Phillis Wheatley, ca. 1773

The concentration in African American and Diaspora Studies requires 36 hours of course work. Approved courses taken at Fisk University may be counted as electives in the program of study. The course of study in the African American and Diaspora Studies Program is divided into three areas: Area of Study I, Literature, Theory, and Visual Culture; Area of Study II, Gender and Sexuality; and Area of Study III, Social Sciences.

Program of Concentration in African American and Diaspora Studies
Requirements for the major include at least 36 hours of credit as follows:

1. 3 hours of credit from AADS 101, Introduction to African American and Diaspora Studies.

2. 6 hours of credit from Area of Study I, Literature, Theory, and Visual Culture.

3. 6 hours of credit from Area of Study II, Gender and Sexuality.

4. 6 hours of credit from Area of Study III, Social Sciences.

5. 9 hours of credit from Electives.

6. 3 hours of credit from AADS 270, Research Methods.  Majors must take this course before their fourth year of study but not before the second semester of their sophomore year.

7. 3 hours of credit in AADS 299, Senior Thesis.

At least 6 hours of the concentration must focus on the Americas (outside of the United States) and/or Africa. No more than nine hours of course work can be taken at the 100 level (excluding AADS 101).

Honors Program in African American and Diaspora Studies

Requirements for the Honors major include a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.3 in African American and Diaspora Studies and 33 hours of the regular major and an additional 3 hours of credit in AADS 298, Senior Honors Thesis. Students pursuing the Senior Honors Thesis may apply to the program for nominal funding to assist with research projects. The thesis must be approved by a committee of two faculty members (one of whom must be affiliated with the African American and Diaspora Studies Program).  Students must also complete a public presentation of their thesis research/findings from the Senior Honors Thesis.

Minor in African American and Diaspora Studies

Requirements for completion of the minor include at least 21 hours of credit as follows:

1. 3 hours of credit in AADS 101, Introduction to African American and Diaspora Studies.

2. 3 hours of credit from Area of Study I, Literature, Theory, and Visual Culture.

3. 3 hours of credit from Area of Study II, Gender and Sexuality.

4. 3 hours of credit from Area of Study III, Social Sciences.

5. 9 hours of credit from Electives.

At least 6 hours of the minor must focus on the Americas (outside of the United States) and/or Africa, and no more than 6 credit hours of the minor can be taken at the 100 level (excluding AADS 101).

Minors are also encouraged to take AADS 270, Research Methods, which counts as a course from Area of Study III, Social Sciences, but not before the second semester of the sophomore year.

Areas of Study and Electives

Courses with an asterisk in the lists below fulfill the Africa and Americas outside of the United States portion of the major and minor. Approved courses offered at Fisk may count towards elective requirements.

Area of Study I, Literature, Theory, and Visual Culture

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND DIASPORA STUDIES: 110, Race Matters; 150, Reel to Real: Film Aesthetics and Representation*; 202, Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem in Black Detective Fiction; 230, Race, Mixed Race, and “Passing”; 240, Slavery and Public Memory*

Area of Study II, Gender and Sexuality

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND DIASPORA STUDIES: 120, Diaspora Feminisms*; 200, Popular Culture and Black Sexual Politics; 210, Black Masculinity: Social Imagery and Public Policy; 221, History and Myth: Black Women in the United States; 260. Black Diaspora Women Writers*.

Area of Study III, Social Sciences

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND DIASPORA STUDIES: 102, Making of the African Diaspora*; 140, Roots, Rasta, Rumba*; 145, Atlantic African Slave Trade*; 155, African American Migration, 1800–Present; 201, African American Family History; 203, Race Wars: Civil Conflicts, Revolutions and Revolts*; 215, Black Issues in Education.236 African Spirits in Exile: Diaspora Religions in the Americas*

Other Electives

Any course from the above three areas may serve as an elective if it is not already being used to satisfy an Area requirement. Please consult the director of undergraduate studies for periodic updates about electives including courses that can be taken at Fisk as electives for AADS.

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND DIASPORA STUDIES: 115F, First Year Writing Seminar.

ANTHROPOLOGY: 210, Peoples and Cultures of Latin America*; 266, Gender and Cultural Politics*.

CLASSICAL STUDIES: 238, The Amarna Age*.

ECONOMICS: 226, Economic History of the United States.

ENGLISH: 246, Feminist Theory; 263, African American Literature; 271, Caribbean Literature*; 275, Latino American Literature; 276, Anglophone African Literature*.

FRENCH AND ITALIAN: 222, Introduction to Francophone Literature*; 239, The African Novel*.

HISTORY: 127, Sub-Saharan Africa 1400–1800*; 128, Africa since 1800*; 141, U.S. 1877–1945: Reconstruction through WWII; 143–144, African American History to and since Reconstruction; 181, Twentieth-Century African American Religious History; 184–185, Women and Gender in the U.S. to and from 1865; 243, The English Atlantic World, 1500–1688*; 244, Rise of the Iberian Atlantic Empires, 1492–1700; 245, Decline of the Iberian Atlantic Empires, 1700–1820; 249, Brazilian Civilization*; 257, Caribbean History 1492–1983*; 262–263, The Old South and The New South; 269, The Civil Rights Movement; 284b, Health and African American Experience; 288b Poverty, Economy, Society in Africa; 295, Undergraduate Seminar: Race and Politics in the Modern World.
HISTORY OF ART: 217, Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt*

LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES: 260, Latin America, Latinos, and the United States*.

MUSIC: 148, Survey of Jazz; 149, American Popular Music; 151, The Blues; 171, African Music*; 160, World Music*; 261, Music, Identity, and Diversity.

POLITICAL SCIENCE: 234, Women, Politics, and the Development of the Third World*.

PSYCHOLOGY: 217, Psychology of Women.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES: 107, Introduction of African American Religious Traditions; 114, Introduction to African American Philosophies of Religion; 205, The Black Church in America; 219, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Social Roles of Religion.

SOCIOLOGY: 226, Gender, Race, and Class; 239, Women, Gender, and Globalization; 242, Urban Community; 248, Popular Culture Dynamics; 250, Gender in Society; 251, Women and Public Policy in America; 255, Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the United States; 257, Gender, Sexuality, and the Body; 258, The South in American Culture; 268, Race, Gender, Health; 275, African Society*; 276, Contemporary Africa*; 277, Contemporary Latin America*.

SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE: 243, Latino Immigration Experience*; 244, Afro-Hispanic Literature*.

WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES: 150, Sex and Gender in Everyday Life; 240, Introduction to Women’s Health; 250, Contemporary Women’s Movements.