Courses in Africana Studies

AFRAS 140. Oral Communication (3) [GE] 
Practice in speaking, critical listening, reasoning and organizing. Theory and techniques of communications used to evaluate the effect they have on the lives of Blacks and others. Not open to students with credit in Chicana and Chicano Studies 111A or Communication 103.

AFRAS 170A-170B. Afro-American History (3-3) [AI] 
American history from a Black perspective. These courses satisfy the graduation requirement in American Institutions.

AFRAS 200. Intermediate Expository Writing and Research Fundamentals (3) [GE] 
Prerequisites: Satisfaction of the English Placement Test and Writing Competency requirement and Africana Studies 120 or American Indian Studies 120 or Chicana and Chicano Studies 111B or English 100 or Linguistics 100 or Rhetoric and Writing Studies 100 or 101. Proof of completion of prerequisites required: Test scores or verification of exemption; copy of transcript. 

Development of intermediate expository writing skills and application of practical research principles. Not open to students with credit in Chicana and Chicano Studies 200, English 200, Linguistics 200, or Rhetoric and Writing Studies 200.

AFRAS 240. Africana Intellectual Thought (3) [GE] 
Major theories and theory-makers and production of a global black intellectual tradition. Thoughts and writings of major black leaders as they relate to liberation, struggle, resistance, and cultural production.

AFRAS 260. Africana Literary Study (3) [GE] 
Oral and written literature produced by people of African descent. How Africana people use language to communicate their history and culture. Basic literary vocabulary, techniques, and theories for the non-specialist.

AFRAS 296. Experimental Topics (1-4) 
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor’s degree.

Upper Division Courses

AFRAS 320. Political Economy of African Diaspora (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Political economy of urban growth, development, and redevelopment in African diaspora, examined in historical and contemporary contexts. Race and class inequality and conflict; effectiveness of public and private sector decisions and programs.

AFRAS 321. Black Political Participation in America (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Afro-American political life and development in the United States. Interaction between Afro-Americans and various actors, institution processes, and policies of the American system of politics and governance.

AFRAS 322. African American Political Thought (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Political and social thought underlying principles, goals, strategies developed by African Americans in struggle for social development and human rights. Focus on twentieth century thought.

AFRAS 327. Critical Theories in Africana Studies (3)
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Major historical and contemporary theories and thinkers that have defined and continue to define discipline of Africana studies. Comparative analyses of diverse voices and perspectives.

AFRAS 331. The Black Family (3) 
Structure and functions of the Black family in contemporary American society.

AFRAS 332. Black Women: Myth and Reality (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Images of Black women in America and how those images have been distorted.

AFRAS 341. Cultural Patterns and African American Identity (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Africana Studies 101 or completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences required for nonmajors. 

Impact of social institutions on African American identity and cultural patterns.

AFRAS 351. Black Religions and Spirituality (3) (Same course as Religious Studies 351) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Major Black religious and spiritual responses and expressions in Africa and Black diaspora, including creation of institutions to support and advance religious and spiritual matters.

AFRAS 360. Communications and Community Action (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Communication and Critical Thinking, I.1., Oral Communication. 

Application of the basic theories of communication through field projects. Study of the communication problems that exist between sociopolitical groups and the media.

AFRAS 363. Sociocultural Analysis of Black Languages (3) (Same course as Linguistics 363)
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities.

Social and cultural functions of Black languages, verbal and nonverbal, in Afro-American life, and their profound impact on larger society. Also, a probe into issues concerning validity of Black English.

AFRAS 365A. African American Literature to 1900 (3) [GE] (Same course as English 365A) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Eighteenth and nineteenth century writing by African American authors. Issues of literary form, canon formation, and sociopolitical impact of the literature upon African American culture.

AFRAS 365B. African American Literature After 1900 (3) [GE] (Same course as English 365B) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Writing by African American authors after 1900. Issues of literary form, canon formation and sociopolitical impact of the literature upon African American and American culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

AFRAS 380. Blacks in the American Justice System (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Interpretation and application of constitutional principles and judicial decisions to political and social problems faced by Afro-Americans.

AFRAS 385. African American Music (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

African American music from its African roots to present. Consideration of musical styles, events, significant contributors as well as role of sociocultural values in development of music.

AFRAS 421. Black Urban Experience (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Major social science literature of international Black urban experience. Behavior, culture, and oppressions unique to urban environment.

AFRAS 422. Modern Civil Rights Movement (3) 
Prerequisite: Africana Studies 101. 

Key events, strategies, and theoretical debates that emerged from struggle for black equality during modern civil rights movement in the United States from 1945 to present.

AFRAS 423. Black Nationalism (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Black nationalism in the world, with emphasis on comparative analysis of writings of leading nationalist (and Pan-Africanist) thinkers and theorists.

AFRAS 455. Africana Class, Gender, and Sexualities (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Intersection of race, class, gender, and sexualities within Africana culture and experience and impact on Africana world-view.

AFRAS 465. Africa in Literature and Film (3) [GE] (Same course as French 465) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities for nonmajors. 

African cultural history through literature and film. Consistency/variety of African cultural expressions and conventions in literature and film. Taught in English.

AFRAS 466. Afrofuturism (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities.

Interdisciplinary study of African and African American contributions to science fiction, comic book art, pop culture, and its origins and influences.

AFRAS 470. Comparative History: Afro-American and African Heritage (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Conceptual framework of African history and a comparative study of Afro-American institutions.

AFRAS 471. Africana History (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities.

Major themes in African American historical development as they relate to African survivals in diaspora; growth of free Africana communities; Reconstruction; history of United States social movements; movement leadership and daily life; and concurrent developments in Africa. Not open to students with credit in Africana Studies 471A and 471B.

AFRAS 472. African Enslavement (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Comparative history of enslavement of Africans in the Americas and Muslim world, African servitude, and modern day enslavement.

AFRAS 473. Women in Africa (3) [GE] 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.B., Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Historical and contemporary roles women have occupied in Africa as political leaders, spiritual authoritative figures, and mothers in various African societies; from classical Africa to the present.

AFRAS 476. History and Culture of Hip Hop (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C., Humanities. 

Genesis of hip hop as a worldwide culture, with attention to major Africana historical, political, sociological, cultural, and aesthetic precursors.

AFRAS 485. Blacks in the Arts (3) 
Prerequisite: Completion of the General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.C.; Humanities. 

Academic and artistic perspectives on Black participation in and contributions to the creative and performing arts. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

AFRAS 490. Senior Seminar (3) 
Prerequisite: Open only to majors who have completed the first semester of junior year. 

Capstone experience in which mastery of practice, theories, concepts, and issues central to Africana studies is demonstrated.

AFRAS 496. Experimental Topics (1-4) 
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor’s degree.

AFRAS 499. Special Study (1-3) 
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 

Individual study. Maximum credit six units.