Academic Programs Catalog

College of Arts and Letters

Department of African American and African Studies

Undergraduate Programs
Minor in African American and African Studies

The Minor in African American and African Studies, administered by the Department of African American and African Studies offers students the opportunity to engage in an introductory exploration and critical examination of the lives, worlds, and cultural practices of Black peoples. Students are encouraged to explore the complexity of Black communities as well as the particularities of Blackness as it is lived, imagined and created. Students also gain an appreciation of the promise and possibilities of collaborative, interdisciplinary engagement.

The minor is available to students who are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University other than the Bachelor of Arts degree in African American and African Studies. The minor is divided into two tracks – the Social Science Track and the Humanities Track. The program includes interconnected, required courses exploring Black Feminisms, Genders, and Sexualities Studies; encouragement of diverse understandings and approaches to knowledge production with and about Black peoples.

Requirements for the Minor in African American and African Studies

Students must complete 15 to 18 credits from one of the following tracks:
Social Science Track
1. The following course (3 credits):
AAAS 100 Pathways into AAAS 3
2. Two of the following courses (6 credits):
AAAS 200 Black Feminisms: Past, Present and Futures 3
AAAS 201 Black Sexualities Studies: Past, Present and Futures 3
AAAS 202 Black Genders Studies: Past, Present and Futures 3
3. Two of the following courses with at least 3 credits at the 300-400 level (6 credits):
ANP 330 Race, Ethnicity, and Nation: Anthropological Approaches to Collective Identity 3
HDFS 442 Ethnic Families in America 3
HST 208 Introduction to African History, Culture and Society 4
HST 310 African American History to 1876 3
HST 311 African American History since 1876 3
HST 312 African American Women 3
HST 364 South Africa: From Shaka Zulu to Mandela 3
HST 383 The Caribbean 3
PLS 304 Minority Politics 3
PLS 351 African Politics 3
SOC 214 Social Inequality 3
SOC 375 Urban Sociology 3
Humanities Track
1. The following course (3 credits):
AAAS 100 Pathways into AAAS 3
2. Two of the following courses (6 credits):
AAAS 200 Black Feminisms: Past, Present and Futures 3
AAAS 201 Black Sexualities Studies: Past, Present and Futures 3
AAAS 202 Black Genders Studies: Past, Present and Futures 3
3. Complete a minimum of 6 credits of 300-400 level courses in AAAS.