African Studies
Yvonne A. Braun, Program Director
541-346-5051
541-346-5041 fax
175 Prince Lucien Campbell Hall
5206 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5206
The African Studies Program encourages teaching and scholarship on sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the wider African diaspora. The program is a focal point for students and faculty members with expertise in African studies, encouraging course offerings related to Africa, promoting study abroad programs and internships, raising funds to expand African studies resources, and organizing campus and local community events pertaining to Africa. In addition, the program supports faculty and student research on Africa and facilitates dissemination of research through the Baobab Lectures (for faculty and guest presentations) and the Acacia Seminars (for presentations of student research and experiences).
Students may earn an undergraduate minor in African studies.
Overseas Opportunities
The university sponsors a summer journalism program in Ghana as well as a summer international studies program in Dakar, Senegal. UO students may apply to study at the University of Ghana; the University of Cape Town or Stellenbosch University, South Africa; or the University Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal, through the Council on International Educational Exchange. Students may also choose one of nineteen programs in thirteen African countries sponsored by the School for International Training—Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. Financial aid is available for all these programs. For more information, call the International Affairs office, 541-346-3207.
Students in all University of Oregon study abroad programs enroll in courses with subject codes that are unique to individual programs. Special course numbers are reserved for overseas study. See International Affairs in the Academic Resources section of this catalog. Students may earn academic credit while gaining career-related work experience through internships in sub-Saharan Africa overseen by the IE3 Global Internships program. Financial aid is available. Information may be requested from the International Affairs office.
African Language Study
The UO offers first- and second-year Modern Standard Arabic and Swahili. UO 5-credit Arabic and Swahili courses satisfy the university’s two-year BA foreign-language requirement. For courses in Arabic, see the Religious Studies section of this catalog.
The University of Oregon also offers opportunities for self-study, with the assistance of native speakers, in Akan, Wolof, Bamana-Dyula, Hausa-Fulani, Shona, and Amharic. Information is available from the Yamada Language Center; call 541-346-4011.
Participating Faculty
Michael Allan, comparative literature
Oluwakemi Balogun, women's and gender studies
B. Mokaya Bosire, linguistics
Lindsay F. Braun, history
Yvonne A. Braun, women’s and gender studies
Alfredo Burlando, economics
Jenifer P. Craig, dance
André Djiffack, Romance languages
Stephen Dueppen, anthropology
Hanan Elsherif, religious studies
John Fenn, arts and administration
Stephen R. Frost, anthropology
Dennis C. Galvan, international studies
Ibrahim J. Gassama, law
Lisa M. Gilman, English
Melissa Graboyes, Oregon Consortium for International and Area Studies
Rita Honka, dance
Habib Iddrisu, music
Leslie McLees, geography
Lanie Millar, Romance languages
Angela Montague, anthropology
Doris L. Payne, linguistics
Ron Severson, management
H. Leslie Steeves, journalism and communication
Nelson Ting, anthropology
Peter A. Walker, geography
Janis C. Weeks, biology
Frances J. White, anthropology
David R. Woken, UO Libraries
Stephen R. Wooten, international studies
Associated
John E. Russell, UO Libraries
Undergraduate Studies
Minor in African Studies
Each student in the minor program is assigned a faculty advisor. Students who want to earn an undergraduate minor in African studies must satisfy the following requirements, comprising 28 graded credits and either the study of an African language or a study abroad or internship opportunity in Africa. Current Africa-related courses that count toward the minor are listed on the program website (africa.uoregon.edu ) under the African studies minor link.
| Core Courses | ||
| HUM 315 | Introduction to African Studies | 4 |
| History of Africa | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Precolonial Africa | ||
| Colonial and Postcolonial Africa | ||
| African Archaeology | ||
| Contemporary African Issues | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Special Studies: [Topic] (Health and Disease in Africa) | ||
| Voices of Africa | ||
| Culture, Capitalism, and Globalization | ||
| Tropical Diseases in Africa | ||
| Africa Today: Issues and Concerns | ||
| Seminar: [Topic] (Contemporary Africa) | ||
| Experimental Course: [Topic] (Media in Ghana ) | ||
| Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic] | ||
| Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa | ||
| Political Ecology | ||
| Sociology of Developing Areas | ||
| Advanced Geography of Non-European-American Regions: [Topic] (Africa—Politics, Development, and Environment) | ||
| Culture, Ethnicity, and Identity in Africa | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| African Dance | ||
| Special Studies: [Topic] (African Drumming) | ||
| African II | ||
| Exploring Other Cultures: [Topic] (African Masks and Meanings) | ||
| Anthropological Perspectives on Africa | ||
| African Languages: Identity, Ethnicity, History | ||
| Seminar: [Topic] (African Language Families) | ||
| Experimental Course: [Topic] | ||
| African Folklore | ||
| Comparative Tribalisms | ||
| Popular Musics in the African Diaspora | ||
| 20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (Postcolonial Africa) | ||
| Electives | ||
| Electives (see Electives list) 1 | 12 | |
| Advanced Research Requirement | ||
| 400-level course requiring research paper with 50 percent Africa content 2 | ||
| Experiencing Africa | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
African language 3 | ||
One term of study or internship in Africa 4 | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | |
| 1 | Must be approved by a faculty advisor; 8 credits must be at the 400 level. Recommended courses include any courses listed in the course list or the Electives list. Additional courses may be approved by the faculty advisor. |
| 2 | The paper must be approved by a faculty advisor and may be completed in a course that counts for one of the requirements listed. For students who have completed an internship in Africa, the paper may be based on primary source data gathered during that experience. For others, the research paper should include an original argument or line of interpretation based on secondary sources. |
| 3 | Possibilities include Arabic, Swahili, Wolof, or one year of another approved language. Although English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish are the first languages of many African citizens, they may not be used to satisfy this requirement. |
| 4 | For study abroad, courses will be evaluated for UO credit on a case-by-case basis through the standard Office of International Affairs procedures for assigning credit and course equivalency. Students consult with the faculty member who is sponsoring their study-abroad experience to prepare an agreement that must include the following:
An African studies minor advisor must approve the credits earned in study-abroad or internship programs. |
Electives
| AFR 407 | Seminar: [Topic] (Africa in Oregon) | 1-5 |
| AFR 410 | Experimental Course (Global Disease Eradication) | 1-5 |
| ANTH 310 | Exploring Other Cultures: [Topic] (Near Eastern and Egyptian Prehistory) | 4 |
| ANTH 327 | Anthropological Perspectives on Africa | 4 |
| ANTH 342 | Archaeology of Egypt and Near East | 4 |
| ANTH 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (African Topics) | 5 |
| ARB 301–303 | Language and Culture | 12 |
| ARB 331 | Reading Classical Arabic | 4 |
| ARB 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (One Thousand and One Nights) | 1-5 |
| BI 309 | Tropical Diseases in Africa | 4 |
| BI 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (HIV/AIDS in Africa) | 16 |
| DAN 301 | Dance in Traditional Cultures: Africa: [Topic] (Africa and the Diaspora) | 4 |
| DANC 399 | Special Studies: [Topic] (African Drumming) | 1-5 |
| DAN 481 | Repertory Dance Company: Rehearsal (Dance Africa) | 1-12 |
| ENG 399 | Special Studies: [Topic] (African Literature) | 5 |
| ENVS 450 | Political Ecology | 4 |
| FLR 416 | African Folklore | 4 |
| FR 407 | Seminar: [Topic] (African Topics) | 1-6 |
| FR 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (African Cinema) | 1-4 |
| FR 490 | 20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (The Absurd and the Fantastic; Postcolonial Africa) | 4 |
| HIST 325 | Precolonial Africa | 4 |
| HIST 326 | Colonial and Postcolonial Africa | 4 |
| HIST 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (Health and Disease in Africa) | 6 |
| HIST 417 | Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic] | 4 |
| HIST 419 | African Regional Histories: [Topic] | 4 |
| INTL 345 | Africa Today: Issues and Concerns | 4 |
| INTL 420 | International Community Development | 4 |
| INTL 421 | Gender and International Development | 4 |
| INTL 445 | Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa | 4 |
| INTL 447 | Comparative Tribalisms | 4 |
| J 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (Media in Ghana) | 4 |
| LING 407 | Seminar: [Topic] (African Language Families) | 1-5 |
| MUS 358 | Music in World Cultures | 4 |
| MUS 451 | Introduction to Ethnomusicology | 4 |
| MUS 452 | Musical Instruments of the World | 4 |
| MUS 459 | African Music | 4 |
| PS 399 | Special Studies: [Topic] | 1-5 |
| SOC 313 | Social Issues and Movements | 4 |
| SOC 450 | Sociology of Developing Areas | 4 |
| SWAH 101 | First Year Swahili | 5 |
| SWAH 102–103 | First-Year Swahili | 10 |
| SWAH 201 | Second-Year Swahili | 5 |
| SWAH 201–202 | Second-Year Swahili | 10 |
| SWAH 301 | Advanced Swahili | 5 |
| SWAH 302 | Contemporary Swahili Literature | 5 |
| SWAH 303 | Language and Culture: Swahili Nation | 5 |
| WGS 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (Gender and Global Social Justice) | 1-4 |
| WGS 432 | Gender, Environment, and Development | 4 |
Deviations from the requirements listed must be approved by an African studies advisor.
Restrictions
No more than 8 credits toward the minor may be from 100-level courses or courses with less than 50 percent Africa content, and no more than 4 credits may be from music or dance performance courses. Students must consult with an African studies advisor to confirm that curricular overlap between the student’s major and the African studies minor maintains the principle of academic breadth.
Graduate Studies
Arranging a graduate degree program with a concentration in African studies is possible in a number of departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music and Dance. Anthropology, biology, dance, environmental studies, French (in the Romance languages department), folklore, geography, history, international studies, linguistics, political science, and sociology have faculty members with expertise and strong interest in this area.
Students should consult with the affiliated faculty members regarding such arrangements.
Courses
AFR 196. Field Studies: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 198. Workshop: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 199. Special Studies: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 399. Special Studies: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 401. Research: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 403. Thesis. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 404. Internship: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 405. Reading and Conference: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 406. Field Studies: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 407. Seminar: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 408. Workshop: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 409. Supervised Tutoring. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 410. Experimental Course. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 507. Seminar: [Topic]. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 508. Workshop: [Topic]. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 510. Experimental Course. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 601. Research: [Topic]. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 603. Dissertation. 1-9 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 604. Internship: [Topic]. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable once for a maximum of 8 credits.
AFR 605. Reading and Conference: [Topic]. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 606. Field Studies: [Topic]. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable once for a maximum of 8 credits.
AFR 609. Supervised Tutoring. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable once for a maximum of 8 credits.