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African Studies Minor

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135 Social Sciences Building
Thurgood Marshall Campus
(858) 822-0265

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

African Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that covers African topics and issues through a coordinated set of courses offered in the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, Ethnic Studies, History, Literature, Music, Political Science, Sociology, Theatre and Dance, and Visual Arts. In addition to the offerings at UC San Diego, opportunities for further study in Africa and Europe are available through the University of California Education Abroad Program, with programs in Ghana and South Africa as well as at the National University of Côte d’Ivoire, the Université de Paris V, the Université de Bordeaux II, and study abroad programs offered through other US universities.

A number of African languages are available through the UC San Diego Department of Linguistics. Students may take independent study units and tutorials with faculty in the program to learn the languages of their respective areas of interest. In addition, students are encouraged to participate in special seminars and presentations offered annually by the African and African American Studies Research Project. Students may take the seminars for credit by signing up for a 198/199 with a qualified African Studies professor. A minor in African Studies consists of seven total courses. Students may take no more than four courses in any one department. Also, a minimum of one course each from of the following three groups is required: Group A—Traditional Cultures and Premodern Africa, Group B—African Society and Politics, and Group C—African Expressive Culture.

The African Studies minor provides students with a broad background in African history, societies, culture, and politics. Please contact Professor Bennetta Jules-Rosette in the Department of Sociology and the African Studies Office (Social Sciences Building, Room 471) at (858) 822-0265 for more information. Quarterly course offerings are subject to change. Interested students should consult the program faculty for an up-to-date list.

Courses

Group A: Traditional Cultures and Premodern Africa

  • ANRG 104. Traditional African Societies and Cultures (4)
  • COMM 118. Oral History (4)
  • ETHN 142. Languages of Africa (4)
  • HIAF 110. History of Africa to 1880 (4)
  • HIAF 120. History of South Africa (4)
  • HIUS 135. Slavery and the Atlantic World (4)

Group B: African Society and Politics

  • ANGN 183. Chiefdoms, States, and the Emergence of Civilizations (4)
  • COMM 179. Colonialism and Culture (4)
  • ETHN 157. Ethnic Conflict in the Third World (4)
  • HIAF 111. Modern Africa since 1880 (4)
  • HIAF 130. African Society and the Slave Trade (4)
  • HIAF 140. Economic History of Africa (4)
  • HIUS 136. Slavery and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century U.S.: Images and Realities (4)
  • POLI 132A. Political Modernization Theory (4)
  • POLI 135A. Ethnic Conflict in the Third World (4)
  • POLI 136B. Comparative Politics and Political Culture (4)
  • SOCI 148E. Inequality and Jobs (4)
  • SOCI 157. Religion in Contemporary Society (4)
  • SOCI 158. Islam in the Modern World (4)
  • SOCI 188E. Community and Social Change in Africa (4)
  • SOCI 188J. Change in Modern South Africa (4)

Group C: African Expressive Culture

  • COMM 127. Folklore and Communication (4)
  • COMM 146. Culture and Thought (4)
  • COMM 179. Colonialism and Culture (4)
  • ETHN 176. Black Music/Black Text: Communication and Cultural Expression (4)
  • LTGN 130. Novel and History in the Third World (4)
  • LTGN 132. African Oral Literature (4)
  • LTGN 133. Introduction to Literature and Film of Modern Africa (4)
  • LTGN 185. Literature and Ideas (4)
  • LTGN 186A-B-C. Modernity and Literature (4-4-4)
  • LTEN 187. Black Music/Black Text: Communication and Cultural Expression (4)
  • LTEN 188. Contemporary Caribbean Literature (4)
  • MUS 13AF. World Music/Africa (4)
  • MUS 111. World Music Traditions (4)
  • MUS 126. Introduction to Oral Music (4)
  • MUS 127A-B. Music of Black Americans (4-4)
  • SOCI 105. Ethnographic Film and Media Methods (6)
  • SOCI 187. African Societies Through Film (4)
  • THHS 109. Modern Black Drama (4)
  • THHS 153. Dance History-Jazz Dance and Related Ethnic Studies (4)
  • VIS 126A. African and Afro-American Art (4)
  • VIS 127B. Western and Non-Western Rituals and Ceremonies (4)
  • VIS 127D. Primitivism and Exoticism in Modern Art (4)
  • VIS 128E. Topics in Non-Western Art (4)