Study of Culture and Society department web site
The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2023-2024 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
The minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies is designed to provide students with the critical tools required, and to expose them to the historical knowledge and current research necessary for an informed understanding of continental Africa and Afro-American experience today. The minor is built around a core of courses that systematically document critical aspects of the Afro-American experience from its antecedents in antiquity to the critical aspects of present day. It provides students with an interdisciplinary study of the historical and contemporary lived experiences of African descendants in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, as well as continental African nations and its peoples. The minor also is designed to effectively prepare students who desire to continue on to graduate work in African American/African Diaspora Studies.
The minor is available to students who are enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program at Drake University. It will consist of 21 credits in total. Students in the Minor will need to complete one core class, two foundational courses, three elective courses based on interest and a final capstone course.
| Course | Credits |
| Core Course | |
| AADS 072 - Introduction to African American / African Diaspora Studies | 3 |
| Foundation Courses - Select six credits from the following | |
| AADS 110 - Becoming Black | 3 |
| ENG 065 - Introduction to African American Literature | 3 |
| HIST 060 - Africa in World History | 3 |
| HIST 015 - African American History to 1877 | 3 |
| SCSS 156 - Representing Race: Life History Research | 3 |
| SCSS 167 - Sociology of the African-American Experience | 3 |
| Electives - Select nine credits from the following. Elective courses should represent a mix of History and Philosophy; Race and Ethnicity; and Social, Cultural, and Political Issues. | |
| History and Philosophy | |
| REL 120 - Black Christianity and Prophetic Politics | 3 |
| HIST 078 - Greenwich Village and Harlem | 3 |
| HIST 112 - Civil War and Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 115 - From Contact to Removal: American Indian History 1492-1840 | 3 |
| HIST 140 - Africa's Colonial Moment | 3 |
| HIST 161 - Africa, Africans, and Atlantic Slavery | 3 |
| HIST 175 - Slavery and Emancipation in the American Past and Present | 3 |
| HIST 015 - African American History to 1877 | 3 |
| REL 151 - African Philosophy | 3 |
| SCSS 125 - Making Families Public | 3 |
| Race and Ethnicity | |
| ENG 158 - South African Literature | 3 |
| ENG 164 - Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| ENG 165 - Postcolonial Literature | 3 |
| REL 118 - Race, Religion, and Civic Culture | 3 |
| SCSR 114 - Rhetorics of Race | 3 |
| SCSR 147 - Digital Cultures and New Media | 3 |
| SCSR 156 - Representing Race: Life History Research | 3 |
| Social, Cultural, and Political Issues | |
| HIST 067 - Sustainable Development in Africa | 3 |
| SCS 110 - Culture, Knowledge, Power | 3 |
| SCSA 145/WGS 145/HONR 138 - Global Reproductive Politics | 3 |
| SCSR 114 - Postcolonial Rhetorics | 3 |
| SCSR 157 - Sociology of the 60's | 3 |
| SCSR 167 - Sociology of the African-American Experience | 3 |
| SCSS 013 - Society, Culture, and African Americans | 3 |
| SCSS 076 - Inequality and Public Health | 3 |
| SCSS 146 - Restorative Justice | 3 |
| Capstone Course | |
| AADS 199 - Directed Independent Study | 3 |
| TOTAL | 21 |
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.