African Studies Minor

A new minor in African Studies has been approved and will be available Spring 2007. Please find the requirements for receiving a minor in African Studies below, and please consult with African Studies (175 PLC, 346-5051, africa@uoregon.edu) to set up an appointment with an African Studies faculty advisor, who will guide you in preparing your program of study for the minor.

Download the African Studies Minor Worksheet (MS Word file) and bring it to when you talk to your African Studies advisor.

Requirements for the Minor in African Studies

A. Four Required Courses [16 credits]

• Hum 315 Introduction to African Studies, (4 credits)
  
  
• One course in History of Africa – A minimum of 4 credits must be earned through successful completion of either
  • HIST 325, Precolonial Africa (4)
  • HIST 326, Colonial & Postcolonial Africa (4)
    
    
• One course in Contemporary African Issues:  Select from among the following (4 credits)
• ENVS 450/550, Political Ecology
• FR 407 Seminar: Contemporary Africa
• GEOG 475/575 Africa: Politics, Development and Environment
• INTL 407, West African Politics, Culture & History (Dakar Summer Program)
• INTL 345, Africa Today
• INTL 445, Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
• J 410/510, Media in Ghana
• HIST 417, Society and Culture in Modern Africa
• SOC 450, Sociology of Developing Areas

• Culture, Ethnicity & Identity in Africa: Select one from among the following (4 credits):
  • ANTH 327, Anthropological Perspectives on Africa
  • ANTH 410/510, Ethnography of Postcolonial Africa
  • ANTH 310, African Masks and Meanings
  • FLR 399, Special Studies: African Folklore
  • FR 303, Identités Francophones
  • FR 407, Seminar: African Identities
  • FR 490, 20^th-Century Literature: Post-colonial Africa
  • HIST 416, African Women’s History
  • INTL 447, Comparative "Tribalisms"
  • LING 407/507, Seminar: African Language Families
  • MUS 407, Music of the African Diaspora

• ANTH 310, African Masks and Meanings
• ANTH 327, Anthropological Perspectives on Africa
• ANTH 410/510, Ethnography of Postcolonial Africa
• BI 399, The Biology of Tropical Disease: Africa
• DAN 301, Dance in Folk Culture: Africa and the Diaspora
• DAN 399, Special Studies: Drumming (African)
• DAN 481, Dance Africa
• ENG 399 Special Studies: African Literature
• ENVS 450/550, Political Ecology
• ENVS 607, Seminar in Political Ecology
• FLR 399, Special Studies: African Folklore
• FR 303, Identités Francophones
• FR 361, Francophone Literature and Culture
• FR 407 Seminar: Contemporary Africa
• FR 407, Seminar: African Identities
• FR 410, Experimental Course: African Cinema
• FR 490 The Absurd and the Fantastic
• FR 490, 20th-Century Literature: Post-colonial Africa
• GEOG 475/575 Africa: Politics, Development and Environment
• HIST 325, Precolonial Africa
• HIST 326, Colonial & Postcolonial Africa
• HIST 416, African Women’s History
• HIST 417, Society and Culture in Modern Africa
• HIST 419, Topics in African Regional Histories
• INTL 345, Africa Today: Issues & Concerns
• INTL 399, Africa in Oregon
• INTL 407/507, African Experiences
• INTL 420/520, International Community Development
• INTL 445, Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
• INTL 447, Comparative "Tribalisms": Politics of Identity in Africa and the US
• J 410/510 Media in Ghana
• J 455, Third World Development Communication
• LING 407/507, Seminar: African Language Families (4)
• MUS 358, Music in World Cultures
• MUS 451, Introduction to Ethnomusicology
• MUS 452, Musical Instruments of the World
• PS 399, Special Studies: Politics of West Africa
• PS 399, Special Studies: South Africa Post Apartheid
• SOC 313, Social Issues and Social Movements
• SOC 450, Sociology of Developing Areas

• 15 credits of college-level study of an African language.  Possibilities include Arabic, Swahili, Wolof, or one year of another approved language.  Arabic and Swahili are currently being regularized as standard course offerings with their own prefixes.  Although they are the first language of many African citizens, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

• One term of study-abroad in Africa or a one-term internship in Africa, with a minimum of 12 credits.
  • For study abroad, courses will be evaluated for UO credit through the standard Office of International Programs procedures for assigning credit and course equivalency.
  • For internships, students will consult the faculty member who is sponsoring their internship credits to prepare an internship agreement which must include:

• A list of readings relevant to the experience, which are to be completed prior to and during the internship.
• A reflective journal on the student’s activities and cross-cultural experiences.
• A final paper integrating preparatory readings and internship experience (approximately 4500 words, plus references).

• An African Studies Minor Advisor must approve the credits earned in study abroad or internship programs. 

D. Advanced Research Requirement [4 credits].

• Research paper with minimum 50% Africa content completed in a 400-level course (may be one of the courses in A or B above, need not be an additional course)

  • For students who have studied or completed an internship in Africa, the paper should be based on primary source data gathered during that experience.
  • For other students, the research paper should include an original argument or line of interpretation based on secondary sources.

Limit on Partial Africa-Content Courses: No more than 8 credits may be from courses with less than 50% Africa content 

Limit on Performance Course Credits: No more than 4 credits toward the Minor may be from performance courses. 

Major-Minor Breadth Requirement: Students must consult with an African Studies advisor to confirm that that curricular overlap between the student's major and the African Studies minor maintains the principle of academic breadth.