African American Studies
309 Main Hall
610-436-2970
LaTonya Thames Taylor, Coordinator
African American Studies is interdisciplinary as well as comparative and cross-cultural. The curriculum offers a critical perspective of the complex interplay among ethical, social, economic, and political forces that influence struggles of African-descended people. Also, the curriculum explores how these people shaped global policies. Moreover, the curriculum explores the consequences of racial thinking.
The African American Studies Minor attracts students with a wide range of interests. Student surveys reveal that students select the minor for four principal reasons. First, Race & Nation Building: the study of legal formations of race and ethnicity and their meanings to American and global institutions such as family, education, prisons, religion, etc. provides insight into nation building and the functions of hierarchy, culture, and identity. Second, Public Policy: because American political life remains encumbered by racial bias and its historical legacy, a historical, sociological, and economic understanding of race relations continues to be vital for those who make, evaluate, and serve as advocates for changes in public policy. Next, African/African American Culture and Life: the study of a non-white group and its contribution to American culture and struggle for democracy. Lastly, Global Ethnicity and Economics: the study of the ethno-racial tensions that have developed in countries such as the United States, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Brazil, Liberia, and Nigeria provide important global insights into the plurality of identities and the consequences of economic marginalization and legalized oppression.
Students who graduate with a concentration in African American Studies go on to pursue advanced degrees in fields such as history, literature, political science, and sociology. They also go on to work in a wide variety of careers in education, business, medicine, entertainment, law, public policy, and the arts and sciences
Minor in African American Studies (18 semester hours)
- Required courses (9 semester hours)
COM 250, HIS 373, and SWO 225 - CLS 365, COM 360, CRJ 360, PSC 323, SOC 335, HIS 311 or HIS 312. Also, one course may be used out of the African American Literature Minor: LIT 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, or 309.
Other related classes may be considered. Please contact the coordinator for more details.
