Office Spotlight: African-American Studies Program

This month, we are spotlighting FSU’s African American Studies program! Located in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, African American Studies is an interdisciplinary program that offers three major tracks as well as a minor. The program utilizes faculty from several departments within the College and beyond, and it offers students the opportunity to understand American society from the unique vantage-point of Americans of African Descent. The curriculum provides an intellectually powerful analysis of individuals, cultures, institutions, and more, as well as a focus on educational and social policy issues. 

The African American Studies major requires 36 hours of coursework, giving students the choice to obtain either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. The specific requirements for each degree differ. Inside this major, students may select one of three specialty areas to study: 1) Social Sciences, 2) Literature and Arts, or 3) History, Religion, and Philosophy. The specialty occupies nearly half of the required coursework in the major, and each one has unique characteristics. This allows the major to reach a wide variety of students with different interests and does not limit it to one specific area of study.

The African American Studies minor requires 18 hours of coursework with specific guidelines on core classes and history classes. While the minor does not go as in depth into the program as the major tracks, it still enhances a student’s ability to engage in critical reasoning and analytical thought, as well as gain skills in writing and oral communication skills. The minor helps to give students a broader perspective on the American community, as well as the world, through the lens of contemporary and historical experiences, cultural expressions, and socioeconomic outcomes of African Americans.

The program states, “just as African history is world history, African American Studies is American Studies.” This curriculum is essential to a well rounded worldview and provides many unique opportunities to learn information that may not be widely known. If your student is struggling to find a major that is write for them, encourage them to visit the African American Studies website for more information on what the program has to offer: https://coss.fsu.edu/aas/