African American Studies, B.A.
Our program investigates Black experiences in an interdisciplinary field that examines the history, culture, beliefs and actions of people of African descent in the United States and across the world.
A Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies provides students skills to work collaboratively in various career fields, from education and criminal justice to law or journalism.
Students learn to apply awareness and empathy to solve challenging problems, develop oral and written communication skills, explore the multi-dimensional experiences of people of color in local and global contexts, conduct research, take courses across diverse departments and work with an engaged, award-winning faculty. Our program allows students to build a unique course of study with abundant opportunities for learning and service.
Learning Outcomes
- Majors will learn the importance of the principal movements, pivotal figures, and conceptual ideas that shape the academic study of African American experiences. Students will acquire the tools for contextualizing the dynamic realities of race in America and for analyzing their social, political, and cultural implications.
- Majors will work across academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences to synthesize the multiple roots and routes of intellectual inquiry within African American Studies. Students will interpret primary and secondary source material using both individual and collaborative methods of study.
- Students will develop as scholars and researchers in African American Studies through effective oral, written, and aesthetic forms of communication. Assignments will emphasize the tasks of rigorous scholarship, including: critical thinking, creative expression, precise writing, constructive discussions, and standards of professional engagement.
Admissions
Admissions
Entrance Requirements
New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the college. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:
- Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.
Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have special admission requirements established by the department or committee that supervises the specific degree program, for example, Cardiovascular Technology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Economics, Environmental Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. These requirements are listed in the sections of this bulletin that describe department and special degree programs.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 32-44 |
| 2. College Requirements | 15-18 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 34-46 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 24 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
Requirements (120 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core (32-44 hours) | ||
| CMW - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written 1 | ||
| CC-CMW course(s) | 6 | |
| ARP - Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving | ||
| CC-ARP course(s) | 6-8 | |
| SCI - Scientific Literacy | ||
| CC-SCI course(s) (Two 4-credit CC-SCI laboratory science courses) | 8 | |
| GFL - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language | ||
| Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course. | ||
| CC-GFL course(s) | 0-6 | |
| GHS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking | ||
| CC-GHS course(s) | 3 | |
| GSS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences | ||
| CC-GSS course(s) | 3 | |
| AIU - Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding | ||
| CC-AIU course(s) | 3 | |
| CMS - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component 2 | ||
| CC-CMS course(s) | 0-3 | |
| INF - Information Literacy 2 | ||
| CC-INF course(s) | 0-3 | |
| VSR - Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility 2 | ||
| CC-VSR course(s) | 0-3 | |
| 2. College Requirements (15-18 hours) | ||
| Foreign Language (0-3 hours) | ||
| Only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency | 0-3 | |
| History (3 hours) | ||
| The College of Arts and Sciences requires one additional GHS course beyond the Carolina Core GHS requirement. If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course. If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a U.S. history course. Please select the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement from the approved list. | ||
| U.S. and non-U.S. History Courses | 3 | |
| Social Science (3 hours) | ||
| Social Science Courses | 3 | |
| Fine Arts/Humanities (9 hours) | ||
| Fine Arts/Humanities Courses | 9 | |
| 3. Program Requirements (34-46 hours) | ||
| Cognate or Minor (12-18 hours) | ||
| Students must complete a cognate (12 hours) or a minor as part of this program. In lieu of a cognate or minor, an additional major may be added to a student’s program of study. | 12-18 | |
Cognate: 1 | ||
The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs. Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined in the section titled Courses Acceptable for Cognate Credit . Some major programs have specific cognate requirements. It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major. | ||
Minor: 1 | ||
In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must follow a structured sequence. Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University. A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z . | ||
| Electives (16-37 hours) | ||
| 120 (or 128) degree applicable credits are required to complete any degree at USC. After the cognate, minor or second major is complete, any additional credits needed to reach 120 (or 128) total credits can be fulfilled by electives. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences. | 16-37 | |
| 4. Major Requirements (24 hours) 1 | ||
| Major Courses (9 hours) | ||
| AFAM 201 | Introduction to African American Studies: Social and Historical Foundations | 3 |
| AFAM 202 | Introduction to African-American Studies | 3 |
| AFAM 498 | Seminar in African-American Studies | 3 |
| or AFAM 499 | Seminar in African-American Studies | |
| Major Electives (15 hours) 3 | ||
| Arts and Culture: | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to African American Religions | ||
| African-American Cultures | ||
| African-American Feminist Theory | ||
| Religions of the African Diaspora | ||
| Cultural History of Hip Hop Music | ||
| Race and Science Fiction | ||
| Special Topics in African-American Arts and Cultures | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Slavery, Literature & Culture | ||
| African-American Literature I: to 1903 | ||
| African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present | ||
| African Literature | ||
| Caribbean Literature | ||
| African-American English | ||
| African-American Rhetoric | ||
| Black Women Writers | ||
| Race, Gender, and Graphic Novels | ||
| An Anthropological View of Blacks in Film | ||
| African American Theatre | ||
| Culture and Identity in the African Diaspora | ||
| Society and History: | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Convergence and Divergence in African American and Jewish Relations: Historical and Contemporary | ||
| Psychology and the African-American Experience | ||
| Black Experience in the United States to 1865 | ||
| Black Experience in the United States since 1865 | ||
| The American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| Environmental Racism and Justice | ||
| Antiracist Education | ||
| Introduction to U.S. Racial and Ethnic Politics | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| African-American Politics | ||
| Special Topics in African American Society and History | ||
| African American Political Thought | ||
| Jim Crow: Histories & Revivals | ||
| Black Activism | ||
| Medical Experimentation and the Black Body | ||
| Medicine, Disease, and Slavery | ||
| Additional Major Electives: | ||
| One additional course from AFAM 300 or higher | 3 | |
- 1
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
- 2
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
- 3
Selected courses may apply to only one category.
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.