Minor in African and African American Studies
Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in African and African American Studies
Upon completing the minor in African and African American Studies, students will be able to:
- Understand and appreciate the complexity of African and African American history and culture.
- Compare and contrast the experiences of African peoples in different regions of the continent.
- Understand the role of Africa and African peoples in the diaspora in global histories and networks.
- Understand and employ key concepts and frameworks utilized in African and African American studies.
Requirements for the Minor in African and African American Studies
Students pursuing the minor in African and African American Studies must complete:
- A minimum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) to satisfy minor requirements.
- A minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in African and African American Studies | 18 | |
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| AAAS 200 | KNOWING BLACKNESS: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 5 elective courses from the following categories: 1,2 | 15 | |
Select at least 1 course from Group A (see course list below) | ||
Select at least 1 course from Group B (see course list below) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Of the 6 courses (18 credit hours) required for the minor, a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be taken at the 300-level or above. Please note that not all courses listed to fulfill requirements will be offered every academic year. |
| 2 | Of the 5 courses (15 credit hours) of Elective Requirements, coursework must be selected from at least 3 different subject codes. |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
To fulfill the remaining African and African American Studies minor requirements, students must complete a total of 5 elective courses (15 credit hours) from the following two categories as listed below. At least 1 course (3 credit hours) must be selected from Group A, and at least 1 course (3 credit hours) must be selected from Group B. The remaining 3 courses (9 credit hours) can be selected from either category (Group A or Group B). Additionally, coursework must be selected from at least 3 different subject codes, and a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be taken at the 300-level or above.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | ||
| ANTH 312 / MDEM 311 | THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF AFRICA | 3 |
| ANTH 360 | TOPICS IN AFRICAN CULTURE AND ETHNOGRAPHY | 3 |
| ANTH 364 | AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TECHNIQUES | 1-6 |
| ANTH 462 | BLACK ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| FREN 324 / POLI 324 / RELI 476 | FROM DECOLONIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION | 3 |
| HIST 222 | HISTORY OF EARLY AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 223 | HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 323 | HISTORY OF ATLANTIC AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 330 | ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 343 | HISTORY OF AFRICA IN THE MUSEUM | 3 |
| RELI 111 | INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN RELIGIONS | 3 |
| RELI 328 | RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY | 3 |
| RELI 338 | THE CHURCH OF AFRICA | 3 |
| RELI 348 | CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA | 3 |
| RELI 424 | RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA | 3 |
| RELI 426 | RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AFRICA | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Group B | ||
| AAAS 204 / HART 204 | INTRODUCTION TO BLACK ART IN AMERICA: 1900S TO TODAY | 3 |
| AAAS 245 / HIST 245 | RACE, RESISTANCE, AND REVOLUTION: BLACKS AND BLACKNESS IN THE MAKING OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBB | 3 |
| AAAS 300 | CONTEMPORARY BLACK FICTION | 3 |
| ANTH 316 | BLACK DECOLONIAL FEMINISMS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| ANTH 362 | ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES | 3 |
| ANTH 394 | THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | 3 |
| ANTH 419 | BLACK FEMINIST SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY STUDIES | 3 |
| ANTH 443 | ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH | 3 |
| ANTH 462 | BLACK ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| EDUC 304 | RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| ENGL 266 | GRAPHIC NOVELS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY TRADITION | 3 |
| ENGL 267 | INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE | 3 |
| ENGL 279 | BLACK SCI-FI & SPECULATIVE FICTIONS | 3 |
| ENGL 370 / SWGS 370 | AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE | 3 |
| ENGL 393 | BLACK MANHATTAN: 1915-1940 | 3 |
| ENGL 394 | TONI MORRISON & WILLIAM FAULKNER SEMINAR | 3 |
| ENGL 398 | SLAVERY IN 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY FILM AND FICTION | 3 |
| ENGL 466 | STUDIES IN AMERICAN/U.S. LITERATURE AND CULTURE | 3 |
| FREN 413 | BLACK VENUS/VÉNUS NOIRE: REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE LONG 19TH CENTURY | 3 |
| FREN 414 | SEX AND RACE IN THE FRENCH ATLANTIC | 3 |
| FREN 478 / ARCR 478 | THE FRENCH CARIBBEAN | 3 |
| FWIS 113 | RACE, PUBLIC POLICY, AND RACIAL CHANGE IN AMERICA | 3 |
| FWIS 132 | SLAVERY ON FILM | 3 |
| FWIS 181 | GRAPHIC BLACKNESS: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMIC BOOK TRADITION | 3 |
| HART 306 | WHAT ARTISTS CITE: CORE TEACHINGS IN BLACK STUDIES | 3 |
| HART 366 | RADICAL BLACK THOUGHT IN THE STUDIO: ARTISTS CITING BLACK STUDIES | 3 |
| HIST 111 | RACE IN EARLY AMERICA: CREATING RACIAL IDENTITIES IN THE ERA OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | 3 |
| HIST 188 | THE ATLANTIC WORLD: ORIGINS TO THE AGE OF REVOLUTION | 3 |
| HIST 208 | RACE AND MEDICINE IN AMERICAN HISTORY | 3 |
| HIST 210 | REMEMBERING PAINFUL PASTS: THE PRACTICE OF MEMORY AND PUBLIC HISTORY | 3 |
| HIST 215 | BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| HIST 216 | BLACK LIFE IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY UNITED STATES | 3 |
| HIST 237 | RADICAL MOVEMENTS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| HIST 295 | THE AMERICAN SOUTH | 3 |
| HIST 301 | FIGHTING THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE | 3 |
| HIST 315 | BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| HIST 330 | ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 347 | BLACK AMERICA: FROM NADIR THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION | 3 |
| HIST 354 | RACE AND ETHNICITY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| HIST 407 | THE RISE AND FALL OF SLAVERY IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1791-1888 | 3 |
| HIST 421 | RACE, EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN THE URBAN SOUTH | 3 |
| HIST 484 | THE BLACK CITY: AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| HIST 499 | BLACK AT RICE: HISTORIES OF THE UNIVERSITY | 3 |
| POLI 325 | AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS | 3 |
| POLI 330 | RACE, ETHNICITY, AND POLITICS IN AMERICA | 3 |
| POLI 341 | RACE AND THE LAW IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| POLI 350 | URBAN LAB HOUSTON | 1 |
| POLI 438 | RACE AND PUBLIC POLICY | 3 |
| RELI 157 | RELIGION AND HIP HOP CULTURE IN AMERICA | 3 |
| RELI 216 | RELIGION AND BLACK LIVES MATTER | 3 |
| RELI 270 | INTRODUCTION TO THE BLACK CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| RELI 312 | THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF MARTIN L. KING, JR. AND MALCOLM X | 3 |
| RELI 328 | RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY | 3 |
| RELI 357 | WHAT'S RELIGIOUS ABOUT BLACK RELIGION? | 3 |
| RELI 393 | MUTANTS AND MYSTICS: RACE, SEXUALITY, AND THE FUTURE OF THE HUMANITIES | 3 |
| SOCI 305 | RACE, SPACE, PLACE | 3 |
| SOCI 307 | INTERSECTIONALITY | 3 |
| SOCI 308 | HOUSTON: THE SOCIOLOGY OF A CITY | 3 |
| SOCI 309 | RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS | 3 |
| SOCI 329 | MULTIRACIAL AMERICA | 3 |
| SOCI 343 | RACE, SOCIETY AND POPULATION CHANGE | 3 |
| SOCI 363 | AFRICAN AMERICAN-JEWISH RELATIONS: RACE, RELIGION, POLITICS, AND POPULAR CULTURE | 3 |
| SOCI 374 | SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF PREJUDICE | 3 |
| SOCI 389 | RACE, GENDER, CLASS IN FILM | 3 |
| SOCI 402 | RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR | 3 |
| SOCI 414 | CRITICAL RACE THEORY | 3 |
| SOCI 424 | RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR | 3 |
| SOCI 436 | RESEARCH SEMINAR: THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY | 3 |
| SOCI 453 | RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR | 3 |
| SOCI 470 | INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE | 3 |
| SOCI 485 | IDENTITIES IN A DIVERSE WORLD | 3 |
| SWGS 247 | SEX, RACE, AND THE CITY | 3 |
Policies for the Minor in African and African American Studies
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the minor in African and African American Studies should be aware of the following program restriction:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the minor in African and African American Studies should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the minor.
Distribution Credit Information
The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process. Additionally, as part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution credit eligibility is routinely reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.
Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-credit-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution-credit-eligible at the time of course registration.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the African and African American Studies website: https://caaas.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the Minor in African and African American Studies
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the African and African American Studies website: https://caaas.rice.edu/.