Undergraduate Minors

African Studies – Minor

African Studies involves a cross-campus, interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, and students who have an interest in questions relating to Africa and the African Diaspora. Africa-focused courses are taught in a variety of scholarly disciplines and programs, including Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, American Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, Architecture, Art History, Bioengineering, Comparative History of Ideas, English, Ethnomusicology, Forest Resources, French, Genome Sciences, Geography, Global Health, Health Services, History, Honors Program, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (UW-Bothell), Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (UW-Tacoma), International Studies, Linguistics, Marine Affairs, Music, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, Nursing, Public Affairs, Political Science, School of Law, School of Nursing, School of Public Health, Social Work, Sociology, and Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies.

Learn more:


Minor in Africa and the African Diaspora

30 credits chosen from at least three departments whose courses are listed below, including:

  1. Minimum 15 credits at the 300 level or above
  2. Minimum 5 credits from the approved list of courses on the African diaspora.
  3. Minimum 10 credits from the approved list of courses on Africa.
  4. Maximum 10 credits of language courses, which may include 5 credits at the third-year level or above from the Africa-relevant languages of Arabic, French, or Portuguese and 10 credits of Swahili at the second-year level or above.
  5. Other courses not on the Web site may be approved by the program office.*
  6. Optional Experential Learning Credit: Students are encouraged to participate in service learning and study abroad programs.
  7. Minimum 2.0 grade in each course applied toward the minor.

Each quarter, we offer Special Topics classes on African subjects, plus courses by visiting African scholars. Please check with the African Studies Office for regular updates on course offerings.


Africa and African Diaspora Courses

A. Africa Courses

ANTH 202 Principles of Sociocultural Anthropology (5)
ANTH 209 Anthropology Visual Media
ANTH/JSIS B/GWSS 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)
ANTH 423 Traffic Across Cultural Boundaries (5)
ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5)
ANTH 318 Peoples and Cultures of the Islamic Middle East (3)
ANTH 401 West African Societies (3)
ANTH 471 Colonialism and Culture (5)
ARCHY 212 The Archaeology of Egypt (5)
ARCH 251 World Architecture: Non-Western Cultures (3)
ARCH 442 Africa and Middle East Seminar (3)
ARCHY 303 Old World Prehistory (5)
ARCHY 401 Archaeology of Human Origins (5)
BIO A 388 Human Fossils and Evolution (5)
BIO A 389 Human Fossil Evolution (5)
F M 402 Forest and Econ Development in Developing World (4)
GEOG 230 Urbanization and Development: Geographies of Global Inequality (5)
GEOG 271 Geography of Food and Eating (5)
GEOG/JSIS B 335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
GEOG 371 World Hunger and Resource Development (5)
HSTAFM 151 Introduction to African History, c. 1000-1880 (5)
HSTAFM 152 Introduction to African History, c. 1880 – Present (5)
HSTCMP 425 Hist of British Empire and Commonwealth Since 1783 (5)
HSTAFM 452 Southern Africa Since 1500 (5)
HSTEU 484 Colonial Encounters(5)
MUSIC 317 Music Cultures of the World (5)
NEAR E 230/JSIS C 211 Islam (5)
NEAR E 229/JSIS A  210 Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5)
POL S 331 Government and Politics in Middle East & North Africa (5)
POL S 449 Politics of Developing Areas (5)
POL S 320/JSIS B 310 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
JSIS C 211/NEAR E 230 Islam (5)
JSIS B 331 Political Economy of Development (5)
JSIS B/GEOG 335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
JSIS B/GWSS/ANTH 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)
JSIS B 330 International Political Economy (5)
JSIS B 310/ POL S 320 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
JSIS 189, 389 Study Abroad: African Studies (1-5, max. 15)
JSIS A 413 African Studies Seminar (5, max. 15)
JSIS 481 Special Topics (1-5, max. 15)
JSIS 499 Undergraduate Research (1-5, max. 15) [African topics]
JSIS A 210/NEAR E 229 Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5)
GWSS/ANTH/JSIS B 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)

B. African Diaspora Courses

AES/SOC 462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5)
AFRAM 101 Introduction to African American Studies (5)
AFRAM/HSTAA 150 Introduction to African-American History (5)
AFRAM 340 Harlem Renaissance: A Literary Study (5)
AFRAM/ENGL 358 Literature of Black Americans (5)
AFRAM 405 Advanced African American Studies in Social Science (5)
ANTH 423 Traffic Across Cultural Boundaries (5)
ART H 230 African-American Tradition: A Transatlantic View of Art & Culture (5)
ENGL/AFRAM 358 Literature of Black Americans (5)
HSTCMP 260 Slavery in History: A Comparative Study (5)
HSTAA/AFRAM 150 Introduction to African-American History (5)
HSTAA 313 African Americans in the American West (5)
HSTAA 321 Becoming Black Americans (5)
HSTAA 322 African-American History, 1865 To The Present (5)
MUSIC 319 Afro-American Music (5)
MUSIC 331 History of Jazz (5)
JSIS B 441 Forced Migrations (5)
SOC WF 495 Empowerment Practice with Refugees and Immigrants
SOC/AES 462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5)

C. Language Courses

SWA 201 (was AFRAM) Intermediate Swahili (5)
SWA 202 (was AFRAM) Intermediate Swahili (5)
SWA 203 (was AFRAM) Intermediate Swahili (5)
NOTE: SWA 201-203, if taken as AFRAM 401-403, do not count as “300-level or above” for purposes of the 15-credit upper-division requirement
ARAB 431 Advanced Arabic (5)
ARAB 432 Advanced Arabic (5)
ARAB 433 Advanced Arabic (5)
FRENCH 301 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 302 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 303 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 308 Foreign Study Composition (3-5, max. 10)
FRENCH 313 Business Communication in French (5)
FRENCH 327 Advanced Conversation (2, max. 8)
FRENCH 337 Foreign Study Conversational French (2-8, max. 8)
FRENCH 406 Advanced French Composition (5)
PORT 301 Grammar and Lexicon (3)
PORT 302 Grammar and Lexicon (3)
PORT 310 Introduction to Lusophone Literature (3)

II. Breadth Requirement

For purposes of meeting the breadth requirement (30 credits chosen from at least three departments), the Africa and African Diaspora courses are grouped as follows:

African Studies
JSIS 189, 389 Study Abroad: African Studies (1-5, max. 15)
JSIS A 413 African Studies Seminar (5, max. 15)
JSIS 481 Special Topics (1-5, max. 15)
JSIS 499 Undergraduate Research (1-5, max. 15) [African topics]
American Ethnic Studies
AES/SOC 462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5)
AFRAM 101 Introduction to African American Studies (5)
AFRAM/HSTAA 150 Introduction to African-American History (5)
AFRAM 340 Harlem Renaissance: A Literary Study (5)
AFRAM/ENGL 358 Literature of Black Americans (5)
AFRAM 401 Intermediate Swahili (5)
AFRAM 402 Intermediate Swahili (5)
AFRAM 403 Intermediate Swahili (5)
Anthropology
ANTH 202 Principles of Sociocultural Anthropology (5)
ANTH 209 Anthropology Visual Media
ANTH/JSIS B/GWSS 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)
ANTH 423 Traffic Across Cultural Boundaries (5)
ANTH 313 Peoples of Africa (5)
ANTH 318 Peoples and Cultures of the Islamic Middle East (3)
ANTH 401 West African Societies (3)
ANTH 402 Societies of Eastern and Southern Africa (5)
ANTH 471 Colonialism and Culture (5)
ARCHY 212 The Archaeology of Egypt (5)
ARCH 251 World Architecture: Non-Western Cultures (3)
ARCH 442 Africa and Middle East Seminar (3)
ARCHY 303 Old World Prehistory (5)
ARCHY 401 Archaeology of Human Origins (5)
BIO A 388 Human Fossils and Evolution (5)
BIO A 389 Human Fossil Evolution (5)
Art/Art History
ART H 230 African-American Trad: A Transatlantic View of Art &Culture (5)
English
ENGL/AFRAM 358 Literature of Black Americans (5)
French
FRENCH 301 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 302 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 303 Advanced French (5)
FRENCH 308 Foreign Study Composition (3-5, max. 10)
FRENCH 313 Business Communication in French (5)
FRENCH 327 Advanced Conversation (2, max. 8)
FRENCH 337 Foreign Study Conversational French (2-8, max. 8)
FRENCH 406 Advanced French Composition (5)
Forest Management
F M 402 Forest and Econ Development in Developing World (4)
Geography
GEOG 230 Urbanization and Development: Geographies of GlobalInequality (5)
GEOG 271 Geography of Food and Eating (5)
GEOG/JSIS B 335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
GEOG 371 World Hunger and Resource Development (5)
History
HSTAFM 151 Introduction to African History, c. 1000-1880 (5)
HSTCMP 260 Slavery in History: A Comparative Study (5)
HSTAA/AFRAM 150 Introduction to African-American History (5)
HSTAA 313 African Americans in the American West (5)
HSTAA 321 Becoming Black Americans (5)
HSTAA 322 African-American History, 1865 To The Present (5)
HSTAFM 152 Introduction to African History, c. 1880 – Present (5)
HSTCMP 425 Hist of British Empire and Commonwealth Since 1783 (5)
HSTAFM 452 Southern Africa Since 1500 (5)
HSTCMP 484 Colonial Encounters (5)
International Studies
JSIS C 211/NEAR E 230 Islam (5)
JSIS B 331 Political Economy of Development (5)
JSIS B/GEOG 335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
JSIS B/GWSS/ANTH 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)
JSIS B 330 International Political Economy (5)
JSIS B 441 Forced Migrations (5)
JSIS B 310/ POL S 320 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
JSIS A 210/NEAR E 229 Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5)
Music
MUSIC 317 Music Cultures of the World (5)
MUSIC 319 Afro-American Music (5)
MUSIC 331 History of Jazz (5)
Near Eastern Languages & Civilization
NEAR E 230/JSIS C 211 Islam (5)
NEAR E 229/JSIS A 210 Introduction to Islamic Civilization (5)
ARAB 431 Advanced Arabic (5)
ARAB 432 Advanced Arabic (5)
ARAB 433 Advanced Arabic (5)
Political Science
POL S 331 Government and Politics in Middle East & North Africa (5)
POL S 449 Politics of Developing Areas (5)
POL S 320/JSIS B 310 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
Portuguese
PORT 301 Grammar and Lexicon (3)
PORT 302 Grammar and Lexicon (3)
PORT 310 Introduction to Lusophone Literature (3)
Sociology
SOC/AES 462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5)
Social Welfare
SOC WF 495 Empowerment Practice with Refugees and Immigrants
Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
GWSS/ANTH/JSIS B 345 Women and International Economic Development (5)