Major: African American Studies
From the slave economy to the civil rights movement, and from the blues to hip-hop, African Americans have had a huge role in shaping American society and culture. If you major in African American studies, you'll learn about their achievements.
You'll also examine the hardships African Americans faced during their history. Further, you'll dive into the difficult issues, such as unequal educational opportunities, they deal with today.
Scholars in African American studies play a key role in the development of modern academics. By focusing on people and viewpoints that have been ignored in other fields, they lead they way in integrating minority experiences into all academic subjects.
Students in African American studies look at the history, politics, culture, and economics of North American people of African descent.
“I wanted to be in classes where they teach the history of struggles that have made a difference and to be around other people who are … very political.”
Ronald, senior, ethnic studies, UC Berkeley
Are You Ready To...?
- Take classes in many departments, from history to sociology to religion
- Get firsthand information by designing research studies or conducting interviews
- Participate in a field study, in which you work with people in the community on a project, such as an educational program, to improve their quality of life
- Write a thesis on a topic of your choice
It Helps to Be...
A person who likes reading, writing, and communicating and who is able to organize difficult ideas in clear and original ways. You should be equally at home doing research in the library and working with people in the community.
College Checklist
- Does the program lean more toward the humanities (with a focus on, say, philosophy or drama) or the social sciences (with a bent toward public policy or history, for example)?
- What subjects are professors researching?
- Will you be able to access professors easily and interact with them outside of class?
- Does the department sponsor a student club or activities?
- What are recent grads doing now?
Did You Know?
- As an African American studies major, you'll choose a concentration in another subject, such as film or sociology, and learn about the methods of study used in that field.
Course Spotlight
Most African American studies programs offer a number of courses in the arts, including music, literature, theater, and film. You could choose to take a survey course in literature. In such a class, you'll read important works of fiction from the 1800s to the present. You might cover such influential authors as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Toni Morrison.
Your grade will depend on your participation in class discussions and the quality and originality of papers in which you analyze the works you read.
