School of Interdisciplinary Studies

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African American Studies Courses

Listed below are the courses in African American Studies (AAS) taught within SIS.

There are many additional courses across the College of Liberal Arts that contribute to the African American Studies plan of study.

  • Fall 2026
    • AAS 271- Intro to African American Studies
    • AAS 371- Black Sprt & Machine:AI-Assist
    • AAS 371- Leisure & Recreation
    • AAS 373- The Black Community
    • AAS 373- Black Foodways Interpreting America
    • AAS 590- Directed Readings Of AfAm
  • Spring 2026
    • AAS 271- Intro to African American Studies
    • AAS 359 - Black Women Writers
    • AAS 371- African American Art: History, Theory, and Practice
    • AAS 371- Black Politics
    • AAS 373- History of Injustice in America
    • AAS 473- Blacks in Hollywood Films
  • Fall 2025
    • AAS 27100- Introduction To African American Studies                 
    • AAS 27700- African American Popular Culture                   
    • AAS 37100F- Afro Asia Foodways                       
    • AAS 37300- Philosophy And Culture                 
    • AAS 37300NA- North African Literature & Culture                   
    • AAS 37500- The Black Family                
    • AAS 49100CF- Contemporary Issues Through The Lens of Hip Hop                           
    • AAS 57400- Research Methods AfAm Studies

  • AAS 27100 - Introduction to African American Studies 
    • Introduction to the philosophical and methodological principles underlying Afro-American studies. Dimensions of the black experience, including history, education, politics, psychology, economics, religion, social organization, and art, will be covered, and the requisite academic tools and sources will be examined. 
  • AAS 277 -  African American Popular Culture
    • This course focuses on the production of popular culture through African-based and non African-based traditions among African Americans in the United States. Pop culture forms covered include film, theatre, visual arts, literature, dance, sports, music and religious traditions. 
  • AAS 35900 - Black Women Writers
    • This course introduces students to the rich and varied literary texts produced by black women writers. Literary analysis, along with a consideration of historical, cultural, gender, and racial contexts will be emphasized. 
  • AAS 37000 - Black Women Rising
    • This course examines the rise of black women and their impact on economic, social, and cultural issues. 
  • AAS 37100 - The African American Experience
    • Focus on specific topics of the personal experiences of blacks, in Africa and the diaspora, including black identity, black culture, and the relationships between blacks and society.  
  • AAS 37300 - Issues In African American Studies
    • Focuses on a specific topic that relates to selected issues in the life, history, and culture of peoples of African ancestry. 
  • AAS 37500 - The Black Family
    • This course considers and examines the black family as a social institution, focusing on both recent research as well as more descriptive accounts of issues concerning the black family. 
  • AAS 37600 - The Black Male
    • This course examines critically the factors contributing to the deteriorating status of African American males and the positive ways of coping with that experience. Includes an overview of research perspectives defining current knowledge on the subject. 
  • AAS 39200 - Caribbean History And Culture
    • This course introduces students to the rich and varied literary texts produced by black women writers. Literary analysis, along with a consideration of historical, cultural, gender, and racial contexts will be emphasized. 
  • AAS 47300 - Blacks In Hollywood Film
    • A history of the representation of blacks in mainstream film throughout the twentieth century. 
  • AAS 47400 - Research Methods In African American Studies
    • This course covers research techniques used by researchers to observe and to interpret scholarly investigation on race, class and gender from an African-American perspective. 
  • AAS 49000 - Directed Readings In African American Studies
    • This course allows students to create an independent course of study with an instructor on a topic relevant to the African, African American, or African Diasporic experience. 
  • AAS 49100 - Special Topics In African American Studies
    • Special Topics in African American Studies addresses special topics or projects under the direction of the instructor in the field of African American or African Diasporic Studies. The course may vary from 1-4 credit hours. It may be taught as a lecture or as a lecture with a lab. 
  • AAS 57400 - Research Methods In African American Studies
    • This course covers techniques used by researchers and to interpret scholarly investigation on race, class and gender from an African American perspective. 
  • AAS 57500 - Theories Of African American Studies
    • This course addresses the development of an African American intellectual tradition. The course will span disciplines and swathes of time in order to understand how scholars not only created new ideas but developed theories that shaped and changed academic inquiry. 
  • AAS 59000 - Directed Readings In African American Studies
    • This directed readings course allows students to work with African American Studies faculty on work that cannot be achieved through one of the regular course offerings. This is a variable topics course that can be satisfied through individual course work with an instructor. A student wishing to earn such credit is required to obtain permission of the instructor in order to enroll for the course. This does not include work for thesis or dissertation projects. Permission of instructor required.