African Studies

Minor in African Studies

Each student in the minor program is assigned a faculty advisor. Students who want to earn an undergraduate minor in African studies must satisfy the following requirements, comprising 28 graded credits and either the study of an African language or a study abroad or internship opportunity in Africa. Current Africa-related courses that count toward the minor are listed on the program website (africa.uoregon.edu) under the african studies minor link.

Four Required Courses (16 credits).

1. Introduction to African Studies (HUM 315)
2. One 4-credit course in African history, selected from Precolonial Africa (HIST 325), Colonial and Postcolonial Africa (HIST 326), or a special topics course in African history
3. One 4-credit course in contemporary African issues, such as the following: Africa Today: Issues and Concerns (INTL 345), Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (INTL 445), Political Ecology (ENVS 450), Sociology of Developing Areas (SOC 450), Advanced Geography of Non-European American Regions: Africa—Politics, Development, and Environment (GEOG 475), and others as offered
4. One 4-credit course in African culture, ethnicity, and identity, such as the following: Culture et langage: identités francophones(FR 303), Exploring Other Cultures: African Masks and Meanings (ANTH 310), Anthropological Perspectives on Africa (ANTH 327), African Languages: Identity, Ethnicity, History (LING 331), African Folklore (FLR 416), Comparative Tribalisms (INTL 447), 20th-Century Literature: Postcolonial Africa (FR 490), and others as offered

Electives (12 credits). Must be approved by a faculty advisor; 8 credits must be at the 400 level. Recommended courses include any of the courses listed above, or the following (though additional courses may be approved by your advisor): Dance and Folk Culture: Africa and the Diaspora (DAN 301), Diseases of Africa (BI 309), Social Issues and Movements (SOC 313), Music in World Cultures (MUS 358), Francophone Literature and Culture (FR 361), African Regional Histories (HIST 419), International Community Development (INTL 420), Introduction to Ethnomusicology (MUS 451), Musical Instruments of the World (MUS 452), Third World Development Communication (J 455), Repertory Dance Company: Rehearsal: Dance Africa (DAN 481), 20th-Century Literature: The Absurd and the Fantastic (FR 490), Seminar: Political Ecology (ENVS 607).

Advanced Research Requirement. One 400-level course that requires a research paper and has at least 50 percent Africa content. The paper must be approved by a faculty advisor and may be completed in a course that counts for one of the requirements listed above. For students who have completed an internship in Africa, the paper may be based on primary source data gathered during that experience. For others, the research paper should include an original argument or line of interpretation based on secondary sources.

Experiencing Africa. Choose one of the following options:

1. 15 credits of college-level study of an African language. Possibilities include Arabic, Swahili, Wolof, or one year of another approved language. Although English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish are the first languages of many African citizens, they may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
2. One term of study in Africa or a one-term internship in Africa. For study abroad, courses will be evaluated for UO credit on a case-by-case basis through the standard Office of International Affairs procedures for assigning credit and course equivalency. Students consult with the faculty member who is sponsoring their study abroad experience to prepare an agreement that must include the following: (a) a list of readings relevant to the experience, which are to be completed prior to and during the experience; (b) a reflective journal on the student’s activities and cross-cultural experiences; and (c) a final paper integrating preparatory readings with the experience (approximately 4,500 words, plus references). An African studies minor advisor must approve the credits earned in study abroad or internship programs.

Restrictions: No more than 8 credits toward the minor may be from 100-level courses or courses with less than 50 percent Africa content, and no more than 4 credits may be from music or dance performance courses. Students must consult with an African studies advisor to confirm that curricular overlap between the student’s major and the African studies minor maintains the principle of academic breadth.

Deviations from the requirements listed above must be approved by an African studies advisor.

Arranging a graduate degree program with a concentration in African studies is possible in a number of departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music and Dance. Anthropology, biology, dance, environmental studies, French (in the Romance languages department), folklore, geography, history, international studies, linguistics, political science, and sociology have faculty members with expertise and strong interest in this area.

Students should consult with the affiliated faculty members regarding such arrangements.

196 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

198 Workshop: [Topic] (1–5R)

199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

401 Research: [Topic] (1–12R)

403 Thesis: [Topic] (1–12R)

404 Internship: [Topic] (1–12R)

405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–12R)

406 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–12R)

407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R)

408/508 Workshop: [Topic] (1–12R)

409 Supervised Tutoring (1–4R)

410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R)

Swahili Courses (SWAH)

101, 102, 103 First-Year Swahili (5,5,5)  Introduction to Swahili with emphasis on speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. Sequence.

201, 202, 203 Second-Year Swahili (5,5,5) Continued development of Swahili language skills with emphasis on African culture. Sequence. Prereq for 201: SWAH 103 or equivalent.

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)