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Program Highlights

The African American Studies minor offers 21 credit hours of course content connections across disciplines that integrate literature, history/politics, communication, psychology, sociology, and theatre, and an exploration of social justice concepts that require critical analysis and intense examination of important issues related to the African American experience in the United States and the diaspora as a global comparative.

What are the goals of the African American Studies minor at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University?

• - Examine the Black experience through the critical lens of race/ethnicity and the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the U.S. and the African diaspora using theories and research methods vital to African American studies (e.g. critical race theory).
• - Analyze and interpret texts, write critically, and effectively articulate or express understandings about contemporary events and social justice issues as related to major cultural, historical, and sociopolitical events and issues as well as their impact on Black people in America &/or globally.

Why minor in African American Studies at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University?

Currently, ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University has about 13.5% of the student population (2019 data) identified as Black/African American. There is a distinct need for all students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum, even if they cannot see themselves in faculty demographics. There is also a need for students of all backgrounds to understand current events in historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts. The impact of contemporary issues, particularly events that have surfaced in the last decade since the inauguration of the first Black president, Barack Obama, have influenced a new fervor in African American and African students desiring a stronger understanding of the history that informs the issues birthed from these events.

African American Studies punctuates the value of a liberal arts education, and students who declare this minor can apply their learning to a variety of fields and career paths such as pre-law, business/entrepreneurship, education policy, etc. where tools of effective cross-cultural communication, activism, critical thinking, and more are required for success.

Committee on African American Studies

Dr. Ngozi Onuora, Chair (School of Education)

Prof. Anna Corvera (School of Theatre and Dance)

Dr. Jorge Chavez-Rojas (Sociology & Criminal Justice)

Dr. Julio Enriquez-Ornelas (Modern Languages)

Dr. Anne Matthews (English)

Director Briana Quintenz (Center for International Education)

Dr. Tom Robson (School of Theatre and Dance)

Dr. Melissa Scircle (Behavioral Sciences)

Dr. Paul Touré (Modern Languages)

Dr. Carrie Trimble (Tabor School of Business)

21-credit hours are required for any minor at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University, with at least 9 credit hours at the 300+ level. For the African American Studies minor, students may select from an array of courses. Most courses are offered annually, except where noted otherwise.

Typical courses include:

• - IN 250 Introduction to African American Studies (3 credit hours) - required of all minors
• - IN 251 Patterns of Protest and Resistance (3 credit hours)
• - IN 350 Multiculturalism and Diversity (3 credit hours)
• - EN 233 Slave Narratives (3 credit hours) or Neo-Slave Narratives (3 credit hours)
• - *TH 333 African American Drama (3 credit hours)

*Offered every other year

Faculty who want to submit a course for possible inclusion as an offering for African American Studies, can email Ngozi Onuora at nonuora@millikin.edu. Please include a completed syllabus that demonstrates how your course meets the goals of the minor. Courses submitted will be reviewed by the committee twice each semester (fall semesters - September and October; spring semesters - February and March) prior to each semester’s Scheduling Day. Approved courses will be included in the lineup for African American Studies courses for the subsequent semester.