Africology & African American Studies

Grand Forces of Human History

The Bachelor of Arts in Africology and African American Studies exposes students to a robust and critical study, research, and service on the African world experience–including a particular focus on the life and culture of people of African descent in the Americas. The department pursues its mission by cultivating successive cadres of students imbued with community consciousness and equipped with intellectual tools for shaping the world of the present and the future, community engagement, and pertinent careers.

The multi-racial and multi-ethnic reality that is the United States and the world today has been shaped by the grand forces of human history, including science, technology, culture, entrepreneurship, environment, politics, literature, art, law, and education. Together with the overarching themes of the human experience—ideas, power, structure, and sustainability—these forces predominate as items of study within the multi-subject curriculum of AAAS.

Declare an AAAS Major or Minor

What You Will Learn

Upon successful completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Africology and African American Studies, students will be able to,

• recall and identify the nature of key centers of ancient African civilization;
• recall and identify composite knowledge of significant phases, movements, reforms, leaders, ideologies, and transformations in the African American experience, relative to the broader evolutionary path of the American sociopolitical, historical and cultural odyssey;
• determine, explain, interpret and think critically about the nature of the impact of race, gender and class on the social order;
• distinguish, appraise and apply basic skills, techniques, and knowledge related to effective functioning in a multicultural and multiracial society;
• formulate research questions, construct research papers, and reflect critically upon issues pertaining to the African-American experience;
• create and implement proposals and programs in order to tackle basic social problems.

• General Education Courses
  • AFC 101: Intro to Africology and African American Studies(US Diversity)
    AFC 102: Intro to African Civilization (Global Awareness)
    AFC 211: Black Caribbean World (Global Awareness)
    AFC 232: Politics in the African American Experience (US Diversity)
    AFC 244: Dimensions of Racism (KDSC and Global Awareness)
    AFC 302W: Writing for Africology and African American Studies (Intensive Writing)
    AFC 313: Contemporary Africa (Global Awareness)
    AFC 351: The Social Context of African American Health (KDSC)
    AFC 402L4: Internship Seminar in Africology and African American Studies (Learning Beyond the Classroom)
    All AFC General Education Courses

  Note: The following AFC courses for your major are offered once-a-year:

  • AFC 201 (fall semester)
  • AFC 301 (winter semester)
  • AFC 302W (winter semester).

Double Majoring in Africology and African American Studies and other Disciplines

As a multi-subject discipline, Africology and African American Studies lends itself to double majoring with a wide variety of other disciplines, depending upon the skillset, intellectual interests and career interests of the student. Within the limits of the 124 credit hours required for obtaining an undergraduate degree from EMU, a student has room enough to complete two areas of expertise, that is, two majors.

Double majoring enables a student to be able to validly claim two areas of expertise, which can only help, not hurt, in today's unstable job market. If you choose to double major in African American Studies and a second major, take note that you must seek and receive advising for your second major from the department that hosts that second major. For all questions pertaining to your African American Studies major, you can contact Dr. Victor Okafor, either by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 734.487.3460.

• Examples of Double Majoring Options
  • Double Major in Africology and African American Studies (33 hrs) and Psychology (32 hrs). Open and complete an online form in order to declare both Africology and African American Studies and Psychology as your double majors.
  • Double Major in Africology and African American Studies (33 hrs) and Economics (30 hrs). Open and complete an online form in order to declare both both Africology and African American Studies and Economics as your double majors.
  • Double Major in Africology and African American Studies (33 hrs) and Journalism (33 hrs). Open and complete an online form in order to declare both Africology and African American Studies and Journalism as your double majors.
  • Double Major in Africology and African American Studies (33 hrs) and Political Science (30 hrs). Open and complete an online form in order to declare both Africology and African American Studies and Political Science as your double majors.

Opportunities

Students have opportunities to engage in hands-on experiential learning through a community-based internship program that can be met through both domestic and available study abroad settings. Students also engage in professional networking through the Society of Africology–a student organization made up of majors and minors in Africology & African American Studies, as well as certificate students.

Opportunities exist for students to present research papers at local, national, and international conferences. Graduates of this major have gained employment or subsequently developed careers in teaching, social work, the law, welfare program administration, counseling, public health management, public policy analysis, the film industry, sports management, public housing management, real estate management, educational administration, and other pertinent careers.

Read about real life examples of what you can do with a degree in Africology and African American Studies.

Contribute to Liberate, Our Academic Journal

We invite you to read and contribute intellectually stimulating articles in Liberate, the academic journal of the Department of Africology and African American Studies. 

Careers & Job Market Outlook