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Morris Campus

African and Black American Studies Minor

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Academic Affairs
  • Program Type: Undergraduate free-standing minor
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2024
  • Required credits in this minor: 20
This is an interdisciplinary major under the authority of the vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean. The program is administered by the African and Black Studies program coordinator. In the African and Black American studies (ABAS) minor, students explore the histories, arts, cultures, and literatures of people of African descent in the United States, Africa, and throughout the African diaspora. This minor enables students of all racial and ethnic identities to study issues pertinent to Africa and the African diaspora while integrating their understanding of those issues into the broader context of world histories and cultures. The ABAS minor offers an interdisciplinary and inter-divisional curriculum that invites students to explore a variety of intellectual approaches and to make methodological and thematic connections and comparisons among multiple fields. Upon completion of the African and Black American Studies minor, students will be able to: *Identify, define and analyze a range of Black or African models of thought, being, experience across the United States, Africa, and/or the African Diaspora. *Describe and analyze the manifestations and consequences of racism and colonialism in the past and present, which have shaped the lives of people, regardless of racial, ethnic, and national background. *Use theories of Black subjectivity to illuminate experiences in the world.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Minor Requirements
Courses for the minor may not be taken S/N unless offered S/N only. No grades below C- are allowed. A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required in the minor to graduate. The GPA includes all, and only, University of Minnesota coursework. Grades of "F" are included in GPA calculation until they are replaced.
Minor Requirements
Students must take a minimum of 20 credits in at least two different disciplines. Students can take a maximum of 8 credits at the 1xxx level.
Black or African Models of Thought, Being, and Experience
Students take a minimum of 4 credits in courses teaching them to identify, define and analyze a range of Black or African models of thought, being, and experience, across the United States, Africa, and/or the African Diaspora.
Take 4 or more credit(s) from the following:
· FREN 1311 - Sub-Saharan Francophone Cinema [IP] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 1112 - Introduction to African History to 1880 [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 1823 - The American 1960s [IC] (2.0 cr)
· HIST 1824 -  Black Morris [IC] (4.0 cr)
· MUS 1043 - American Jazz Styles [FA] (4.0 cr)
Manifestations and Consequences of Racism and Colonialism
Students take a minimum of 4 credits in courses asking them to describe and analyze the manifestations and consequences of racism and colonialism in the past and present, which have shaped the lives of people, regardless of racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds.
Take 4 or more credit(s) from the following:
· ENGL 2041 - Introduction to African American Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· FREN 3004 - Francophone Studies: Civilization and Composition: Colonialism and Francophone Worlds [HIST] (2.0 cr)
· HIST 1113 - Introduction to African History since 1880 [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 1822 - Age of Atlantic Revolutions [IC] (2.0 cr)
· HIST 2312 - History of South Africa to 1976 [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 2313 - History of South Africa since 1910 [IP] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 2608 - History of Cuba: From Colony to Revolutionary State [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 2609 - History of Brazil: From Sugar to Sugar Cars [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3356 - Civil Rights Era, 1954-1974 [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
· POL 2234 - Race, Class and Power: Social Movements in U.S. Politics [HDIV] (2.0 cr)
· POL 2235 - Race, Class and Power: Interest Groups in U.S. Politics [HDIV] (2.0 cr)
· SPAN 3685 - Seminar: Slavery and Abolition in Cuban Literature and Culture [IP] (4.0 cr)
Theories of Black Subjectivity
Students take a minimum of 4 credits in courses challenging them to use theories of Black subjectivity to illuminate experiences in the world.
Take 4 or more credit(s) from the following:
· ENGL 3331 - African American Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3332 - African American Women Writers [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3522 - Harlem Renaissance [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· FREN 3603 - Francophone Studies: Witches, Wilderness, and Words in African Folktales (4.0 cr)
· FREN 3605 - Francophone Studies: Maghrebian Cinema (4.0 cr)
· FREN 3606 - Francophone Studies: Sub-Saharan Francophone Cinema (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3021 - Gender and Sexuality in African History [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3304 - Race, Class, and Gender in American History [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· MUS 3305 - West African Styles in African American Music [FA] (2.0 cr)
· PSY 3542 - Multicultural Psychology [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· SPAN 3687 - Seminar: Afro-Hispanic Literature and Culture [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
Electives
Students will complete additional elective credits in courses with some African or Black American content to reach 20 credits, as a minimum, in the minor. Elective courses can be selected from the courses listed above in the core requirements (exclusive of those used to meet the requirements) or the following:
Take at most 4 credit(s) from the following:
· ENGL 1403W - Sports Literature and Writing [ART/P] (4.0 cr)
· GWSS 1101 - Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 1111 - Introduction to World History [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 1301 - Introduction to U.S. History [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· MUS 1049 - Introduction to American Popular Music [HUM] (4.0 cr)
· Take 0 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
· ARTH 2107 - Global Modernisms: Modern Art in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Beyond [FA] (2.0-4.0 cr)
· ARTH 3221 - Global Contemporary Art, 1945 to the Present [FA] (4.0 cr)
· ARTH 3231 - History of Photography [FA] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3175 - Social Justice Biofiction [HUM] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 3301 - U.S. Multicultural Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· ENGL 4017 - Research Seminar: Tricksters-Conjurers in American Indian and African American Literature [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3355 - United States in Transition, 1877-1920 [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3358 - Civil War and Reconstruction [HIST] (4.0 cr)
· HIST 3614 - Race and Ethnicity in Latin America [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· MUS 2406 - Jazz Style and Repertoire [FA] (2.0 cr)
· SOC 3121 - Sociology of Gender and Sexuality [HDIV] (4.0 cr)
· SOC 3141 - Sociology of Deviance [E/CR] (4.0 cr)
 
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FREN 1311 - Sub-Saharan Francophone Cinema (IP)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Introduction to the history of cinema in French-speaking West Africa. Students learn to read African films, to recognize and analyze political themes in the films, and to become sensitive to issues facing many African nations in the postcolonial world. All films have English subtitles. Taught in English. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement for the French major. [Note: does not count toward the Fren minor]
HIST 1112 - Introduction to African History to 1880 (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Exploration of Africa's incredible human and environmental diversity from the earliest times to European contact. Special attention to how historians of Africa interpret non-written sources to understand the past.
HIST 1823 - The American 1960s (IC)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
As the 1960s recede into the past, they retain a certain aura unlike many other American historical eras. This seminar considers such topics as Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, the Women's Movement, that elusive concept, "the personal is the political," and the decade's legacy. prereq: new college student in their first semester of enrollment at UMM
HIST 1824 - Black Morris (IC)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Introduction to the local and global character of the African Diaspora. Exploration of the Black presence on lands first occupied by Anishinaabe and Dakota people and the analytical problems settler colonialism poses for collective memory. Course culminates with a collaborative, community-engaged public history project. prereq: new college student in their first semester of enrollment at UMM
MUS 1043 - American Jazz Styles (FA)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Development and analysis of the New Orleans dixieland, ragtime, stride, boogie-woogie, Chicago dixieland, swing, bop, cool, funky, progressive, third-stream, free form, and fusion jazz styles. Introductory course to help non-music majors become familiar with and appreciate this art form.
ENGL 2041 - Introduction to African American Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Introduction to issues and themes in African American literature and culture, with emphasis on historical and cultural context. prereq: 1601 or 2109 or equiv or declared English major
FREN 3004 - Francophone Studies: Civilization and Composition: Colonialism and Francophone Worlds (HIST)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
A study of the history of French colonialism and of the development of la Francophonie as an association of French-speaking countries outside of France. An introductory exploration into the cultures, literatures, and current events of multiple francophone countries and regions throughout the world. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement in French major. prereq: 2002 or instr consent
HIST 1113 - Introduction to African History since 1880 (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Consideration of Africa's past from the colonial era to the present. Special attention to the challenges Africans faced living under Europe's grip as well as their courage to build independent African nations.
HIST 1822 - Age of Atlantic Revolutions (IC)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Explore the revolutions that swept across the Atlantic World from the mid-18th to mid-19th century, with a particular emphasis on U.S. independence, the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and Latin American independence movements. In addressing the causes of these revolutions, their processes, outcomes, connections, differences, and larger impacts, students deepen their understanding of notions of freedom, equality, human rights, and revolution. prereq: new student in their first semester of enrollment at UMM
HIST 2312 - History of South Africa to 1976 (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Exploration of South Africa's settler colonial history from European contact to youth resistance against white supremacy. Special attention to examining the history of structural racism in a global perspective.
HIST 2313 - History of South Africa since 1910 (IP)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Consideration of apartheid South Africa's roots and the multiracial country's struggle to reconcile its colonial past. Special attention to 20th-century black and non-racial political thought from a global perspective.
HIST 2608 - History of Cuba: From Colony to Revolutionary State (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
A survey of the history of Cuba from Spanish colonization to the present, with emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include colonization, slavery, imperialism, nationalism, and the Cuban Revolution.
HIST 2609 - History of Brazil: From Sugar to Sugar Cars (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Examination of Brazilian history from Portuguese colonization in the early 1500s to its current status as a growing world economic power. Topics include Portuguese colonial rule, independence and the creation of the Brazilian Empire in the nineteenth century, the end of the Brazilian monarchy and the emergence of the oligarchic republic, the rise of the populist state in the mid-twentieth century, military dictatorship during the Cold War, and the return to democracy and Brazil's rise to world-power status. Additional topics include the Amazon and environmental history, indigenous history, Afro-Brazilian history, the U.S.-Brazilian relationship from a historical perspective, Brazilian economic development, how Brazilians are coping with the socioeconomic changes in their society, and how they perceive their role in the world.
HIST 3356 - Civil Rights Era, 1954-1974 (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Background of the Civil Rights movement, emergence of the theory and practice of nonviolence, various Civil Rights groups, role of women, legislative and other accomplishments of the movement, its aftermath and influence.
POL 2234 - Race, Class and Power: Social Movements in U.S. Politics (HDIV)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Course Equivalencies: Pol 2234/Pol 3234
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Using a case study approach, this half-semester course examines a variety of social movements from across U.S. history. Addresses questions such as why social movements arise, how they succeed or fail, and how the American political system adapts to their influence.
POL 2235 - Race, Class and Power: Interest Groups in U.S. Politics (HDIV)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Course Equivalencies: Pol 2235/Pol 3234
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
A half-semester course focusing on the growth and importance of interest groups in U.S. politics by looking at different types of interest groups, the tactics they use to try to influence the political system, how successful they are at doing so, and whether this system works for the public good.
SPAN 3685 - Seminar: Slavery and Abolition in Cuban Literature and Culture (IP)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
A study of the major texts surrounding Cuban slavery from the 1812 Aponte slave rebellion to independence from Spain in 1898. How did 19th-century writers depict Cuban slave society? What was the relationship between literature, abolition, and independence? prereq: 3012, 3112, or instr consent
ENGL 3331 - African American Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Study of African American literature. Particular attention given to issues of gender, class, power, "passing," and the racialized body. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212
ENGL 3332 - African American Women Writers (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
If African Americans struggled to achieve equality and recognition in the racist United States, the situation was even more difficult for African American women, who had to contend with the sexism in both the white and black communities. This course examines the writings of prominent African American women. prereq: 1601 or 2109 or equiv or instr consent
ENGL 3522 - Harlem Renaissance (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
During the 1920s, there was a major aesthetic outpouring in the African American community. Listen to jazz, examine African American artwork, and read poetry, short stories, novels and essays from Harlem Renaissance writers. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212
FREN 3603 - Francophone Studies: Witches, Wilderness, and Words in African Folktales
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Study of the oral tale in African cultures and how these texts encapsulate cultural knowledge of identity, community, and spirituality. Examination of the supernatural and ancestral spiritual worlds, with a special emphasis on the magical power of words and their ability to create, transform, and destroy. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement in French major. prereq: (or coreq) 3011 or instr consent
FREN 3605 - Francophone Studies: Maghrebian Cinema
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
A study of Algerian, Tunisian, and Moroccan history and culture as presented through the art of cinema. Examination of films produced in the francophone Maghreb thematically, focusing on topics such as colonialism, gender, Islam, childhood, and immigration. An important goal is to learn to analyze and discuss film academically. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement in French major. prereq: (or coreq) 3011 or instr consent
FREN 3606 - Francophone Studies: Sub-Saharan Francophone Cinema
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Introduction to the history of cinema in French-speaking West Africa. Students learn to read African films, to recognize and analyze political themes in the films, and to become sensitive to issues facing many African nations in the postcolonial world. Meets Francophone Studies (FRS) requirement in French major. prereq: (or coreq) 3011 or instr consent
HIST 3021 - Gender and Sexuality in African History (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Examination and discussion of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial African history through the debates and trends in and between Western feminism, U.S. women of color feminism, Third World feminism, LGBT studies, queer theory, and the emerging interdisciplinary field of African queer studies. Also suitable for students interested in understanding past and present issues of gender and sexuality in Africa through the theories and conditions that animate black queer studies and the black queer diaspora. prereq: 1111 or 1112 or 1113 or Anth 1111 or GWSS 1101 or instr consent
HIST 3304 - Race, Class, and Gender in American History (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
The themes of race, class, and gender are explored in-depth throughout the semester. Students gain a new awareness about historiography and theories that highlight this growing subfield of American history. Prominent topics covered in lecture and readings include colonization, slavery, suffrage, immigration, sovereignty, labor, ghettoization, art, literature, culture, and the rise of self-determination. Study the intersection of race, class, and gender relations through multiple perspectives of region, ideology, political-economy, and religion.
MUS 3305 - West African Styles in African American Music (FA)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
An examination of the West African precursors to jazz and other African-American musical styles in the United States, considering both important elements of West African musics and how those elements are found in early African-American styles. prereq: ability to read music and identify basic scales and chords
PSY 3542 - Multicultural Psychology (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Psy 3541/Psy 3542
Typically offered: Every Spring
Theoretical and methodological approaches to multicultural psychology. Multicultural psychology is the systematic study of behavior, cognition, and affect settings where people of different backgrounds interact. Exploration of these interactions both within and outside of the United States. Topics may include worldviews, communication styles, acculturation, prejudice, white privilege, identity development, physical and mental health, and multicultural competencies. prereq: 1051
SPAN 3687 - Seminar: Afro-Hispanic Literature and Culture (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
An overview of the literature and culture of peoples of African descent in Spanish America from the colonial period to present day. How have Afro-Hispanics been marginalized from national projects in Spanish America? To what extent and under what circumstances has the group been included? How have Afro-Hispanic writers responded to larger culture? prereq: 3011, 3012, or instr consent
ENGL 1403W - Sports Literature and Writing (ART/P)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Introduction to sports literature and sports writing, including exploration of rhetorical modes and techniques.
GWSS 1101 - Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
This course introduces students to the concepts and impacts of gender and sexuality in everyday life. Various feminist, queer, and other gender-oriented theories are introduced as students explore how definitions of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality have been created, maintained, negotiated, and resisted.
HIST 1111 - Introduction to World History (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Hist 1101/Hist 1102/Hist 1111
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Methods, themes, and problems in the study of world history.
HIST 1301 - Introduction to U.S. History (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Methods, themes, and problems in the study of the history of the United States.
MUS 1049 - Introduction to American Popular Music (HUM)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Mus 1049/Mus 1801
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Survey of popular musical styles in America from the early 20th century to today.
ARTH 2107 - Global Modernisms: Modern Art in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Beyond (FA)
Credits: 2.0 -4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
An exploration of key examples of modern art in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. Examination of modern art in a global context, the intersection of modern art with imperialism and colonialism, and cross-cultural artistic exchanges. prereq: any 1xxx ArtH course or sophomore status or instr consent
ARTH 3221 - Global Contemporary Art, 1945 to the Present (FA)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Survey of select global artists and movements from the end of WWII to the present, considering these in their theoretical, historical, social, and artistic contexts. Particular attention is given to contemporary art's relationships to economic, cultural, and technological shifts in postwar society and to globalization, as well as issues of gender and race. prereq: any 1xxx ArtH course or jr status or instr consent
ARTH 3231 - History of Photography (FA)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Survey of global photography from the period if its invention to the present. Major photographers and tendencies are examined in the context of a variety of theoretical, technical, social, historical, and aesthetic issues. prereq: any 1xxx ArtH course or jr status or instr consent
ENGL 3175 - Social Justice Biofiction (HUM)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Biofiction is literature that names its protagonist after an actual person, and many authors use this figure to advance social justice. Students examine social justice biofiction from its inception to the present. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212
ENGL 3301 - U.S. Multicultural Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Examination of literatures by African American, American Indian, Asian American, Chicana/o, U.S. Latino/a, and other under-represented peoples. prereq: 1509, two from 1205, 1206, 1211, 1212 or instr consent
ENGL 4017 - Research Seminar: Tricksters-Conjurers in American Indian and African American Literature (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Study of tricksters and conjurers in American Indian and African American literature, in particular their ability to maintain traditional practices and subvert the dominant culture and imposed cultural norms. Special attention given to cultural and historical contexts and questions of power, identity, cultural difference, and assimilation. prereq: two from 31xx-35xx, instr consent
HIST 3355 - United States in Transition, 1877-1920 (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Topics, themes, and problems in U.S. history, 1877 to 1920.
HIST 3358 - Civil War and Reconstruction (HIST)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Origin, context, and significance of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
HIST 3614 - Race and Ethnicity in Latin America (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Explore issues of race and ethnicity in Latin America from a historical perspective. Covering the colonial and national periods, examine how ideas of race and ethnicity have intersected with political, economic, and socio-cultural developments in the region. Consider the ways in which race, class, and gender have intersected in Latin America.
MUS 2406 - Jazz Style and Repertoire (FA)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
This course addresses the stylistic component of jazz performance through study and analysis of seminal recordings throughout all eras of jazz history.
SOC 3121 - Sociology of Gender and Sexuality (HDIV)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Introduces students to the sociological study of gender and sexuality. Focuses on gender difference and gender inequality. Analyzes the changing roles, opportunities, and expectations of women and men as their societies (and subsequently, gender relations and power) undergo change in today's world. Following a theoretical overview, examines how gender and sexuality affect everyday experiences. prereq: 1101 or Anth 1111 or instr consent
SOC 3141 - Sociology of Deviance (E/CR)
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Introduces students to the sociological study of deviance. Explores the social reality of deviance within contemporary society and examines the social construction of deviant categories. Focuses on images of deviance as social constructs, rather than as intrinsic elements of human behavior. Investigates the complex relationships between individual behavior and social structure, with a focus on power, inequality, and oppression. Also, examines the socio-cultural definitions of morality and behavior. prereq: 1101 or instr consent