African American Studies Minor

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(Course numbers in parentheses are those used prior to 2007.)

The Minor in African American Studies is designed to underscore the contributions of people of African descent to, and their roles in, American history and to emphasize the importance of diversity to the Corps of Cadets. Through broad interdisciplinary study, the program aims to highlight an appreciation for the significant ways race, gender, and ethnicity have combined to shape our cultural heritage while promoting the values of excellence in teaching, research, and community service. It further aims:

To improve student’s knowledge of the African-American experience.
To cultivate students’ ability to think critically, to express themselves effectively, and to respect cultural and gender diversity.
To encourage faculty to share their expertise with the community and to maintain a community service component which promotes special classes, symposia, forums; the result will be a contribution to the intellectual, cultural, and ethical growth of The Citadel and the community.

Administration: The minor in African American Studies is supervised by a Steering Committee that consists of one representative from each of the constituent departments within the minor. Each department will choose its representative on the Steering Committee. In consultation with the committee, the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences will appoint one of its members to serve as overall Director of the Minor. The Director and the Steering Committee will meet at least once each semester (fall and spring) to plan activities related to, and set appropriate policies for, the minor. The Director will have primary responsibility for administering those activities and policies, will serve a term of three years, and may be renewed by the Dean for an additional term with the advice and consent of the Steering Committee. Directors will submit annual reports on the minor to the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Structure of the Minor:

The minor will consist of 5 courses (15 credit hours). One of the courses is required of all minors. The other four must be taken in at least two different departments from a list of approved electives. Nine of the total fifteen hours must be completed through courses taken at The Citadel.

Required Course:

All minors must satisfactorily complete the following course.

AFAM 205 - Introduction to African American Studies Credit Hours: 3

Elective Group A:

All minors must also satisfactorily complete at least two of the following Group A courses (a minimum total of six credit hours).

ENGL 349 - African American Literature
HIST 310 - African American History to 1865 Credit Hours: 3
HIST 311 - African American History since 1865 Credit Hours: 3
HIST 312 - The Modern Civil Rights Movement Credit Hours: 3
OTHER - Any Independent Study, Senior Research Project, Internship, or special topics course whose primary focus is the African-American experience and which is approved by the Director of the Program.

Elective Group B:

All minors may take, and count toward the minor, up to two (a maximum total of six credit hours) of the following Group B courses.

ANTH 202 - Cultural Anthropology Credit Hours: 3
ENGL 340 - Southern Literature to 1900 Credit Hours: 3
ENGL 348 - Twentieth Century Southern Literature Credit Hours: 3
HIST 316 - The Old South Credit Hours: 3
HIST 317 - The New South Credit Hours: 3
PSCI 307 - Southern Politics Credit Hours: 3
PSCI 341 - African Affairs Credit Hours: 3
PSCI 462 - Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties Credit Hours: 3
PSYC 305 - Social Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SOCI 304 - Minority Group Relations Credit Hours: 3

Projected Course of Study:

Students interested in earning the minor will be instructed to file a declaration of intent with the director of the program by the end of the first semester of the junior year. This declaration will outline the projected course of study and will be approved by the director. In addition to approving this projected course of study, the director will assume responsibility for publicizing the program and for monitoring each student’s progress toward fulfilling the requirements of the minor; in this latter capacity, the director will be responsible for verifying that the student has met the requirements of the minor and for notifying the Records Office to that effect.

Total Credit Hours Required

15, at least 9 of which must be completed at The Citadel.