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

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in African and African American Studies		18

Minor Requirements

Course List
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 2 courses from Group A (see course list below)
Select at least 2 courses from Group B (see course list below)
Total Credit Hours		18

Footnotes and Additional Information

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.

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 2 courses (6 credit hours) must be selected from each category (Group A and Group B), and the remaining course 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.

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Group A
Select at least 2 courses from the following:		6
ANTH 312 / MDEM 311	THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF AFRICA
ANTH 360	TOPICS IN AFRICAN CULTURE AND ETHNOGRAPHY
ANTH 364	AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TECHNIQUES
FREN 324 / POLI 324 / RELI 476	FROM DECOLONIZATION TO GLOBALIZATION
HIST 204	THE IDEA OF AFRICA
HIST 222	HISTORY OF EARLY AFRICA
HIST 223	HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA
HIST 323	HISTORY OF ATLANTIC AFRICA
HIST 330	ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA
HIST 343	HISTORY OF AFRICA IN THE MUSEUM
RELI 111	INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN RELIGIONS
RELI 328	RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY
RELI 338	THE CHURCH OF AFRICA
RELI 342 / ANTH 343	NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN AFRICA
RELI 348	CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA
RELI 424	RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA
RELI 426	RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AFRICA
Group B
Select at least 2 courses from the following:		6
AAAS 300	CONTEMPORARY BLACK FICTION
ANTH 316	BLACK DECOLONIAL FEMINISMS IN THE AMERICAS
ANTH 362	ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD TECHNIQUES
ANTH 394	THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
ANTH 443	ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH
EDUC 304	RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION
ENGL 266	GRAPHIC NOVELS IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY TRADITION
ENGL 267	INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
ENGL 279	BLACK SCI-FI & SPECULATIVE FICTIONS
ENGL 370 / SWGS 370	AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
ENGL 393	BLACK MANHATTAN: 1915-1940
ENGL 398	SLAVERY IN 20TH CENTURY FILM AND FICTION
ENGL 466	STUDIES IN AMERICAN/U.S. LITERATURE AND CULTURE
FREN 413	BLACK VENUS/VÉNUS NOIRE: REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE LONG 19TH CENTURY
FREN 414	SEX AND RACE IN THE FRENCH ATLANTIC
FREN 478 / ARCR 478	THE FRENCH CARIBBEAN
FWIS 113	RACE, PUBLIC POLICY, AND RACIAL CHANGE IN AMERICA
FWIS 132	SLAVERY ON FILM
FWIS 181	GRAPHIC BLACKNESS: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMIC BOOK TRADITION
HART 204	INTRODUCTION TO BLACK ART IN AMERICA: 1900S TO TODAY
HART 306	WHAT ARTISTS CITE: CORE TEACHINGS IN BLACK STUDIES
HART 366	RADICAL BLACK THOUGHT IN THE STUDIO: ARTISTS CITING BLACK STUDIES
HIST 111	RACE IN EARLY AMERICA: CREATING RACIAL IDENTITIES IN THE ERA OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
HIST 188	THE ATLANTIC WORLD: ORIGINS TO THE AGE OF REVOLUTION
HIST 208	RACE AND MEDICINE IN AMERICAN HISTORY
HIST 210	REMEMBERING PAINFUL PASTS: THE PRACTICE OF MEMORY AND PUBLIC HISTORY
HIST 215	BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS
HIST 216	BLACK LIFE IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY UNITED STATES
HIST 237	RADICAL MOVEMENTS IN THE AMERICAS
HIST 295	THE AMERICAN SOUTH
HIST 301	FIGHTING THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
HIST 315	BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS
HIST 330	ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA
HIST 347	BLACK AMERICA: FROM NADIR THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION
HIST 354	RACE AND ETHNICITY IN LATIN AMERICA
HIST 407	THE RISE AND FALL OF SLAVERY IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1791-1888
HIST 421	RACE, EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN THE URBAN SOUTH
HIST 484	THE BLACK CITY: AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES
HIST 499	BLACK AT RICE: HISTORIES OF THE UNIVERSITY
POLI 325	AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS
POLI 330	MINORITY POLITICS
POLI 341	RACE AND THE LAW IN THE UNITED STATES
POLI 350	URBAN LAB HOUSTON
POLI 438	RACE AND PUBLIC POLICY
RELI 157	RELIGION AND HIP HOP CULTURE IN AMERICA
RELI 216	RELIGION AND BLACK LIVES MATTER
RELI 270	INTRODUCTION TO THE BLACK CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES
RELI 312	THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF MARTIN L. KING, JR. AND MALCOLM X
RELI 328	RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY
RELI 357	WHAT'S RELIGIOUS ABOUT BLACK RELIGION?
RELI 393	MUTANTS AND MYSTICS: RACE, SEXUALITY, AND THE FUTURE OF THE HUMANITIES
SOCI 305	RACE, SPACE, PLACE
SOCI 308	HOUSTON: THE SOCIOLOGY OF A CITY
SOCI 309	RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
SOCI 329	MULTIRACIAL AMERICA
SOCI 343	RACE, SOCIETY AND POPULATION CHANGE
SOCI 363	AFRICAN AMERICAN-JEWISH RELATIONS: RACE, RELIGION, POLITICS, AND POPULAR CULTURE
SOCI 374	SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF PREJUDICE
SOCI 389	RACE, GENDER, CLASS IN FILM
SOCI 402	RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR
SOCI 414	CRITICAL RACE THEORY
SOCI 424	RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR
SOCI 436	RESEARCH SEMINAR: THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY
SOCI 453	RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR
SOCI 470	INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE
SOCI 485	IDENTITIES IN A DIVERSE WORLD

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. 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 their academic program’s transfer credit advisor 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 guidelines:

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.
Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program’s official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.

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/

See https://humanities.rice.edu/student-life for tables of fellowships, prizes, and internships/practica that may be relevant to this minor.