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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 | |
