Area of Concentration

Students majoring in African American Studies are required to choose an area of concentration, comprised of five courses. This cluster of interrelated courses is intended to ground the student’s learning experience in one area of investigation.

Often students will choose an area of concentration in a traditional discipline such as political science, sociology, American studies, history, or English language and literature. (This strategy is especially helpful for students planning to fulfill the requirements of two majors.)

Students can also construct interdisciplinary areas of concentration that span traditional departments and encompass broader theoretical frameworks such as race and ethnicity, cultural studies, or feminism and gender studies.

All majors are encouraged to take upper-level courses as part of their concentration, especially those courses centering on research and methodology. None of the seven required courses in African American Studies may be counted among the five electives in the area of concentration.