Introduction
Africana Studies offers students the opportunity to confront and critically analyze distinctive Black intellectual and social-cultural traditions, and political-economic and historical structures. Situated in Miami, Florida, we are uniquely positioned in and between the US South and the Global South. Therefore, our translocal perspective finds blackness and Black people everywhere in the world. As the university’s center for Africana Studies, the Program reaches beyond undergraduate study-- inviting a wide variety of local and international graduate students, artists, scholars, and community advocates into our intellectual community.
Africana Studies’ interdisciplinary structure offers students an opportunity to satisfy the increasingly rigorous expectations of graduate and professional school admissions committees and prospective employers, offering a broad liberal arts perspective that complements specialized knowledge of a field. Our curriculum and programmatic efforts uniquely help to prepare students to understand and effectively work toward social justice. We encourage all students, regardless of major, to enroll in Africana classes. Africana Studies can be taken either as a primary major, as one of two majors, or a minor.
Educational Objectives
- To help students research, acquire, and disseminate information about the historical and social experiences of Africans and people of African descent on all sides of the Atlantic basin, but with special emphasis on the United States.
- To facilitate students’ understanding of the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, globalized society of our time.
- To help students think critically about the global black experience.
- To prepare students for graduate work and professional careers.
Departmental Honors
Carter G. Woodson Award - Best all-round student who combines intellectual excellence and community service.
Advanced Writing Requirement
To satisfy the College of Arts & Sciences writing requirement in the discipline, students majoring in Africana Studies should take at least one English course or one History course related to Africana Studies and is listed as an advanced writing course, and any Africana Studies course with the Writing Credit designation.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Africana majors must complete the following core courses: | ||
| AAS 150 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 3 |
| AAS 490 | Senior Seminar in Africana Studies | 3 |
| HIS 201 | History of Africa I (to 1800) | 3 |
| HIS 209 | African-American History to 1877 | 3 |
| or HIS 210 | African-American History, 1877-PRESENT | |
| Select one Caribbean Studies course from the following: | 3 | |
| Caribbean Cultures | ||
| Caribbean Literature | ||
| Modern Caribbean History | ||
| The remaining courses must be selected from the list of acceptable courses approved by the program, in any school or college within the university. 1 | 15 | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| or ENG 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture | |
| UMX 100 | The University of Miami Experience | 0 |
| MTH 108 | Precalculus Mathematics II | 3 |
| People and Society Cognate | 9 | |
| STEM Cognate | 9 | |
| Language Requirement | 3-9 | |
| Minor Requirement | 15 | |
| Elective | 45 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Twelve of the 30 credit hours must be completed at the 300 level or above.
- *
A grade of C- or better with an overall GPA of 2.0 is required in each course taken for the major.
Sample Plan of Study
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| MTH 108 | Precalculus Mathematics II | 3 |
| Language (first course) | 3 | |
| People & Society or Arts and Humanities cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| Language (second course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| AAS 150 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 3 |
| People & Society or Arts and Humaities cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Minor (first course) | 3 | |
| AAS 260 | History of Slavery in the Atlantic | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAS 350 | Black Leadership in the U.S. | 3 |
| History of Africa I (to 1800) | 3 | |
| Minor (second course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| African American History (HIS) | 3 | |
| Minor (third course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAS Specialization Course | 3 | |
| Minor (fourth course) | 3 | |
| Natural Science course (if needed) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| AAS 390 | Special Topics | 3 |
| Minor (fifth course) | 3 | |
| People & Society or Arts and Humanities cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAS 490 | Senior Seminar in Africana Studies | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate interdisciplinary knowledge, including intellectual and social history, language and literatures, and social and global interconnectedness.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate methodological approaches and schools of thought in Africana Studies, through written argumentation.
- Students will demonstrate marked improvement in (1) level of intellectual sophistication, (2) writing effectiveness, and (3) the ability to analyze and effectively present primary and secondary research data.
