African American Studies Major (B.A.)

Major code BA4903

College of Arts and Sciences
African American Studies Department
Bentley Annex
Phone: 740.593.4546
african.american.studies@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/cas/aas

Dr. Gary Holcomb, contact person
holcomb@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The African American Studies Department was established in 1969, and remains one of a few programs with departmental status in the state of Ohio. A centerpiece of that legacy is our shared vision and philosophy with the National Council for Black Studies, which is to promote academic excellence and social responsibility in the areas of teaching, research, and service. We are a department that is committed to producing persons, to use the language of Dr. Nathan Hare, who are capable of solving problems in American (and global) society.

The faculty believe in preparing and mentoring all students to successfully complete their academic goals and objectives. Our mission is to contribute to an inclusive intellectual environment at Ohio University by developing and delivering an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary curriculum that advances the University’s general education goals.

The African American Studies Department also offers an Honors program in African American Studies. See below for more information.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Change of Program Policy

No selective or limited admission requirements.

External Transfer Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Many African American Studies majors have gone on to graduate school and carved for themselves influential careers in a variety of fields, including law, the performing arts, international affairs, religion, politics, education, and business. African American studies graduates are well-prepared to enter careers in social service, education, legal services and graduate school in multiple disciplines.

A degree in African American Studies, like all liberal arts degrees, provides students with the foundation to understand the world, how it functions, their responsibilities and opportunities in the world, and how to have an impact on the world, globally and locally. Specifically, however, African American Studies majors learn from many disciplines to explore the histories, societies, and cultures of African and African-descended people in the United States and abroad.

Examples of specific positions students can pursue with a degree in African American Studies include, but are not limited to, the following: education, management and industry, law, communications and media, government/politics, community relations and outreach, domestic and international advocacy, program administration, human resources, religious services, social worker, graduate studies, public policy specialist; etc.

Browse through dozens of Internship opportunities and full-time job postings for Ohio University students and alumni on Handshake, OHIO’s key resource for researching jobs, employers, workshops, and professional development events.

Requirements

Universitywide Graduation Requirements

Ohio University requires the completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for the conferral of a bachelor’s degree. This program can be completed within that 120-hour requirement. For more information on the minimum hours requirement and other universitywide requirements, please review the Graduation Requirements – Universitywide page.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement

View the College and Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirements .

African American Studies Hours Requirement

Complete a total of 30 semester credit hours of AAS coursework, including all of the requirements below. A minimum grade of ‘C’ (2.0) is required in each major course.

Required Core Course

Complete the following course:

AAS 1060 - Introduction to African American Studies Credit Hours: 3

African American Studies Tracks

Complete two of the following tracks.

Art, Music, and Media

Complete at least three courses from the following:

AAS 1500 - Africana Media Studies Credit Hours: 4
AAS 3520 - Blacks in Contemporary American Cinema Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3530 - Survey of Black Independent Cinema Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3550 - History of African American Music I, Slavery-1926 Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3570 - Black Music Criticism: Hiphop history, culture and politics Credit Hours: 3

History

Complete at least three courses from the following:

AAS 1010 - African American History I, 1526-1875 Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2020 - African American History II, 1876 to late twentieth century Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2250 - History of the African American Worker Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2540 - History of Injustice in the United States Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3450 - The Black Woman Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3460 - Black Men and Masculinities Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4500 - The History of Black Women in Popular Culture Credit Hours: 3

Law, Political Science, and Race

Complete at least three courses from the following:

AAS 1900 - Difficult Dialogues: Race, Law, and Religion in America Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2200 - Introduction to Black Political Economy Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3680 - African American Political Thought Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3691 - U.S. Constitutional Law: Pre-Civil Rights Movements Credit Hours: 3

Literature

Complete at least three courses from the following:

AAS 1100 - Introduction to African American Literature Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2100 - Slave Narrative and Freeman/Freewomen Fiction of the 18th and 19th Centuries Credit Hours: 3
AAS 2110 - African American Literature II: Black Writing of the 20th and 21st Centuries Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3100 - Postmodern Blackness: Identity and Culture in Contemporary African American Literature Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3110 - Harlem Renaissance: African American Literature of the Early 20th Century Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4110 - Literature Seminar: Black Countercultures Credit Hours: 3

African American Studies Electives

Complete at least three courses for 9 hours at the 2000 level or above from courses listed in the tracks not used to fulfill the tracks requirement above or from the following courses:

AAS 2500 - Blackness and the Arts Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3170 - Black Transnational Literature: Caribbean and Transcultural African American Writing Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3400 - The African American Community Since World War II Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3410 - African American Personality Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3500 - African American Arts and Artists Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3560 - History of African American Music II, 1926-Present Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3640 - Comparative Study of Injustice Credit Hours: 3
AAS 3800 - African American Education Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4300 - Social Theory, Research and Methodology in African American Studies Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4400 - The Black Child Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4693 - Legal Policy and Disparities in the American Health Care System Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4820 - The Black Family Credit Hours: 3
AAS 4930 - Independent Study Credit Hours: 3 - 9
T3 4691 - U.S. Constitutional Law: Post-Civil Rights Movements Credit Hours: 3

Honors Program

The Department of African American Studies offers an Honors option for all majors with an overall GPA of 3.0 and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in AAS courses. Qualified candidates may apply for the Honor Program in the fall semester of their junior year. Candidates admitted to the program must complete two 3-hour independent studies, listed below, with a thesis advisor and then write an honors thesis during their senior year. Students who complete the thesis will graduate with the designation of “Honors” on their degrees.

AAS 4930 - Independent Study Credit Hours: 3 - 9
Students wishing to complete the Honors program must take a 3-hour AAS 4930 twice for a total of 6 hours, once fall semester and once spring semester of senior year.