African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Major, B.A.

The curriculum of the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies emphasizes the histories, cultures, cultural linkages, and contemporary sociopolitical and economic realities of Africa and the African diasporas in the context of a globalizing world. The major offers a concentration in African studies and a concentration in African American and diaspora studies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the African, African American, and Diaspora studies program, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of foundational intellectual currents (historical and contemporary) in African, African American, and Diaspora studies.
  • Apply research skills by formulating a research project as outlined in the required literature, generating a research question, developing procedures for gathering research data, analyzing the data, and writing results and conclusions.
  • Present research results effectively (clear and well-argued content, appropriate for audience, professional delivery).
  • Identify and explain sources (national and global) of historical change that have shaped Africa and its diaspora
  • Draw on relevant theoretical insights and empirical data to analyze historical or contemporary issues pertaining to diverse societies in Africa, African American communities, and other African diasporic formations in Europe and Latin America

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must

  • earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
  • complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
  • take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
  • earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

Students may complete the requirements for the African studies concentration or the African American and diaspora studies concentration.

African Studies Concentration

Core Requirements
AAAD 101IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Africa3
AAAD 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to African American and Diaspora Studies3
AAAD 395IDEAs in Action General Education logo Undergraduate Research Seminar (offered fall semester only)3
AAAD 487IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intellectual Currents in African and African Diaspora Studies (offered spring semester only)3
Six additional courses apportioned in the following way: 1,218
One African American and Diaspora studies, or transnational, course chosen from AAAD 130–AAAD 184, AAAD 230–AAAD 284, AAAD 286, AAAD 287, AAAD 298, AAAD 330–AAAD 384, AAAD 385, AAAD 388, AAAD 389, AAAD 391, AAAD 392, AAAD 430–AAAD 484, AAAD 485, AAAD 488, AAAD 489, AAAD 491, AAAD 492
As many as three courses chosen from AAAD 100–AAAD 129, AAAD 200–AAAD 229, AAAD 300AAAD 329, AAAD 386, AAAD 387; LGLA 404; SWAH 404, SWAH 405, SWAH 406; WOLO 404
At least two courses chosen from AAAD 400–AAAD 429
Total Hours30
1

First-year seminars do not count toward the major.

2

Please contact the director of undergraduate studies if you have questions about this requirement.

Recommended

Three semesters of one African language (either to fulfill the global language Gen Ed requirement or in addition to it) are recommended for the concentration in African studies. The following African language courses currently are offered:

Arabic:
ARAB 101Elementary Arabic I4
ARAB 102Elementary Arabic II4
ARAB 203IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Arabic I4
ARAB 204Intermediate Arabic II4
ARAB 305Advanced Arabic I3
ARAB 306Advanced Arabic II3
Chichewa:
CHWA 401Elementary Chichewa I3
CHWA 402Elementary Chichewa II3
CHWA 403IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Chichewa I3
Lingala:
LGLA 401Elementary Lingala I3
LGLA 402IDEAs in Action General Education logo Elementary Lingala II3
LGLA 403IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Lingala III3
LGLA 404Intermediate Lingala IV3
Kiswahili:
SWAH 112Intensive Kiswahili 1-26
SWAH 234IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intensive Kiswahili 3-46
SWAH 401Elementary Kiswahili I3
SWAH 402Elementary Kiswahili II3
SWAH 403IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Kiswahili III3
SWAH 404IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Kiswahili IV3
SWAH 405IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Kiswahili V3
SWAH 406IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Plus Kiswahili VI3
Wolof:
WOLO 401Elementary Wolof I3
WOLO 402Elementary Wolof II3
WOLO 403IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intermediate Wolof III3
WOLO 404Intermediate Wolof IV3

African American and Diaspora Studies Concentration

Core Requirements
AAAD 101IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Africa3
AAAD 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to African American and Diaspora Studies3
AAAD 395IDEAs in Action General Education logo Undergraduate Research Seminar (offered fall semester only)3
AAAD 487IDEAs in Action General Education logo Intellectual Currents in African and African Diaspora Studies (offered spring semester only)3
Six additional courses apportioned in the following way: 1,218
One African studies or transnational course chosen from AAAD 100–AAAD 129, AAAD 200–AAAD 229, AAAD 288, AAAD 300AAAD 329, AAAD 386, AAAD 387, AAAD 391, AAAD 392, AAAD 400–AAAD 429, AAAD 492
As many as three courses chosen from AAAD 130–AAAD 184, AAAD 230–AAAD 284, AAAD 286, AAAD 287, AAAD 298, AAAD 330–AAAD 384, AAAD 385, AAAD 388, AAAD 389
At least two courses chosen from AAAD 430-AAAD 484, AAAD 485, AAAD 488, AAAD 491
Total Hours30
1

First-year seminars do not count toward the major.

2

Please contact the director of undergraduate studies if you have questions about this requirement.

Special Opportunities in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

Honors in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

Students with an overall grade point average of 3.3 or higher at the beginning of their senior year and who have already completed AAAD 395 are encouraged to apply for candidacy for the B.A. with honors. Students interested in undertaking honors research and the writing of a thesis should consult with the department’s honors coordinator no later than in their junior year to discuss the process of applying to the program. Approved candidates will enroll in AAAD 691H in the fall semester of their senior year. Upon completion of AAAD 691H and with the approval of the student’s thesis director and the department’s honors coordinator, students enroll in AAAD 692H in the spring semester. AAAD 691H can count as one of the five courses students must take in their concentration of study.

Departmental Involvement

The department works closely with the African Studies Center, the Center for the Study of the American South, the Institute of African American Research, and the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. These units provide UNC–Chapel Hill and wider communities with important programming on and an opportunity for the advanced study of issues concerning Africa, African America, and other parts of the African Diaspora.

Study Abroad

There are several opportunities for study abroad. The department offers a summer abroad program in Malawi. Honors Carolina offers a Burch seminar in Cape Town, South Africa, during the fall semester.

Undergraduate Research

The department encourages undergraduate research. The required seminar for majors (AAAD 395) introduces students to research skills and methods in African, African American, and Diaspora studies. The honors program (AAAD 691H and AAAD 692H) offers qualified students the opportunity to engage in a yearlong process of research and writing. The department hosts an undergraduate research symposium in the spring semester, and it also publishes a scholarly journal, the Global Africana Review, for which undergraduates may submit articles.

Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

Visit Program Website

104 Battle Hall, CB# 3395

(919) 966-5496

Chair

Claude A. Clegg III

cclegg@email.unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Kenneth Janken

krjanken@email.unc.edu