African Studies Minor

The African Studies Program encourages teaching and scholarship on sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the wider African diaspora. The program offers a minor, develops courses related to Africa, promotes study-abroad programs and internships, raises funds to expand African Studies resources, and organizes campus and local community events pertaining to Africa. In addition, the program supports faculty and student research on Africa and facilitates the dissemination of research through the African Studies Lecture Series, for faculty and guest presentations, and the Acacia Seminars, for presentations of student research and experiences.

African Studies Minor Requirements

Students who want to earn an undergraduate minor in African studies must satisfy the following requirements, comprising 28 graded credits. Current Africa-related courses that count toward the minor are listed on the program website (africa.uoregon.edu) under the African studies minor link.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Core Courses
AFR 215	Introduction to African Studies	4
History of Africa		4
Select one of the following (or an approved alternative):
HIST 325	Precolonial Africa
HIST 326	Colonial and Postcolonial Africa
ANTH 453	African Archaeology
Contemporary African Issues		4
Select one of the following (or an approved alternative):
AFR 199	Special Studies: [Topic] (Health and Disease in Africa)
BI 309	Tropical Diseases in Africa
ENVS 450	Political Ecology
FLR 225	Voices of Africa
FR 407	Seminar: [Topic] (Contemporary Africa)
GEOG 209	Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
HIST 417	Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic]
GLBL 345	Africa Today: Issues and Concerns
Culture, Ethnicity, and Identity in Africa		4
Select one of the following (or an approved alternative):
ANTH 410	Experimental Course: [Topic]
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic] (African Drumming)
FLR 225	Voices of Africa
FR 407	Seminar: [Topic]
FR 490	20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (Postcolonial Africa or Mongo Beti)
LING 407	Seminar: [Topic] (African Language Families)
MUS 462	Popular Musics in the African Diaspora
Electives
Electives (see Electives list) ¹		12
Total Credits		28

Electives must be approved by a faculty advisor and must be at the 300 or 400level, although as much as 8 credits of Swahili courses at any level may be applied. Recommended courses include any courses listed in the course list or electives list. Additional courses may be approved by the faculty advisor. For study abroad, courses will be evaluated for UO credit on a case-by-case basis through the standard Office of International Affairs procedures for assigning credit and course equivalency. Students consult with the faculty member who is sponsoring their study-abroad experience to prepare an agreement that must include the following:

a list of readings relevant to the experience, which are to be completed prior to and during the experience
a reflective journal on the student’s activities and cross-cultural experiences
a final paper integrating preparatory readings with the experience (approximately 4,500 words, plus references)

An African studies minor advisor must approve the credits earned in study-abroad or internship programs.

Electives

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
AFR 407	Seminar: [Topic] (Africa in Oregon)	1-5
AFR 410	Experimental Course	1-5
ANTH 342	Archaeology of Egypt and Near East	4
ANTH 410	Experimental Course: [Topic] (African Topics)	5
BI 309	Tropical Diseases in Africa	4
BI 410	Experimental Course: [Topic]	1-16
DAN 301	African Dance Aesthetics (Africa and the Diaspora)	4
DAN 410	Experimental Course: [Topic]	1-5
DANC 399	Special Studies: [Topic] (African Drumming)	1-5
DAN 481	Repertory Dance Company: Rehearsal (Dance Africa)	1-12
ENG 399	Special Studies: [Topic] (African Literature)	5
ENVS 410	Experimental Course: [Topic]	1-5
ENVS 450	Political Ecology	4
FR 361	French Cinema for Nonmajors	4
FR 407	Seminar: [Topic] (African Topics)	1-6
FR 490	20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (The Absurd and the Fantastic; Postcolonial Africa)	4
GLBL 407	Seminar: [Topic]	1-5
GLBL 445	Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa	4
HIST 407	Seminar: [Topic]	5
HIST 410	Experimental Course: [Topic]	1-6
HIST 325	Precolonial Africa	4
HIST 326	Colonial and Postcolonial Africa	4
HIST 417	Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic]	4
HIST 419	African Regional Histories: [Topic]	4
GLBL 345	Africa Today: Issues and Concerns	4
GLBL 420	Global Community Development	4
GLBL 421	Gender and International Development	4
J 410	Experimental Course: [Topic] (Media in Ghana)	4
LING 407	Seminar: [Topic] (African Language Families)	1-5
MUS 358	Music in World Cultures	4
MUS 451	Introduction to Ethnomusicology	4
MUS 452	Musical Instruments of the World	4
PS 399	Special Studies: [Topic] (Any courses with African topics)	1-5
SOC 313	Social Issues and Movements	4
SWAH 101	First Year Swahili	5
SWAH 102–103	First-Year Swahili	10
SWAH 201	Second-Year Swahili	5
SWAH 201–202	Second-Year Swahili	10
SWAH 203	Second Year Swahili	5
WGS 410	Experimental Course: [Topic] (Gender and Global Social Justice)	1-4
WGS 432	Gender, Environment, and Development	4

Deviations from the requirements listed must be approved by an African studies advisor.

Restrictions

No more than 8 credits may be from courses with 25 to 49 percent Africa content.
No more than 4 credits may be from performance courses.
No more than 12 credits may be from a single department.
No more than 4 credits may be taken pass/no pass.
Students must consult with an African studies advisor to confirm that the curricular overlap between the student's major and the African studies minor maintains the principle of academic breadth.

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African Studies Minor