MUH 4801 History of Jazz (1890-1950)
  • MUH 4802 History of Jazz (1950-Present)
  • THE 4233 History of African-American Drama
  • THE 4433 Gender, Race and Performance
  • THE 4438 African Theatre Performance

B. Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Humanities sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)

History, Religion, and Philosophy Specialty

Completion of nine (9) hours of required courses and six (6) hours of supplementary African American Studies or humanities courses.

A. Three required courses (9 hours):

  • AMH 1091 African American Experience in the United States
  • AMH 2096 Black Women in America
  • AMH 2097 Nationality, Race, and Ethnicity in America
  • AMH 4173 Post–Civil War America, 1865–1890
  • AMH 4571 Black America to 1877
  • AMH 4572 Black America Since 1877
  • AMH 4684 Women and Children in the Civil Rights Movement
  • HIS 4930r Special Topics in History (Black History through Film)
  • LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
  • LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America
  • PHM 2121 Philosophy of Race, Class and Gender
  • REL 3128 Special Topics in American Religion (African American Religious Experience)
  • REL 3152 Religion, Race, and Ethnicity
  • REL 3370 Religion in Africa
  • REL 3936r Special Topics in Religion (Ecstatic Religions)
  • REL 4190r Undergraduate Seminar (Religion and the Civil Rights Movement)

B. Two courses chosen from the African American Studies or Humanities sections of the Supplementary Course list (6 hours)