African Studies
Melissa Graboyes, 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 lecture series.
Students may earn an undergraduate minor in African studies. A graduate specialization track in African studies is also available.
Overseas Opportunities
The university study abroad office organizes a journalism program in Ghana, a global health program in Ghana, and a summer Swahili program in Zanzibar that runs every other year. There are also many other opportunities for students to enroll in study abroad programs in Africa, which could involve enrolling at foreign universities or participating in specialized training programs. Financial aid is available for many of these programs. For more information, see https://geo.uoregon.edu/programs or call the Office of International Affairs, 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 GlobalWorks Internships program. Financial aid is available. Information may be requested from the Office of International Affairs.
African Language Study
The UO offers first- and second-year Modern Standard Arabic and Swahili, and occasionally offers these courses at the third-year level. 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 at https://babel.uoregon.edu/language-programs/self-study; or call 541-346-4011.
Participating Faculty
Michael Allan, comparative literature
Oluwakemi "Kemi" Balogun, women's, gender, and sexuality studies
Doug Blandy, arts and administration
B. Mokaya Bosire, linguistics
Lindsay F. Braun, history
Yvonne A. Braun, women's, gender, and sexuality studies
Alfredo Burlando, economics
André Djiffack, romance languages
Stephen Dueppen, anthropology
Hanan Elsherif, religious studies
Maria Fernanda Escallón, anthropology
Stephen R. Frost, anthropology
Daphne Gallagher, honors college
Dennis C. Galvan, global studies
Ibrahim J. Gassama, law
Melissa Graboyes, history
Rita Honka, dance
Habib Iddrisu, music and dance
Leigh Johnson, geography
Allison McGuffie, cinema studies
Lanie Millar, romance languages
James Muruthi, education
Senyo Ofori-Parku, journalism and communication
Doris L. Payne, linguistics
Kory Russel, landscape architecture
Leslie Steeves, journalism and communication
Nelson Ting, anthropology
Peter A. Walker, geography
Janis C. Weeks, biology
Frances J. White, anthropology
Stephen R. Wooten, global studies
Undergraduate Studies
Minor in African Studies
Students who want to earn an undergraduate minor in African studies must satisfy the following requirements, comprising 28 graded credits. Current Africa-related courses that count toward the minor are listed on the program website (africa.uoregon.edu) under the African studies minor link.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| AFR 215 | Introduction to African Studies | 4 |
| History of Africa | 4 | |
| Select one of the following (or an approved alternative): | ||
| Precolonial Africa | ||
| Colonial and Postcolonial Africa | ||
| African Archaeology | ||
| Contemporary African Issues | 4 | |
| Select one of the following (or an approved alternative): | ||
| Special Studies: [Topic] (Health and Disease in Africa) | ||
| Tropical Diseases in Africa | ||
| Political Ecology | ||
| Voices of Africa | ||
| Seminar: [Topic] (Contemporary Africa) | ||
| Geography of the Middle East and North Africa | ||
| Advanced Geography of Non-European-American Regions: [Topic] (Africa—Politics, Development, and Environment) | ||
| Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic] | ||
| Africa Today: Issues and Concerns | ||
| Culture, Ethnicity, and Identity in Africa | 4 | |
| Select one of the following (or an approved alternative): | ||
| Experimental Course: [Topic] | ||
| African I | ||
| Special Studies: [Topic] (African Drumming) | ||
| Voices of Africa | ||
| Seminar: [Topic] | ||
| 20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (Postcolonial Africa or Mongo Beti) | ||
| Seminar: [Topic] (African Language Families) | ||
| Popular Musics in the African Diaspora | ||
| Electives | ||
| Electives (see Electives list) 1 | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 28 | |
| 1 | Electives must be approved by a faculty advisor and must be at the 300 or 400level, although as much as 8 credits of Swahili courses at any level may be applied. Recommended courses include any courses listed in the course list or electives list. Additional courses may be approved by the faculty advisor. 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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFR 407 | Seminar: [Topic] (Africa in Oregon) | 1-5 |
| AFR 410 | Experimental Course | 1-5 |
| ANTH 342 | Archaeology of Egypt and Near East | 4 |
| ANTH 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (African Topics) | 5 |
| BI 309 | Tropical Diseases in Africa | 4 |
| BI 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] | 1-16 |
| DAN 301 | African Dance Aesthetics (Africa and the Diaspora) | 4 |
| DAN 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] | 1-5 |
| 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 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] | 1-5 |
| ENVS 450 | Political Ecology | 4 |
| FR 361 | French Cinema for Nonmajors | 4 |
| FR 407 | Seminar: [Topic] (African Topics) | 1-6 |
| FR 490 | 20th-Century Literature: [Topic] (The Absurd and the Fantastic; Postcolonial Africa) | 4 |
| GEOG 475 | Advanced Geography of Non-European-American Regions: [Topic] (Africa: Politics, Development, and Environment) | 4 |
| GLBL 407 | Seminar: [Topic] | 1-5 |
| GLBL 445 | Development and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa | 4 |
| HIST 407 | Seminar: [Topic] | 5 |
| HIST 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] | 1-6 |
| HIST 325 | Precolonial Africa | 4 |
| HIST 326 | Colonial and Postcolonial Africa | 4 |
| HIST 417 | Society and Culture in Modern Africa: [Topic] | 4 |
| HIST 419 | African Regional Histories: [Topic] | 4 |
| GLBL 345 | Africa Today: Issues and Concerns | 4 |
| GLBL 420 | Global Community Development | 4 |
| GLBL 421 | Gender and International Development | 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 |
| PS 399 | Special Studies: [Topic] (Any courses with African topics) | 1-5 |
| SOC 313 | Social Issues and Movements | 4 |
| SOC 450 | 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 203 | Second Year Swahili | 5 |
| WGS 410 | Experimental Course: [Topic] (Gender and Global Social Justice) | 1-4 |
| WGS 432 | Gender, Environment, and Development | 4 |
| 1 | Repeatable. |
Deviations from the requirements listed must be approved by an African studies advisor.
Restrictions
No more than 8 credits may be from courses with 25 to 49 percent Africa content. No more than 4 credits may be from performance courses. No more than 12 credits may be from a single department. No more than 4 credits may be taken pass/no pass. Students must consult with an African studies advisor to confirm that the 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 and public culture, 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.
Graduate Specialization
Students in a University of Oregon MA or PhD program may choose a graduate specialization in African studies. The student will be assigned an advisor within African studies and must satisfy the following requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 650 | 4 | |
| Approved graduate course in African history | 4 | |
| Approved graduate course on issues in contemporary Africa | 4 | |
| Approved graduate course dealing with issues in African culture, ethnicity, and identity | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
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 215. Introduction to African Studies. 4 Credits.
Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of African studies. Evaluates the social, cultural, political, economic and environmental diversity of and issues affecting historical and contemporary Africa and African peoples.
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. Terminal Project. 1-12 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 410. Experimental Course. 1-5 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 503. Thesis. 1-12 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]. 1-16 Credits.
Repeatable.
AFR 606. Field Studies: [Topic]. 1-4 Credits.
Repeatable once for a maximum of 8 credits.
AFR 609. Terminal Project. 1-16 Credits.
Repeatable.