A Banco de Palo ceremony is in progress as students in the Study Abroad in the Dominican Republic course watch from outside the circle of participants.
Courses
The wide selection of required and elective courses in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies (AAADS) gives students the opportunity to shape a course of study best suited to their goals. Students can prepare for an academic career, graduate school, or entry into the workforce by choosing from an array of classes designed to give them the necessary foundation.
Many of the courses in the department may be used to satisfy distribution or culture studies requirements. A few courses may be used to fulfill intensive writing requirements.
Detailed information on programs and courses is located in the online Bulletin of the College of Arts and Sciences. Click on the links below to browse through the courses offered by AAADS.
Undergraduate Courses
Courses are available in a variety of arts and music areas, literature and writing, and history, culture, and social issues, some with focus on the African American tradition and others on the diasporic experience. A number of courses are designated for honors sections. Students choosing an interdepartmental major will take courses in AAADS and the companion major.
Fall 2009 | Spring 2010 | Summer I and II 2010 (coming soon)
Graduate Courses
Students pick an area of concentration (arts, literature, or history, culture, and social issues) to be the core of their studies and choose from an array of courses that will ground them in the discipline and provide depth in their concentration. For dual degrees, courses are taken in AAADS and the second major. The PhD minor allows the student to choose a concentration for study (arts, literature, or history, culture, and social issues).
Fall 2009 | Spring 2010 | Summer I and II 2010 (coming soon)
Study Abroad
The AAADS Study Abroad Program gives students the opportunity to experience the diaspora firsthand. By visiting another country where people of African descent have made lives for themselves, students can begin to compare and contrast elements of the diaspora and come to better understand the commonalities and differences among black people globally.
This newest addition to the department's offerings is an opportunity for graduate students and undergraduates alike. Trips to Afro-Guyana, to Paris, and to the Dominican Republic open new vistas of learning and understanding to participants. Faculty accompany the group of students, acting both as chaperones and as instructors. Each study abroad experience includes classroom study before and after the actual trip, which lasts four weeks. The cost varies and may be subsidized by scholarships.
Students interested in studying abroad must be in good academic standing and submit an application by the stated deadline.