African American and African Diaspora Studies Undergraduate Certificate

The Undergraduate Certificate in African American and African Diaspora Studies (AAADS) will offer undergraduate students from any major/discipline an opportunity to engage in an interdisciplinary examination of the history, culture, and life of African Americans and the African diaspora from ancient times to the present day. This program stresses critical thinking, ethical and moral reasoning, intercultural competence, community service, and justice.

Certificate Requirements

Core
HIST 1003	African American History	3
HIST 1007	Introduction to African and African American Studies	3
COMM 2332	Intercultural Communication	3
Electives		6
Choose two of the following. At least one course must be 2000-level or above.
COMM 2235	Professional Communication
COMM 3355	Dangerous Messages
ED FND 3251	Black Americans in Education
ED FND 4330	History of American Education through the Lens of Social Justice
ENGL 1950	Topics in Literature
ENGL 2360	Hey, Have You Read ______? 1
ENGL 4790	Rhetoric and Social Justice
HIST 2000	Selected Topics in History 1
HIST 2026	Baseball and the Making of Modern America
HIST 2066	Women and Gender in African History
HIST 2067	African History through Fiction and Film
HIST 3000	Special Topics in History 1
M H L T 1004	B.A.M. - Black American Music
M H L T 1070
M H L T 1150	Drumming Cultures of the World (MOTR MUSC 102)
PHIL 3327	Race and Racism 2
POL SCI 2320	African Americans and the Political System 2
POL SCI 2370	The Politics of Identity and Social Justice 2
POL SCI 2580	African Politics
POL SCI 3880	Global Diasporas and International Relations in the 21st Century 2
SOC 2192	Special Topics in Sociology 1
SOC 2701	Race and Society
SOC 3344	Problems of Urban Community
SOC 3291	Current Issues in Sociology 1
SOC 4360	Sociology of Minority Groups
SOC 4340	Race, Crime, and Justice
THEATR 2274	African-American Cinema 2
Capstone		3
A capstone course (minimum of 3 hours) is a 4000–level research, internship, or practicum course not already used as an elective. This course must be approved, in advance, by the program coordinator for the certificate.
Total Hours		18

Other UMSL courses and courses from other UM campuses, through ICCS or other formats, may be included as electives with prior approval of the program coordinator.

¹

These topical courses are included when the topics or book selections are appropriate for this certificate as determined by the program coordinator.

²

These courses have additional prerequisites.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:

• Describe the historical developments of the African American and African diasporan experiences that reflect the complexities of continuity and change
• Analyze the key issues facing African, African American, and African diasporan peoples by applying scholarly research, perspectives and data
• Design programs and tactics that address a major civic or social challenge facing African, African American, or African diaspora communities.