Curriculum

The department's interdisciplinary curriculum is built on three pillars:

The Humanities
The Social Sciences
Research and Service.

Students will have opportunities to conduct field research and provide service to the nation through the department's Research and Service Institute. The institute research focus is in four areas:

Rural America, particularly the Ohio River Valley

The African Diaspora in the Americas.

Constitutional law and social justice.

The sociology of entertainment.

Current Curricular Emphases

Students who major in African American Studies have two options-a major in the social sciences or a major in the humanities. Students who major in the social sciences can also participate in new specializations.

Pre-law, emphasizing constitutional law and social justice;

Public policy, emphasizing lobbying, communication planning and social change; and

African American social and family life.

Students who opt for a major in the humanities will also participate in new specializations.

Africana cinema and visual aesthetics;

Twentieth century history of the African diaspora in the Americas; and

The literature of the African diaspora in the Americas.

Degree Programs

African American Studies Major (B.A.)
Students completing the major program receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in African American Studies. Courses can include communications, education, history, political science, psychology, social sciences, art, literature, and music as they reflect and provide insight into the African American and the African experiences in the Americas.

The minimum grade-point average for graduation is 2.0 (C) in all c ourses attempted. A grade of C is also required in each major course.

Advising is an essential element in the African American Studies program. Each student works closely with a faculty member whose expertise and interests are related to the student's academic pursuits. The current requirements for a major consists of 56-quarter hours including:

AAS 100:	Freshman colloquium	2 hours
AAS 101 or AAS 102:	African American History I African American History II	4 hours 4 hours
AAS 106:	Introduction to African American Studies	4 hours
AAS 300:	Research Methods for African American Studies	4 hours
AAS 400:	Senior Capstone Seminar	4 hours
One course from:
AAS 110:	Introduction to African American Literature	4 hours
AAS 150:	Introduction to Black Media	5 hours
AAS 180:	Introduction to African American Education	4 hours

Within the 56 hours, at least 28 hours must be in one of two focal areas-either social sciences or arts and humanities. The focal area must include at least one course from four of the groups below and at least 16 hours at or above the 300 level.

Social Sciences Group
History
AAS 225:	History of the Black Worker	4 hours
AAS 235:	Comp. Neocolonialism	4 hours
AAS 254:	History of Injustice in U.S.	5 hours
AAS 340:	The Black Community in Post-WWII	4 hours
AAS 364:	Comp. Study of Injustice	4 hours
Sociology/Psychology
AAS 341:	African American Personality	4 hours
AAS 345:	The Bla ck Woman	4 hours
AAS 430:	Social Theories of Underdevelopment	4 hours
AAS 440:	The Black Child	5 hours
AAS 482:	The Black Family	4 hours
Political Science
AAS 360:	Black Politics in U.S.	4 hours
AAS 368:	Black Political Thought	4 hours
AAS 370:	Urban Viole nce	4 hours
AAS 430:	Social Theories of Underdevelopment	4 hours
Economics
AAS 432:	Third World National Movements	4 hours
AAS 460:	Social Processes: Third World Urbanization	4 hours
Education
AAS 380:	Seminar in African American Education	4 hours
Arts and Humanities Group
Literature (African American)
AAS 210:< /td>	African American Literature I	4 hours
AAS 211:	African American Literature II	4 hours
AAS 310:	Contemporary African American Literature	4 hours
AAS 311:	African American Literature Special Topics	4 hours
AAS 411:	Literature Seminar	4 ho urs
Literature (Intercultural)
AAS 315:	Literature of West Africa	4 hours
AAS 316:	Literature of South Africa	4 hours
AAS 317:	Caribbean Literature	4 hours
Arts
AAS 250:	Foundation of African American Arts and Culture	4 hours
AAS 350:	African American Arts and Artists	4 hours
Music
AAS 355:	History of African American Music I: Slavery to 1926	4 hours
AAS 356:	History o f African American Music II: 1926-Present	4 hours
AAS 357:	Black Music Seminar I	3 hours
Media
AAS 352:	Blacks in Contemporary Cinema	4 hours
AAS 353:	Survey of Black Independent Cinema	4 hours

African American Studies Minor
(Minor code OR4903)
The minor in African American Studies is available to all undergraduate students regardless of major. The requirements consist of a minimum of 28 hours of coursework in one of two options: the minor concentration or the interdisciplinary minor. The minor concentration in either the social sciences or the arts and humanities consists of a minimum of 28 hours, including at least 20 hours in the chosen area, AAS 101 African American History I or AAS 202 African American History II, and AAS 106 Introduction to African American Studies.

The interdisciplinary concentration requires at least one course from each of the two focal areas, at least two a dditional courses at the junior or senior level, AAS 101 African American History I or AAS 202 African American History II, and AAS 106 Introduction to African American Studies.

Students can also work in close collaboration with their advisors in developing other emphases within the focal areas including: Health and Human Services, Business Administration/Management, African Studies, Latin American Studies, Environmental Studies, Social Work, Rural Sociology, Broadcasting, Journalism, and Multimedia S tudies.

In addition...
Students in the Department of African American Studies can consider pursing a double major, minors in other departments, or an undergraduate certificate program.

Other minors possible at Ohio University

The undergraduate degrees in the Center for International Studies

Undergraduate certificate programs at Ohio University