AFRO - African American Studies

AFRO Class Schedule

Courses

AFRO 100   Intro to African American St   credit: 3 Hours.

Interdisciplinary introduction to the basic concepts and literature in the disciplines covered by African American studies; surveys the major approaches to the study of African Americans across several academic disciplines including economics, education, psychology, literature, political science, sociology and others.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 101   Black America, 1619-Present   credit: 3 Hours.

Sociohistorical survey of African American experiences from the West African background to North America, from the 17th century to the present. Same as HIST 174.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 103   Black Women in the Diaspora   credit: 3 Hours.

Explores the historical, social, economic, cultural and political realities of black women in the African diaspora with an emphasis on the U.S., Canada, Britain, Africa and the English speaking Caribbean. How macro structures such as slavery, imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, and globalization shaped and continue to circumscribe the lives of black women across various geographic regions. Discussion of the multiple strategies/efforts that black women employ both in the past and present to ensure the survival of the self and the community. Same as AFST 103 and GWS 103.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 105   Black Literature in America   credit: 3 Hours.

Survey of the literary work of Black Americans from 1746 to the present. Exploration of the social, cultural, and political contexts that have shaped the Black American literary tradition by analyzing not only poetry, drama, autobiographical narratives, short stories, and novels, but also folktales, spirituals, and contemporary music. Same as ENGL 150.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 106   Hist Arch Americas   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as ANTH 106. See ANTH 106.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 122   Russia and Black America   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CWL 122 and RUSS 122. See RUSS 122.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 132   African American Music   credit: 3 Hours.

Survey of African American music, from its origins to the present with a focus on understanding details of musical performance and the ways in which music interacts with its social and political context. Examines genres such as spirituals, the blues, jazz, R&B, soul, and hip-hop. No previous musical background is necessary.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 134   Religion, Race, and Resistance   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as REL 134. See REL 134.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 201   US Racial & Ethnic Politics   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AAS 201, LLS 201, and PS 201. See PS 201.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 211   Intro to African-American Film   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as MACS 211. See MACS 211.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 212   Introduction to African American Theatre   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as THEA 263. See THEA 263.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 215   US Citizenship Comparatively   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AAS 215, AIS 295, GWS 215, and LLS 215. See AAS 215.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 220   Intro to Research Methods AfAm   credit: 3 Hours.

Introduction to various methodologies to be employed in the interdisciplinary field of African American/Africana studies. Prerequisite: AFRO 100.

AFRO 221   History of the Prison   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as HIST 219 and LA 221. See LA 221.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - Western

AFRO 224   Humanist Persp of Afro-Am Exp   credit: 3 Hours.

Presents the Afro-centric world view as it was manifested in traditional African society and in the Afro-American slave community. Shows that this world view merged with European notions of art and humanity, as revealed in modern Afro-American literature, art, and music. Same as CWL 226. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or consent of instructor.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 226   Black Women Contemp US Society   credit: 3 Hours.

Sociological perspective of the experience of African American women in the contemporary United States. Specifically, an examination of relationships between the economy, state policy, culture, work and motherhood for this demographic group. Same as GWS 226 and SOC 223.

AFRO 227   Studies in Black Television   credit: 3 Hours.

Explores topics in black television in order to a) analyze the economic and political factors that lead to successful series; b) historicize black television of the Diaspora, including the U.S., Caribbean, UK, Canada, and Nigeria; c) identify conventions and define a "black aesthetic;" d) determine how black series in one genre (such as sitcoms or dramas) aid in mapping other genres; and e) discuss how these series navigate stereotypes and cultural shifts. Same as MACS 227.

AFRO 228   Hip Hop Music: History and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

A study of hip-hop from its beginnings in the post-industrial South Bronx of the 1970s to the global present. By focusing on the work of specific artists and movements, we will compare and contrast the production and consumption of hip-hop with other forms of popular music (including jazz, rock, disco, and pop). This course shows how musicians and listeners use hip-hop to express ideas about topics such as economics, nationalism, black power, feminism, and violence.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Lit & Arts
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 231   Lang Diff Dis: American Persp   credit: 3 Hours.

Discusses the interaction of culture, ethnicity/race and language among American minorities. Emphasizes language difference theory as related to social and regional dialects and bilingualism/multilingualism. Distinguishes language differences from language disorders through examination of assessment and treatment approaches for different aged populations. Same as SHS 231.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 234   Black Religious Imaginations   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as REL 234. See REL 234.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 243   Pan Africanism   credit: 3 Hours.

Provides an introduction to Pan African political movements and ideologies from the Americas to continental Africa. Examines the political, social, economic, and ideological relationships and connections between Africans and their descendants in the diaspora from an historical and comparative perspective. Same as AFST 243 and PS 243.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West

AFRO 250   Introduction to Health and Wellness in the Black Community   credit: 3 Hours.

An introduction for understanding health-related issues and disparities affecting the African American community. We will explore health status across the lifespan, social and environmental challenges, chronic diseases, lifestyle behaviors, and intervention, research and policy implications. Students will learn how to integrate and situate these complexities in a broader systemic framework and understand how this population exhibits resiliency in the face of these adversities.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 259   Early African American Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CWL 259 and ENGL 259. See ENGL 259.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 260   Modern African American Literature and Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as CWL 260 and ENGL 260. See ENGL 260.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 261   Intro to the African Diaspora   credit: 3 Hours.

Introduction to the origin, development, and maturation of the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean, beginning with the transatlantic slave trade and up to the end of the 20th century. Same as ANTH 261.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 275   Afro-American History to 1877   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as HIST 275. See HIST 275.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 276   African American History Since 1877   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as HIST 276. See HIST 276.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 281   Constructing Race in America   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as AAS 281, HIST 281, and LLS 281. See HIST 281.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 287   African-American Women   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as GWS 287 and HIST 287. See HIST 287.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 290   Af Am Urban Hist Since 1917   credit: 3 Hours.

Examination of the changing interaction among black urban communities, the broader urban citizenry, municipal government, the local and national urban-industrial economy, and federal policy over time, giving particular attention to discourses about the black "ghetto" as both a physical space and set of social conditions. Same as HIST 284. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, HIST 172, SOC, 225, or PS 201.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 298   Spec Topics African-Am Studies   credit: 3 Hours.

Seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101, or consent of instructor.

AFRO 310   Race and Cultural Diversity   credit: 4 Hours.

Same as AAS 310, EPOL 310, and LLS 310. See EPOL 310.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 340   Dancing Black Popular Culture   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as DANC 340. See DANC 340.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
Humanities - Hist & Phil
Cultural Studies - US Minority

AFRO 342   Black Men and Masculinities   credit: 3 Hours.

The sociological study of African American men in the contemporary U.S. Specifically, black manhood and masculinities and the experiences of this demographic group as it relates to the economy, state, policy, and institutions such as family, criminal justice system, and education. Same as SOC 325. Prerequisite: Introductory social science course.

AFRO 345   Becoming Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.   credit: 3 Hours.

A re-examination of the lives and legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Few Black leaders are held in as high esteem, yet these ministers are often represented as rivals, even adversaries. While their rhetoric and protest strategies differed, there were values and priorities they shared. This course explores the social, religious, and political ideologies that underpinned their struggles for freedom, and considers how their memory is deployed in current social movements. Same as REL 333.

AFRO 372   Class Politics & Blk Community   credit: 3 Hours.

Exploration of the complex history of class relations among African Americans during the twentieth century, examining both the internal and external shapers of black class stratification. Considers the historical development of contemporary black "underclass", and the parallel expansion of the black middle class today. Same as HIST 384. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, or SOC 225 or consent of instructor.

AFRO 373   AfAm Cultr Politic Mid20C   credit: 3 Hours.

Focusing on African American culture and history from World War II until the early 1960's, topics include citizenship, migration, urban life, the African Diaspora, Civil Rights Movement, and art forms. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and AFRO 101, AFRO 261, ENGL 260 or HIST 276.

AFRO 378   Race and Revolutions   credit: 3 Hours.

Focus on the relationship between race and slavery during the revolutions in American and Haiti, respectively. We will seek to understand how the themes of slavery, revolution and race affected blacks, whites and indigenous Americans. We will learn about life during the Revolutionary era by reading the biographies, political pamphlets and personal letters of former slaves, Revolutionaries and everyday men and women as well as historical scholarship. Same as HIST 389. Prerequisite: One African American Studies or History course at either the 100- or 200-level or the consent of instructor.

AFRO 380   Black Women Hist & Cultures   credit: 3 Hours.

Same as GWS 380. See GWS 380.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West

AFRO 381   Black Women and Film   credit: 3 Hours.

An examination of the contribution of Black women film directors to cinema. The study of documentary, experimental, animated, fictional shorts, and feature films will reveal their unique approach to constructions of the intersection of race and gender. Starting from the 1920's up to the present, the course considers themes, aesthetics, historical contexts, and ideological discourses presented in the films. Same as MACS 381. Prerequisite: College level film course or consent of instructor.

AFRO 382   African Amer Families in Film   credit: 3 Hours.

Uses film as case studies to examine the diverse structures, social classes, and internal dynamics among African American families. Critical family processes such as family formation patterns, dating mate selection, parenting, male-female/gender relations, child adolescent, and adult development, family routines and practices, family communication, and family stress and coping will be examined. Also considers how families interact within larger contexts, such as the local neighborhood and key institutions (school, workplace, social service agencies). Films will be supplemented with readings drawn for diverse disciplines (African American Studies, Anthropology, Family Studies, History, Psychology, and Sociology) that allow us to examine key substantive, theoretical, methodological, and policy issues in the study of African American families. Same as HDFS 324.

AFRO 383   Hist of Blk Women's Activism   credit: 3 Hours.

Examination of the history of twentieth century black women's activism, specifically concerned with how African American female activists have been critical to building, sustaining and leading black freedom movements. Same as GWS 383 and HIST 383. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 or AFRO 103 or consent of instructor.

AFRO 398   Spec Topics Afro-Am Studies   credit: 3 Hours.

Advanced seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Junior status and one of the following: AFRO 224, or HIST 275 or HIST 276, or ENGL 259 or ENGL 260.

AFRO 400   African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Critical examination of the contributions of intellectuals of African descent in the Caribbean and its global circuits. Major streams of social/political thought, cultural analysis, and artistic expression from across the region and its diasporas are analyzed within post- and de-colonial theoretical frameworks. Dialogues with Caribbeanists and thinkers from other parts of the world will also be considered. Same as CWL 400. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 261 or consent of instructor.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West

AFRO 410   Hate Crimes   credit: 3 Hours.

Hate crimes represent the manifestation of intergroup bias and aggression. Examples of these crimes will be examined while analyzing longstanding theories in social psychology. Same as PSYC 410. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: PSYC 201 or consent of instructor.

AFRO 411   African American Psychology   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Introduction to the research, theories, and paradigms developed to understand the attitudes, behaviors, and psychological and educational realities of African Americans. Same as PSYC 416. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or one psychology course.

AFRO 415   Africana Feminisms   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Explores readings and research from the perspective of feminists throughout the African diaspora, with a focus on Black feminist thought emanating from the United States. Same as AFST 420 and GWS 415. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 103 and an additional 300 or 400-level African American Studies course or consent of the instructor.

AFRO 460   Slavery in the United States   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Examination of slavery in the U.S. using primary sources (slave narratives, songs and tales, plantation records, laws and newspapers) from the 18th century through emancipation. Same as HIST 482. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 and one 300-level AFRO course.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition

AFRO 466   Race, Science, and Medicine   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Examines the development of race in in medical and scientific thought; how public health and medical institutions deploy the concept; and the process by which race emerged as a valid though controversial topic of scientific and biomedical inquiry. Also addressed is the relationship between slavery and nineteenth-century medicine, the birth of the eugenics movement, legacies of medical exploitation and mistrust, trends in genetic medicine, and contemporary disparities in health outcomes and health care delivery. Same as HIST 483. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 or AFRO 101 and one 300-level AFRO course.

AFRO 474   The Black Liberation Movement, 1955-Present   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

An interdisciplinary exploration of the Black Liberation Movement (BLM) from the years 1955 to present, with emphasis on the last high tide of Black struggle in the turbulent 1960s. The course examines the different waves of the BLM and the strategies used by the BLM, namely “freedom, justice, equality” or integration, “self-determination” or Black nationalism, and “social transformation” or socialism. Same as HIST 478. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 101, HIST 276, or consent of instructor. Junior, Senior, or Graduate standing.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition

AFRO 481   Urban Communities & Public Pol   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Examination of how public policy has shaped urban communities and the life chances (i.e., the social, economic, mental and physical well-being) of families of color. Emphasizes the theoretical, political, and economic context of public policy making and specifically address urban issues of housing, communities and families, employment, welfare, and poverty. This course will draw on scholarship by sociologists, historians, policy analysts, race theorists, and economists. Same as SOC 472 and UP 481. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.

AFRO 490   Theory in African American St   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Introduction to various theories and methodologies rising out of the study of the Black world based on African American intellectual traditions. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and one additional 400-level AFRO course, or consent of instructor.

AFRO 495   Senior Thesis Seminar   credit: 3 Hours.

3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: AFRO 100 and AFRO 220 or AFRO 490.

AFRO 498   Spec Topics African Am Studies   credit: 3 or 4 Hours.

Seminar on selected topics with particular emphasis on current research trends. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated up to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Upper level AFRO course (300 or above) or consent of instructor.

AFRO 500   Core Probs African-Am Studies   credit: 4 Hours.

Introduction for grad students to the central concepts, theories, methodologies, and paradigms in Black Studies. Students will also be introduced to the key critical scholars, seminal works and emerging trends in Black Studies. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

AFRO 502   Researching Black Families, Communities, and Neighborhoods   credit: 4 Hours.

A critical examination of social scientific approaches to the study of black families, communities, and neighborhoods. Students are introduced to the methodological, epistemological, and ethical challenges of conducting research on this population. The class will be a learning community working together through the research process from the development of a research problem to the dissemination of results. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

AFRO 504   Black Women's Studies   credit: 4 Hours.

The study of black women and gender within critical discourses of history, the social sciences, and the humanities. Students are introduced to interdisciplinary and Black Women's Studies paradigms as means to study and understand the experiences of black women in the U.S. and other racialized women's groups.

AFRO 552   Ethnography Urban Communities   credit: 4 Hours.

Addresses substantive, theoretical, methodological, and policy issues within the field of urban community studies. Focusing primarily on African American urban communities, with comparisons to other racial-ethnic group communities (e.g. Euro-American, Latino, immigrant), ethnographic case studies are used to explore community processes (formation, ghettoization, gentrification, transnationalism), their relationship to historical, economic, social, and political factors, and how these processes are influenced by ethnicity, class, gender and developmental cycle. Attention will also be given to how empirical studies can be used to inform public policies affecting urban communities. Interdisciplinary readings draw primarily from anthropology, education, and sociology. Same as HDFS 543, SOC 578, and UP 578. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.

AFRO 560   African Diaspora Seminar   credit: 4 Hours.

Study of the key political, social, economic and cultural developments of the African Diaspora in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Using an interdisciplinary framework, students will examine recent scholarship in history, women's studies, political science, sociology and anthropology to understand the experiences and challenges faced by people of African descent. Same as AFST 560.

AFRO 595   Directed Independent Readings   credit: 1 to 4 Hours.

Primarily but not exclusively for students who are completing a minor or concentration in African American Studies. Approved for both letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

AFRO 597   Problems in African-Am Studies   credit: 4 Hours.

Focused reading and study of special problems in African American Studies. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, AFRO 500 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.

AFRO 598   Res Sem in African-Am Studies   credit: 4 Hours.

Graduate seminar on special topics based on current research trends. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, AFRO 500 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.

AFRO 599   Thesis Research   credit: 0 to 16 Hours.

Individual direction in research and guidance in writing theses and dissertations for advanced degrees. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.