Minor in African Studies

The African Studies minor is open to all undergraduates who meet the following requirements:

1. Six courses must be chosen from three or more disciplines to constitute a coherent program of study. These courses must be approved by an advisor from the African Studies faculty.
2. Four of the six courses must be outside the discipline of the student’s major.
3. CAS ID 116 Africa Today is required. Students with an unusually good preparation in African Studies may petition to have this requirement waived.
4. Three courses must be at the 300 level or above.
5. A substantial research paper is required.
6. A grade of C or better is required for courses to be accepted for the minor.

The following courses are representative of those courses that may be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor:

Interdisciplinary Studies

• CAS ID 116 Africa Today: The Beat of Popular Culture

African American Studies

• CAS AA 316 African Diaspora Arts in the Americas
• CAS AA 385 Atlantic History
• CAS AA 396 State and Commerce in Atlantic Africa, 1450–1850
• CAS AA 489 The African Diaspora in the Americas
• CAS AA 514 Comparative Slavery
• CAS AA 588 Women, Power, and Culture in Africa

African Languages

• Amharic

  • CAS LD 111 Amharic 1
  • CAS LD 112 Amharic 2
  • CAS LD 211 Amharic 3
  • CAS LD 212 Amharic 4
  • CAS LD 311 Amharic 5
  • CAS LD 312 Amharic 6

• Arabic

  See Modern Languages & Comparative Literature

  • CAS LY 111 Elementary Modern Arabic I
  • CAS LY 112 Elementary Modern Arabic II
  • CAS LY 211 Second-Year Modern Arabic I
  • CAS LY 212 Second-Year Modern Arabic II
  • CAS LY 303 Third-Year Modern Arabic I
  • CAS LY 304 Third-Year Modern Arabic II

• Bambara

  • CAS LD 113 Mandinka/Bambara 1
  • CAS LD 114 Mandinka/Bambara 2
  • CAS LD 213 Mandinka/Bambara 3
  • CAS LD 214 Mandinka/Bambara 4

• Hausa

  • CAS LA 111 Hausa 1
  • CAS LA 112 Hausa 2
  • CAS LA 211 Hausa 3
  • CAS LA 212 Hausa 4
  • CAS LA 311 Hausa 5
  • CAS LA 312 Hausa 6
  • Hausa 7 and 8 are also available, in a directed study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

• Kiswahili (Swahili)

  • CAS LE 111 Swahili 1
  • CAS LE 112 Swahili 2
  • CAS LE 211 Swahili 3
  • CAS LE 212 Swahili 4
  • CAS LE 311 Swahili 5
  • CAS LE 312 Swahili 6
  • Swahili 7 and 8 are also available, in a directed study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

• Pulaar

  • CAS LU 111 Pulaar 1
  • CAS LU 112 Pulaar 2
  • CAS LU 211 Pulaar 3
  • CAS LU 212 Pulaar 4

• Setswana/Sesotho

  • CAS LD 117 Setswana/Sesotho 1
  • CAS LD 118 Setswana/Sesotho 2
  • CAS LD 217 Setswana/Sesotho 3
  • CAS LD 218 Setswana/Sesotho 4

• Wolof

  • CAS LW 111 Wolof 1
  • CAS LW 112 Wolof 2
  • CAS LW 211 Wolof 3
  • CAS LW 212 Wolof 4
  • CAS LW 311 Wolof 5
  • CAS LW 312 Wolof 6
  • CAS LW 411 Wolof 7
  • CAS LW 412 Wolof 8

• isiXhosa

  • CAS LM 111 isiXhosa 1
  • CAS LM 112 isiXhosa 2
  • CAS LM 211 isiXhosa 3
  • CAS LM 212 isiXhosa 4

• Yoruba

  • CAS LO 111 Yoruba 1
  • CAS LO 112 Yoruba 2
  • CAS LO 211 Yoruba 3
  • CAS LO 212 Yoruba 4

• isiZulu

  • CAS LD 115 isiZulu 1
  • CAS LD 116 isiZulu 2
  • CAS LD 215 isiZulu 3
  • CAS LD 216 isiZulu 4
  • CAS LD 315 isiZulu 5
  • CAS LD 316 isiZulu 6
  • isiZulu 7 and 8 are also available, in a Directed Study format. Interested students should contact Assistant Director Peter Quella for further information.

• Other African Languages and Linguistics

  • CAS LD 491, 492 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics
  • CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics
  • CAS LX 501 Linguistic Field Methods
  • CAS LX 533 The Structure of Creole Languages

Anthropology

• CAS AN 240 Legal Anthropology
• CAS AN 285 Coping with Crisis in Contemporary Africa
• CAS AN 312 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
• CAS AN 351 Language, Culture, and Society
• CAS AN 520 Nilotic Peoples: African Culture in Depth
• CAS AN 524 Seminar: Language and Culture Contacts in Contemporary Africa
• CAS AN 585 Seminar: Advanced Readings in African Ethnography
• CAS AN 593, 594 Seminar: Topics in Cultural Anthropology

Archaeology

• CAS AR 205 Origins of Civilization
• CAS AR 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
• CAS AR 513 Studies in African Archaeology

Economics

• CAS EC 387 Introduction to Health Economics
• CAS EC 581 Health Economics I

Geography & Environment

• CAS GE 356 Geography of Third World Development
• CAS GE 394 Environmental History of Africa

History

• CAS HI 298 African American History
• CAS HI 347 Reconstructing the African Past
• CAS HI 348 Colonialism in Africa: Impact and Aftermath
• CAS HI 350 Atlantic History
• CAS HI 351 Environmental History of Africa
• CAS HI 353 State and Commerce in Atlantic Africa, 1450–1850
• CAS HI 484 Revolutionary Change in North Africa and the Middle East
• CAS HI 485 Selected Problems in the Modern Middle East
• CAS HI 488 Life Histories of African Women
• CAS HI 489 The African Diaspora in the Americas
• CAS HI 584 Comparative Slavery
• CAS HI 589 Nature’s Past: Histories of Environment and Society
• CAS HI 595 Morocco: History on the Cusp of Three Continents

History of Art & Architecture

• CAS AH 215 Arts of Africa
• CAS AH 315 African Architecture
• CAS AH 316 African Diaspora Arts in the Americas
• CAS AH 430 Seminar: African Art

International Relations

• CAS IR 383 Understanding Modern North Africa
• CAS IR 430 Africa and Globalization: Opportunities and Obstacles
• CAS IR 507 The Muslim and Western Worlds—Prospects for a Clash of Civilizations
• CAS IR 534 Government and Politics of Contemporary Africa

Literature and Film

• CAS LF 456 The Postcolonial Novel
• CAS LL 280 Introduction to the Literatures of Africa (in English translation)
• CAS LL 285 Images from Africa: Introduction to African Cinema

Political Science

• CAS PO 351 Politics of Race and Ethnicity
• CAS PO 560 Politics and Society in North Africa and the Middle East
• CAS PO 565 Government and Politics of Contemporary Africa
• CAS PO 566 Political Systems of Southern Africa
• CAS PO 587 International Human Rights