Requirements for Major and Minor

The program in African and African Diaspora studies offers students an interdisciplinary course of study that may lead to either a major or a minor. Both the major and the minor are designed to enable students a considerable degree of freedom in the choice of electives, and they both offer ample avenues for students interested in pursuing independent research and/or internship experiences. The program is particularly interested in encouraging the study of less commonly taught languages such as Yoruba, Kiswahili, Arabic, and Haitian Creole. The program also encourages students to pursue study abroad opportunities in Africa and its Diaspora and advises them in all matter pertaining to such study. The option to write an honors theses is available to students who are in the University's honors program as well as to those who seek honors with the ADST program.

What can I do with an ADST Major or Minor?

An ADST degree is an ideal liberal arts degree that affords students a wide range of career options. Here are a few examples:

• It prepares students planning graduate study in law, medicine, psychology or social work to serve ethnically diverse clientele effectively.
  
  

• It prepares students interested in print or broadcast journalism to bring a background of sound historical knowledge to reporting on the events and peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora.
  
  

• It affords students pursuing professional degrees in business (e.g., marketing, management) or in engineering an enhanced ability to work effectively in culturally diverse organizations and an enhanced understanding of how to develop products that meet the needs of the vast untapped markets in Africa and the African Diaspora.
  
  

• It enlarges the creative vision of students intending careers in theater, creative writing, fine art or architecture.
  
  

Major Requirements

Ten courses (minimum of 30 credits) are required for the major. The major consists of the following:

(1) ADST 200 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AND AFRICAN DIASPORA STUDIES

(2) ONE OF THE FOLLOWING COURSES IN HISTORY OR CULTURE:
ANTH 311 Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa
HISB 312 West African Culture and Society
HISB 313 Southern Africa
HISU 369 African-American History to 1865

(3) SENIOR CAPSTONE SEMINAR
ADST 481 or 482 Special Topics in African and African Diaspora Studies

(4) SEVEN ADDITIONAL ELECTIVE COURSES
Students must ensure that at least three of the electives ( 9 credits) are at the 400 level or higher and no more than three electives (9 credits) are at the 100 or 200 levels. Furthermore, students must choose elective courses from both the humanities as well as the social and behavioral sciences and must fulfill a distribution component of at least two courses (6 credits) in African studies and two courses (6 credits) in African Diaspora studies.

Minor Requirements

Six courses (minimum of 18 credits) are required for the minor which includes African and African Diaspora Studies 200 plus five additional electives. Students must ensure that at least three of the electives (9 credits) are at the 300 level or higher. Furthermore, students must choose elective courses from both the humanities as well as the social and behavioral sciences and must fulfill a distribution component of at least one course (3 credits) in African Studies and one course (3 credits) in African Diaspora Studies.

ADST 114 Freshman Seminar (4)
Staff. Open only to freshmen. This course will focus on specific issues and themes in the study of Africa and its Diaspora. The content of the course will vary each semester and the specific description of the current offerings will be available in the program office. Fulfills the college writing requirement.

ADST 200 Introduction to African and African Diaspora Studies (3)
Staff. This course will serve as an introduction to the study of Africa and its Diaspora and is intended to help students understand the complexities of interdisciplinary approaches to area studies. Emphasis will be placed on the complementary nature of such scholarship and a portion of the course will be devoted to learning how the "same" issue or thematic is treated in diverse ways depending on the disciplinary perspective of the scholar.

ADST 310 Issues in Afro-Atlantic Studies (3)
Staff. An exploration of some of the central themes of Afro-Atlantic Studies through the study of selected issues arising out of the Afro-Atlantic moral, cultural, political, and religious experience.

ADST 320 Issues in African Studies (3)
Staff. An exploration of some of the central themes of African studies through the study of selected issues arising out of the African moral, cultural, political, and religious experience.

ADST 330 Issues in African Diaspora Studies (3)
Staff. An exploration of some of the central themes of African Diaspora Studies through the study of selected issues arising out of the African Diasporic moral, cultural, political, and religious experience.

ADST 456, 457 Internship Studies (3,3)
Staff. Prerequisites: approval of instructor and Program Director. An experiential learning process coupled with pertinent academic course work. Open only to juniors and seniors in good standing. Registration is completed in the academic department sponsoring the internship on TUTOR. Note: a maximum of six credits may be earned in one or two courses toward the African and African Diaspora Studies major. See also the college requirements for internships.

ADST 481, 482 Special Topics in African and African Diaspora Studies (3, 3)
Staff. Special topics in African and African Diaspora studies; also cross-listed with special topics from other departments when related to African and African Diaspora studies. This course is required for African and African Diaspora majors. African and African Diaspora minors are encouraged but not required to take this course. May be used to fulfill African and African Diaspora studies distribution requirements in consultation with the Program Director.

ADST 491, 492 Independent Studies (3,3)
Staff. Open to advanced student with approval of the Program Director and subject to availability of faculty mentor.

ADST H499-H500 Honors Thesis (3, 4)
Staff. For especially qualified juniors and seniors with approval of the Program Director and the Honors Committee. Students must have a minimum of a 3.4 overall grade-point average and a 3.5 grade-point average in the major.