African American Studies – Department Chair Jason Seals

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS (AA) DEGREE

To qualify for the Associate of Arts in African-American Studies degree, students must satisfactorily complete the Degree Major requirements and the local AA/AS General Education requirements. See the Associate Degrees and Certificates section of this catalog for more information on the local AA/AS overall requirements and the local AA/AS General Education requirements.

Note: Students should see a counselor at least once each semester to plan for their educational goal(s).

 

Program Learning Outcomes: 
Students who complete the degree will be able to:

  • Examine research, ideologies, issues and text from an African-Centered point of view that illuminates the uniqueness of the Black experience in a holistic and contextualized manner.
  • Recognize and apply their identity and activism from a unified understanding of the race, culture and heritage of African people.
  • Exhibit a positive self and collective awareness in their race and heritage.
  • Recognize the sources of personal attitudes and world views and deal constructively with issues that arise out of human differences. Combat and transcend the impact of over-generalizing and stereotyping.
  • Develop a perspective and behavior that incorporates African-Centered thought into all areas of life; including family, work, community commitment and social justice activities.
  • Prepare to successfully complete academic work at the university/college they transfer to.
  • Commit to the role they must play in combating oppression in the African world community. Enhance self-awareness about the power of collective action and the role of the individual in collective justice.

Degree Major Requirements:

Group 1: Family and Society
Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units
Dept/No. Title Units
AFRAM 5 The African American Family in the United States 3
AFRAM 8 African-American Politics 3-4
AFRAM 10 Sociology of African-Americans 3
AFRAM 12 Psychology of African-Americans 3
AFRAM14A Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3
AFRAM14B Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3
AFRAM16 The Prison Industrial Complex: African American Incarceration  3
AFRAM19 Racism in the United States 3
AFRAM38 Environmental Racism and Justice  3

 

Group 2: History and Economics
Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units
Dept/No. Title Units
AFRAM 4 The Black Panther Party: Strategies on Organizing the People 3
AFRAM30 African-American History: Africa to 1865 3-4
AFRAM31 African-American History: 1865-1945 3
AFRAM32 African-American History: 1945 to Present 3

 

Group 3: Family and Society
Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units
Dept/No. Title Units
AFRAM25 Classical African Civilizations 3
AFRAM27 Afro-Caribbean History, Politics, and Culture 3
AFRAM 3 Ghana: Pan African Thought and the Struggle for Africa’s Liberation 3
AFRAM18 African Heritage 3 of Latin America 3

 

Group 4: Family and Society
Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units
Dept/No. Title Units
AFRAM33 The Roots of African-American Culture 3
AFRAM39 Black World Films 3-4
AFRAM41 African-American Writers (Fiction) 3
AFRAM42 African-American Writers (Non-Fiction) 3
AFRAM43 African-American Writers (Poetry) 3
AFRAM45 Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3
Total Required Units for Degree Major: 23