Major 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.

African American Studies Major

A minimum of thirty-six (36) hours of coursework are required within the major. Students may not overlap more than 6 hours of coursework used to satisfy General Education requirements with courses used to fulfill major requirements. 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 selects fifteen (15) hours from African American Studies core courses, six (6) hours of African and/or African American history, plus fifteen (15) hours of elective courses from a chosen specialty area and related supplemental courses. 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.

1. Core Course Requirements

Completion of fifteen (15) 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 3930 Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Africana Studies (Special Topic)

B. One of the following experiential courses (3 hours):

  • AFA 3330 Black Families in America or
  • AFA 4240 African Diaspora

C. One of the following research/service learning courses (3 hours):

  • AFA 3930 Senior Capstone Thesis (Special Topic) or
  • AFA 4940 African American Studies Internship

2. History Requirement

Completion of six (6) hours in African and/or African American history courses.

  • 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 4930 Special Topics in History (Black History through Film)
  • LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
  • LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. 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)

Supplementary Course List

I. African American Studies

  • AFA 3330 Black Families in America
  • AFA 4240 African Diaspora
  • AFA 4358 Culture, Land, and Ecology, A Seminar in Black Environmental History and Politics
  • AFA 3930 Special Topics:
    • Black Political Thought and Social Movements/li>
  • AFA 4905 African American Studies Directed Individual Study

II. Social Sciences

Anthropology

  • ANT 2534 Race: Bio and Culture
  • ANT 4352 Peoples and Culture of Africa

Communications

  • SPC 4710 Interracial/Intercultural Communication

Criminology

  • 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 Racial Profiling
  • CCJ 4938 Seminar on Black Males

Economics

  • ECP 3143 African Americans and the US Political Economy
  • ECS 4431 Economics of the Caribbean

Geography

  • GEO 4404 Black Geographies

Political Science

  • POS 4070 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
  • POS 4624 The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights
  • CPO 3034 Politics of Developing Areas
  • PUP 4024 Interest Groups, Social Movements, and Public Policy

Psychology

  • SOP 3782 Psychology of the Afro-American
  • SOP 4722 Prejudice and Stereotyping

Sociology

  • IFS 2034 Exploring Racial Inequality in the US
  • IFS 3024 Sociology of Hip Hop Culture
  • SYD 4700 Race and Minority Group Relations
  • SYD 4730 African Americans in U. S. Society

Urban and Regional Planning

  • URP 5059 Public Participation and Community Involvement class
  • URP 5445 Climate Change and Community Resilience
  • URP 5749 Affordable Housing Development
  • URP 5743 Neighborhood Planning
  • URP 5749 Affordable Housing Development

III. Humanities Courses

Art History

  • ARH 2630C Survey in African American Art and Aesthetics
  • ARH 3515 History of African Art
  • ARH 4118 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
  • ARH 4933 Special Topics in Art History (African Diaspora)

Dance

  • DAN 3185 African American Dance
  • DAA 1500 Special Topics (Dances of the Caribbean)
  • DAA 1500 Special Topics (Hip Hop)
  • DAN 4935 Special Topics (Dances of African Diaspora)

History

  • 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 (African American History through Film)
  • LAH 4470 History of the Caribbean
  • LAH 4723 Race and Class in Colonial Latin America

Literature

  • AML 2600 Introduction to African-American Literature
  • AML 3682 American Multi-Ethnic Literature
  • AML 4604 African American Literature Tradition
  • LIT 4233 Anglophone Postcolonial Literature
  • LIT 4329 African American Folklore

Music

  • MUH 4531 African Soundscapes
  • MUH 4801 History of Jazz: 1890-1950
  • MUH 4802 History of Jazz: 1950-Present
  • MUN 2800 World Music Ensemble (FSU Gospel Choir, Blues Lab)
  • MUN 4903 World Music Ensemble (FSU Gospel Choir, Blues Lab)

Philosophy

  • PHM 2121 Philosophy of Race, Class, and Gender

Religion

  • 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)

Theatre

  • THE 4233 History of African American Drama
  • THE 4433 Gender, Race, and Performance
  • THE 4438 African Theatre Performance
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