Why Major in AAADS?
Why Double Major in AAADS?
Why major in AAADS?
With so many different majors to choose from in the College of Arts and Sciences and in other schools of the university, why would an undergraduate choose the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies?
Aside from the relevance of the subject matter to national and world history, society, and arts, AAADS offers a classic liberal arts foundation of critical thinking, communication skills, and creative approaches, plus a unique interdisciplinary dimension that teaches students to think both broadly and deeply on all topics. It is interesting to note that, according to the IU Career Resource Center, statistics indicate that liberal arts majors make more money in the long run than other college majors—probably because of their communication and analytical skills.
What AAADS students notice first upon declaring a major in the department is that they have much more interaction with their professors than do students in most departments. With smaller classes and personally attentive teachers, they form tighter relationships with the faculty. The AAADS advisor is highly accessible, as well, and grad students are always happy to lend an ear or a helping hand.
All of this translates into more opportunities for formal and informal mentoring, better letters of recommendation from faculty who are familiar with a student’s goals and achievements, and greater readiness to take on the “real world” after graduation.
AAADS is a department that takes the “real world” seriously. In addition to building relationships with professors and grad students, undergraduates have opportunities for internships, community involvement, and study abroad.
Internships can be arranged individually so that students can do work related to their interests. The department actively works with several local organizations (e.g., Backstreet Mission, Hannah’s House, Boxcar Books, and Bowling for Kids) to take its academic values and mission out into the community. Both graduate and undergraduate students can apply to study abroad in a designated part of the larger African diaspora, gaining both travel experience and firsthand knowledge of people of African descent outside the U.S.
Why double-major in AAADS?
From a practical standpoint, AAADS offers a particularly flexible array of credit courses that apply not just to the major, but also to second majors and to minors. Students are often surprised to discover that some of their AAADS courses also give them credit in meeting some university requirements.
Because AAADS courses can fulfill requirements in so many areas and in so many ways, AAADS is the perfect department to pair with almost any other major for a very useful double major. Because potential employers seek people with greater comprehension of diverse cultures and a deeper knowledge of history and society, the AAADS double major has an advantage over the pure biology, English, music, math, business, or education major.
In addition to the ease of double majoring in AAADS, there are some very specific rewards available to students who choose to maximize their undergraduate educations. Financial awards, scholarships, admittance to graduate school, and many other honors go more frequently to double majors.
In fact, 2002-03 information on medical school admissions shows that applicants with double majors (59%) and those from interdisciplinary studies (64.1%) were among the most admitted students out of more than 30 fields; and for law school admissions from 1998, far more students with liberal arts backgrounds were accepted than from other disciplines.
AAADS has it all: interdisciplinary focus, flexible major and double major, liberal arts foundation, democratic values, small classes, and personal attention. The real question, then, is “Why not double-major in AAADS?"
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