Department of Gender and Race Studies
The Department of Gender and Race Studies offers the bachelor of arts (BA) degree in African American studies and minors in African American studies and women's studies. The major and minor in African American studies are interdisciplinary and both national and transnational. They encourage students to engage in complex issues in unique ways that are often beyond the boundaries of traditional disciplines. The women's studies minor is also interdisciplinary and is designed to provide knowledge of the roles and status of women in historical and contemporary society, to conduct and encourage research and writing by and about women, and to offer skills and information for increasing employment opportunities for women.
African American Studies Major (AAST)
Office: 104 Manly Hall
as.ua.edu/grs/programs/african-american-studies-program
grs@as.ua.edu
Degree Requirements
The University of Alabama and The University of Alabama at Birmingham offer a joint degree in African American studies. Students earning the bachelor of arts (BA) degree with a major in African American studies must complete all University, college and departmental degree requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major requirements, all requirements for an approved minor and other sufficient credits to total a minimum of 120 applicable semester hours.
Admission into the Major
Students are expected to formally declare a major no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). Students can declare a major by completing the "Change of Major/Minor Application" online under the "Student" tab of myBama.
Grade Point Average
A 2.0 grade point average in the major is required for completion of the degree. Please see the Office of University Registrar explanation of grade point average calculations.
Major Courses
The major in African American studies requires the successful completion of the following 33 semester hours:
| Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| AAST 201 or | Intro African Amer Study | 3 |
| AMS 201 | Intro African Amer Study | |
| AAST 319 or | 19th Century Black History | 3 |
| HY 319 | 19th Century Black History | |
| AAST 320 or | 20th Century Black History | 3 |
| HY 320 | 20th Century Black History | |
| AAST 401 | Black Intellectual Thought | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Themes from Africa to America | ||
| Education Of Southern Blacks | ||
| Select two of the following: * | 6 | |
| African American Lives | ||
| African-American Literature | ||
| African American Art | ||
| Topics African American Lit | ||
| Communication And Diversity | ||
| African American Rhetoric | ||
| Adv Study African-Amer Lit | ||
| AAST electives or other approved electives ** | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
* Cross-listed with the following courses:
| AMS 202 | African American Lives | 3 |
| EN 249 | African American Literature | 3 |
| AMS 341 | African American Art | 3 |
| EN 350 | Topics In African American Lit | 3 |
| HY 412 | Slavery America Popular Cult | 3 |
| COM 413 | Communication & Diversity | 3 |
| COM 415 | African American Rhetoric | 3 |
| EN 488 | Adv Stdy African American Lit | 3 |
** Students may substitute the following courses when the focus and title is on African American or racial topics:
| AMS 300 | Special Topics | 3 |
| AMS 321 | African American Folk Art | 3 |
| AMS 340 | Women In The South | 3 |
| AMS 402 | Special Topics | 3 |
| AMS 405 | Directed Study | 1-3 |
| AMS 492 | American Topic Seminar | 3 |
| ARH 481 | Topics 20th Century Art | 3 |
| CJ 303 | Minorities Crim Soc Just | 3 |
| COM 395 | Special Topics | 3 |
| COM 467 | Seminar Public Address | 3 |
| COM 495 | Special Topics | 3-6 |
| EN 311 | Special Topics In Literature | 3 |
| GY 344 | Geography Of Africa | 3 |
| HY 200 | Special Studies in Hy | 1-3 |
| HY 300 | Special Studies in History | 3 |
| HY 400 | Special Studies in History | 1 |
| PSC 364 | African Amer & Polit Sys | 3 |
| REL 237 | Self Society & Religions | 3 |
| REL 480 | Seminar Religion In Cullture | 3 |
| SW 351 | Oppression & Soc Injustice | 3 |
| WS 240 | Culture Sou Blk Women | 3 |
| WS 310 | Special Topics | 3 |
Upper-level Residency
A minimum of 12 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the major must be earned on the UA or UAB campus.
Ancillary Courses
This major does not require ancillary courses.
Required Minor
This major requires the completion of a minor.
Additional Major Requirements
A minimum of 18 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the major must be completed, 9 hours of which must be at the 400 level. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, college, major and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisors are also available for additional assistance with minor, college and University requirements.
Prerequisites
Unless otherwise stated, the prerequisite for 300- and 400-level courses is junior standing or higher or permission of the instructor.
Special Opportunities
Students have the opportunity to complete internships in a variety of settings. Students should contact the program office for more information. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in a research methods course and to take advantage of study abroad opportunities.
African American Studies Minor (AAST)
Office: 104 Manly Hall
as.ua.edu/grs/programs/african-american-studies-program
grs@as.ua.edu
Admission into the Minor
Students are expected to formally declare a minor by completing the "Change of Major/Minor Application" online under the "Student" tab of myBama.
Grade Point Average
A 2.0 grade point average in the minor is required. The minor GPA is calculated based on all courses applicable to the minor that the student has attempted at UA.
Minor Courses
The minor in African American studies requires the successful completion of the following 21 semester hours:
| Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| AAST 201 or | Intro African Amer Study | 3 |
| AMS 201 | Intro African Amer Study | |
| AAST 249 or | African-American Literature | 3 |
| EN 249 | African American Literature | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
AAST 319 or | 19th Century Black History | |
| 19th Century Black History | ||
AAST 320 or | 20th Century Black History | |
| 20th Century Black History | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Inequality | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| AAST electives or other approved electives * | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
* Students may substitute the following courses when the focus and title is on African American or racial topics:
| AMS 202 | African American Lives | 3 |
| AMS 300 | Special Topics | 3 |
| AMS 321 | African American Folk Art | 3 |
| AMS 340 | Women In The South | 3 |
| AMS 341 | African American Art | 3 |
| AMS 402 | Special Topics | 3 |
| AMS 405 | Directed Study | 1 |
| AMS 492 | American Topic Seminar | 3 |
| ARH 481 | Topics 20th Century Art | 3 |
| CJ 303 | Minorities Crim Soc Just | 3 |
| COM 395 | Special Topics | 3 |
| COM 413 | Communication & Diversity | 3 |
| COM 467 | Seminar Public Address | 3 |
| COM 495 | Special Topics | 3 |
| EN 311 | Special Topics In Literature | 3 |
| EN 488 | Adv Stdy African American Lit | 3 |
| GY 344 | Geography Of Africa | 3 |
| HY 200 | Special Studies in Hy | 1 |
| HY 300 | Special Studies in History | 3 |
| HY 400 | Special Studies in History | 1 |
| HY 412 | Slavery America Popular Cult | 3 |
| PSC 364 | African Amer & Polit Sys | 3 |
| REL 237 | Self Society & Religions | 3 |
| REL 480 | Seminar Religion In Cullture | 3 |
| SW 351 | Oppression & Soc Injustice | 3 |
| WS 240 | Culture Sou Blk Women | 3 |
| WS 310 | Special Topics | 3 |
Upper-level Residency
A minimum of 6 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the minor must be earned on this campus.
Ancillary Courses
This minor does not require ancillary courses.
Additional Minor Requirements
Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, college, major and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisors are also available for additional assistance with minor, college and University requirements.
Prerequisites
Unless otherwise stated, the prerequisite for 300- and 400-level courses is junior standing or higher or permission of the instructor.
Special Opportunities
Students have the opportunity to complete internships in a variety of settings. Students should contact the program office for more information. The program also offers occasional study abroad opportunities.
Women's Studies Minor (WS)
Office: 104 Manly Hall
as.ua.edu/grs/programs/womens-studies-program
womenstudies@as.ua.edu
Admission into the Minor
Students are expected to formally declare a minor by completing the "Change of Major/Minor Application" online under the "Student" tab of myBama.
Grade Point Average
A 2.0 grade point average in the minor is required. The minor GPA is calculated based on all courses applicable to the minor that the student has attempted at UA.
Minor Courses
The minor in women’s studies requires the successful completion of the following 18 semester hours:
| Hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| WS 200 | Intro To Women Studies | 3 |
| WS 430 or | Women Contemp Society | 3 |
| WS 470 | Gender Race And Class | |
| WS elective 300 or 400 level | 3 | |
| WS elective or approved elective * | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
| * | Related courses such as AMS 340 Women In The South, COM 340 Communication & Social Identit, COM 425 Gender & Political Communctn, COM 469 Communication & Gender, EN 373 Women In Literature, NEW 415 Gender, Sexuality &Pop Culture, PY 371 Psychology Of Gender, and other approved courses may be applied to the women’s studies minor. For approved electives, contact the department chair. |
Upper-level Residency
A minimum of 6 hours of 300- or 400-level courses in the minor must be earned on this campus.
Additional Minor Requirements
Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, college, major and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisors are also available for additional assistance with minor, college and University requirements.
African American Studies (AAST) Courses
AAST 100. “Call and Response”: Exploring African American Cultural Experience. 1 sem. hr.
This course is designed to generate student interest and excitement in African American Studies by giving students opportunities to explore facets of African American cultural experiences. Following an interdisciplinary approach, this course will allow students to discover the rich diversity of African American cultural practices such as music, visual arts, literature, storytelling, dance, and religious practice. This course allows students at UA and UAB to experience the expertise of faculty from both institutions. It is also web-enhanced and has components on both UA’s and UAB’s BlackBoard systems for which UA and UAB students will access.
AAST 201. Intro African Amer Study. 3 sem. hrs.
A basic outline of the diversity and complexity of the African-American experience in the United States: the early academic and social concerns of Black Studies advocates; the changes in the field's objectives that arise from its connections to contemporary social movements for Black Power, women's liberation and multiculturalism; and its major theoretical and critical debates.
AAST 202. African American Lives. 3 sem. hrs.
A cultural approach to African American lives, exploring the role of the individual, biography, and narrative in African American history and culture.
AAST 226. Themes from Africa to America. 3 sem. hrs.
An examination of the spread of religious life in the African America's emphasizing present institutions and practices; its African roots, its shape and function during slavery and its development from Emancipation to the present.
AAST 249. African-American Literature. 3 sem. hrs.
Survey of African American literature from its earliest expressions to the present. In order to identify the aesthetics of the African American literary tradition, the course material includes spirituals, slave narratives, poetry, drama, autobiography, fiction, and nonfiction.
AAST 280. Rock, Soul & Country. 3 sem. hrs.
This course examines three dominant American popular music genres with particular emphasis on race, gender, class and region.
AAST 302. The Black Church. 3 sem. hrs.
A survey of mainstream Christian expressions of black spirituality as well as other forms of sacred collective consciousness. Study of local churches and theology is encouraged.
AAST 303. Education Of Southern Blacks. 3 sem. hrs.
A study of the "miseducation" of Africans in America. The course explores education for blacks from West Africa at the middle of the second millennium and early American society to the emergence of the separate school system of the 19th and 20th centuries.
AAST 319. 19th Century Black History. 3 sem. hrs.
Role of black Americans in American life from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, with emphasis on the institutions and events of the 1800s.
AAST 320. 20th Century Black History. 3 sem. hrs.
The interrelationship of blacks and the industrial-urban environment of the United States.
AAST 321. African American Folk Art. 3 sem. hrs.
This course will focus on analysis of object, created by African Americans variously classified as folk, self-taught, outsider artists. Material will address African origins. American transformations of traditional arts and crafts.
AAST 340. Women in the South. 3 sem. hrs.
Examination of the cultural concepts, myths, and experiences of black and white Southern women from a variety of economic and social backgrounds. Special attention is given to the interaction of race, class, and gender in Southern women's lives. Texts include historical studies, autobiographies, biographies, oral histories, and novels written by and about women in the 19th- and 20th-century South.
AAST 341. African American Art. 3 sem. hrs.
An examination of the work of formally trained 20th century African American painters, sculptors, and photographers in relation to broader currents in the social and cultural history of the United States. Examines ways in which African American art has alternately reflected, shaped, and challenged such important historical events and currents as the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, the women's movement, and contemporary identity politics. Also evaluates the contributions of selected artists in relation to such key art movements as Modernism, Social Realism, and Postmodernism.
AAST 350. Topics African American Lit. 3 sem. hrs.
A cross-genre survey of African American literature, historical events, and critical movements. Authors may include Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larson, Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison.
AAST 352. Social Inequality. 3 sem. hrs.
Analysis of inequities of wealth, power, and prestige; major theories of racial and cultural minorities; behavioral correlates of stratification; social mobility.
AAST 395. Special Topics. 3 sem. hrs.
An examination of selected African American topics. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 hours.
AAST 401. Black Intellectual Thought. 3 sem. hrs.
An upper level seminar designed to provide students with an in-depth study of major intellectual debates and movements that have shaped the politics, history and identities of the people of African descent in the United States and the African diaspora. The course will combine methodologies and concepts from multiple disciplines including history, political theory, literature, women's studies, sociology, psychology and philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): AAST 201 and AMS 201.
AAST 402. Special Topics. 3-9 sem. hrs.
An examination of selected African American topics. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 hours.
AAST 413. Communication And Diversity. 3 sem. hrs.
Study and analysis of issues of diversity as they relate to groups in society and in communication fields. Emphasis is on the media's treatment of various groups in society. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
AAST 415. African American Rhetoric. 3 sem. hrs.
A historical-critical investigation of African American public discourse from the Revolutionary era to the present, exploring rhetorical strategies for social change and building community. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
AAST 435. Black Feminism. 3 sem. hrs.
This upper level undergraduate and graduate course exposes students to the key figures, texts and concepts that constitute black feminist thought.
Prerequisite(s): AAST 201 or WS 200.
AAST 436. Gender and Black Masculinity. 3 sem. hrs.
This course will examine the socio-historical perceptions and constructions of Black masculinities in various regions and periods. We will also examine the social, political, and economic conditions of Black male life in the contemporary period and interrogate representations of Black men and boys in U.S. culture and society in relation to the broader politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the post-civil rights era. Specific attention will be paid to the history of ideas and approaches that have shaped and defined our understanding of Black males. You will be introduced to historical and socio-cultural circumstances that affect Black males and the diverse nature of Black culture. This course will also attempt to heighten awareness and sensitivity to the contemporary problems affecting Black males and thus help discover and evaluate social policies and programs geared towards Black males.
AAST 488. Adv Study African-Amer Lit. 3 sem. hrs.
A special topics course that focuses on issues in African American literature.
AAST 490. AAST Independent Study. 1-6 sem. hr.
Independent study on any subject pertaining to African-American studies, under the supervision of a professor in the chosen field and/or Director of the program.
AAST 495. Special Topics. 3 sem. hrs.
An examination of selected African American topics. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 hours.
Prerequisite(s): AAST 201.
Women's Studies (WS) Courses
WS 200. Intro To Women Studies. 3 sem. hrs.
An interdisciplinary course examining the roles of women in patriarchal society, with emphasis on how factors such as race, class, gender, and sexuality contribute to the oppression of women and ways they can be challenged through feminist critical practices.
WS 205. Women'S Autobiographies. 3 sem. hrs.
Through an examination of women's autobiographical writings, the roles women have assumed in different cultures and periods are considered. Analytical techniques from the study of art, literature and psychology are used to discover issues inherent in women's experiences.
WS 220. Mothers And Daughters. 3 sem. hrs.
Investigation of the institution of motherhood, the forces shaping it, and the significance of mother-daughter relationships.
WS 234. Women And Spirituality. 3 sem. hrs.
The role and place of women in several religious traditions, ancient and modern.
WS 240. Culture Sou Blk Women. 3 sem. hrs.
The history and culture of black women in the South are examined through essays, creative writing, film, music, first-person narrative, and field research.
WS 300. Women In Visual Arts. 3 sem. hrs.
Women's creative expression in fine art and domestic arts and crafts is examined from historical and contemporary perspectives; slide lectures offer examples of women's art work. Consideration is also given to professional and social roles of women artists.
WS 310. Special Topics. 3 sem. hrs.
Changing topics: for example, women and work, women in the world, social inequality.
WS 330. Gender &Social Activism. 3 sem. hrs.
Examination of the social, political, and legal movements in the United States and their influences on the status of women in society. The intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality is explored as a mechanism to address the struggles, experiences, and successes of women. The relationship between theory and practice is realized through gender-based action projects.
WS 340. Women And Law. 3 sem. hrs.
This seminar's major focus is the impact of law on the status and lives of women.
WS 342. Women in the South. 3 sem. hrs.
Examination of the cultural concepts, myths, and experiences of black and white Southern women from a variety of economic and social backgrounds. Special attention is given to the interaction of race, class, and gender in Southern women's lives. Texts include historical studies, autobiographies, biographies, oral histories and novels written by and about women in the 19th and 20th -century South. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
WS 352. Social Inequality. 3 sem. hrs.
Analysis of inequities of wealth, power, and prestige; major theories of racial and cultural minorities; behavioral correlates of stratification; social mobility.
WS 410. Essential Writings & Readings. 3 sem. hrs.
Essential readings and writings for female equality. Assignments focus on the publications and activities of feminist pioneers from the Enlightenment through the suffragist/abolitionist movement and contemporary period. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
WS 430. Women Contemp Society. 3 sem. hrs.
Considers major economic, sociological, psychological, and philosophical approaches to the study of women. Emphasis is on the formulation of theories.
WS 435. Black Feminism. 3 sem. hrs.
This upper level undergraduate and graduate course exposes students to the key figures, texts and concepts that constitute black feminist thought.
Prerequisite(s): AAST 201 or WS 200 or WS 200.
WS 440. Seminar Women'S Studies. 3-9 sem. hrs.
Courses under this rubric are designed to meet a specific need and supplement regular offerings.
WS 450. Independent Study. 1-6 sem. hr.
Independent study on any subject pertaining to women, under the supervision of a professor in the chosen field and/or the program director.
WS 470. Gender Race And Class. 3 sem. hrs.
A cross-cultural approach to the study of gender, race, and class discrimination. Focuses on the mutually reinforcing forces of oppression.