African Studies Minor
Department website: http://www.wesleyan.edu/africanstudies/
Minor Description
The African Studies Minor enables students to develop a deeper understanding and engagement with Africa and its contemporary issues in addition to its great historical, cultural, political, and artistic importance to American society and the world. Students take an African History survey course plus at least four courses from across the Wesleyan curriculum: areas of study include art history, dance, economics, English, feminist gender & sexuality studies (FGSS), history, government, music, and Romance languages & literature. Students are also encouraged—but not required— to pursue the study of an African language and to study abroad in Africa.
Minor Requirements
The African studies minor allows students to create a coherent course of study by taking at least 5 courses that offer breadth and depth in the study of the continent. It enables them to develop an understanding of African history, contemporary issues facing the continent, and the creative and intellectual contribution of Africans. The minor consists of a minimum of 5 courses.
Although there is no overall GPA requirement to stay in the minor, a grade of B or higher is required to receive minor credit for a course.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least one African History survey course: | 1 | |
| Modern Africa | ||
| Empires, Slavery, and Revolution: Africa to 1800 | ||
| Four additional African Studies courses from History, the Social Sciences, Humanities, or African Diaspora, with the following conditions: | 4 | |
-No more than 3 total History courses may count. | ||
-No more than 2 MUSC and/or DANC may count. | ||
-No more than 1 African Diaspora class may count | ||
-No more than 1 100-level course may count. | ||
African History (See WesMaps for a complete list) | ||
| Modern Africa | ||
| Empires, Slavery, and Revolution: Africa to 1800 | ||
| Queen Mothers, Unruly Women: Histories of Gender and Sexuality in Africa | ||
| Development in Question: Conservation in Africa | ||
| Reproductive Politics and the Family in Africa | ||
| Social History of Islam in Africa | ||
| Body Histories in Africa | ||
Social Studies (See WesMaps for a complete list) | ||
| The Economics of Developing Countries | ||
| Political Theory and Transitional Justice | ||
Humanities (See WesMaps for a complete list) | ||
| West African Dance I (and subsequent sections of West African Dance II and III; Two dance courses must be taken to fulfill the one credit requirement) | ||
| Writing About Places: Africa | ||
| The African Novel I: Nervous Conditions | ||
| The African Novel II: After Achebe | ||
| French and Francophone Theater in Performance | ||
| Jungle and Desert in Francophone African Literature | ||
| Global Hip-Hop | ||
| West African Music and Culture: Beginners | ||
| Orientalism: Spain and Africa | ||
| African Diaspora | ||
| African American History, 1444-1877 | ||
| 20th-Century Franco-Caribbean Literature and the Search for Identity | ||
| All Ah We: Contemporary Afro-Caribbean Drama & Performance | ||
| Literature of the Harlem Renaissance | ||
| Black Global Cities | ||
| Interpreting the "New World": France and the Early Modern Americas | ||
| Students are encouraged, but not required to study Arabic, French, Portuguese, or to pursue study of an African language through the Self-Instructional Program (SILP). Students who complete 1 credit of coursework through SILP may count their language instruction as 1 credit out of the total 5 credits. | ||
| Students are encouraged to study abroad in Africa, and they may count 1 course taken abroad to fulfill one of the additional history, social sciences, or humanities course requirements. The study abroad course must focus on the study of Africa, or an African region. | ||
Additional Information
Students may also create their own University Major centered on the study of Africa:
Further Research, Language, and Study Abroad Opportunities
Research
Besides participating in a variety of study abroad programs throughout the year, Wesleyan students often undertake their own original research in Africa as part of completing senior honors theses for their respective departments.
Language
Students who wish to study an African language are encouraged to submit a petition through the Language Resource Center and the Self-Instructional Language Program (SILP).
Study Abroad
Information on current programs may be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad, and should be discussed with a member of the African studies faculty cluster.