Minor in African Studies

This interdisciplinary minor connects studies of all African regions (North, West, Central, East, South)—their languages, their cultures, and their peoples, both concurrently in their national and international relationships as well as longitudinally over the course of history.

The African Studies minor is offered jointly by the Schools of Economics; Literature, Media, and Communication; Modern Languages; Public Policy and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.

Through the interdisciplinary study of economics, politics (domestic and international), public policy, literature, media, languages and area studies of these regions and populations, students engage in comparative study of societies, values, and local/global issues.

This minor is designed for undergraduates who will enter a wide range of careers that can lead directly or indirectly to interactions with the people, the social organizations and businesses, and governments of Africa, both abroad and in the U.S. 

Students wishing to pursue this minor should declare the minor by filling out the minor change form with the Student Advisor in Modern Languages.

Minor Program of Study & Guidelines

Modern Language Minor Information

General minor guidelines:

  • A maximum of six credit hours of Special Topics (with more than 50% on Africa & African diasporas) is allowed.
  • All courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis and a grade of C or better must be received in each course.
  • No more than six credit hours of coursework can be completed at another university, and the African Studies minor advisor or the ADUS or DUS in Modern Languages must approve this.
  • It is the major advisor’s responsibility to verify that students are using only courses from the designated block(s) from the student’s major field of study that are allowed to satisfy a minor program, that they are not using any Core Area A-E courses (including humanities and social sciences), and that they are not using any courses for more than one minor or certificate. Any free elective course used to satisfy the course requirements of the student’s major degree program may also be used to satisfy the course requirements for a minor.
  • Study Abroad and Internship Courses may be approved by the African Studies minor advisor or the ADUS or DUS in Modern Languages if they take place in Africa and/or include topics related to Africa and its diasporas. A community internship in Atlanta or elsewhere is also a fine option when related to African-American or African diaspora issues and topics.
  • There are no prerequisites for ML courses (placement tests and other tools are used instead).

Requirements

Required Course
ARBC/FREN/PORT/SWAH/WOLO 3420Introduction to Africa3
Electives12
Total Credit Hours15
A-course list
Courses in Foreign Languages (minimum of 6 credits in the same language; maximum of 12 credits across one or two languages). Reminder: only six credits of 1000/2000-level coursework can count toward the African Studies minor.
Arabic 1
ARBC 1001Elementary Arabic I4
ARBC 1002Elementary Arabic II4
ARBC 2001Intermediate Arabic I3
ARBC 2002Intermediate Arabic II3
ARBC 3001Advanced Arabic I3
ARBC 3002Advanced Arabic II3
ARBC 3005Contemporary Arab Culture3
ARBC 3691Intensive Advanced Arabic3
ARBC 3692Arabic for Business and Technology I3
ARBC 3693Arabic for Business and Technology II3
ARBC 4694Internship Assistantship1-21
ARBC 4695Arabic Internship1-3
ARBC 4698Research Assistantship1-12
ARBC 4699Undergraduate Research1-12
ARBC 4813Special Topics3
ARBC 4823Special Topics3
ARBC 4833Special Topics3
ARBC 4901Special Problems1-21
ARBC 4902Special Problems1-21
French 2
FREN 1001Elementary French I3
FREN 1002Elementary French II3
FREN 2001Patterns of French Culture I3
FREN 2002Patterns of French Culture II3
FREN 4064Sustainability & Development in the Francophone World3
FREN 4101Literature of the Francophone World I3
FREN 4102Literature of the Francophone World II3
FREN 4103Francophone Africa3
FREN 4105Francophone Cinema3
FREN 4107The African Diasporas in France3
Portuguese 3
PORT 1001Elementary Portuguese I3
PORT 1002Elementary Portuguese II3
PORT 1501Heritage Portuguese I3
PORT 2001Intermediate Portuguese I3
PORT 2002Intermediate Portuguese II3
PORT 2501Heritage Portuguese II3
Swahili 4
SWAH 1001Elementary Swahili I4
SWAH 1002Elementary Swahili II4
SWAH 1501Heritage Swahili I4
SWAH 2001Intrmediate Swahili I3
SWAH 2002Intermediate Swahili II3
SWAH 2501Heritage Swahili II3
Wolof 5
WOLO 1001Elementary Wolof I3
WOLO 1002Elementary Wolof II3
WOLO 2001Intermediate Wolof I3
WOLO 2002Intermediate Wolof II3
B.1 Course List 1
Courses in English related to African, African-American and other African diasporas studies and issues (Up to six credits from B.1)
ARBC 1501Understanding Arab Culture3
ARBC 2301Arabic Arts, Science and Technology Through History3
ARBC 3501Men-Women In Islam3
INTA 3240Government and Politics of Africa3
LMC 3208African American Literature and Culture3
ML 2500Think Globally, Act Locally: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Studies3
PUBP 3214African American Politics3
B.2 Course List 1
Courses in English Related to Topics and Skills essential to understanding Africa and working in Africa (Up to three credits from B.2)
ECON 4350International Economics3
ECON 4411Economic Development3
ECON 4415Conflict and Security in Developing Countries3
INTA 2050Intro to Global Development3
INTA 3303Political Economy of Development3
INTA 4241Democracy in the Global South3
LMC 3210Ethnicity in American Culture3
LMC 3214Science Fiction3
LMC 3257
3257R
Global Cinema
and LMC 3257 Recitation
3
LMC 3306Science, Technology, and Race3
PUBP 3520Globalization and Public Policy3