The Department of African American Studies at UC Berkeley offers a rich and diverse curriculum that explores the social, political, and cultural history of African-descended people in the modern world. Rooted in the activism that birthed Ethnic Studies, the program provides students with a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complexities of race, power, and identity.
Barrows Hall at UC Berkeley, where some African American Studies courses may be held.
The Department's Origins and Mission
The department began in 1970 as a unit within the newly established special program of Ethnic Studies, comprised of African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano Studies, and Native American Studies. An A.B. Degree has been offered in African American Studies since 1973.
The African American Studies graduate program focuses on the life, culture, and social organization (broadly defined) of persons of African descent. The study of Africa, North America, and the Caribbean are central components of the program.
Students are expected to apply a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the international and national divisions of race as they pertain to persons of African descent, wherever they may find themselves. Such an approach is to be employed for the study and understanding of development and underdevelopment, domination and power, self determination, mutual cooperation, and aesthetic and creative expression.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Curriculum Overview
Along with three lower division courses, students in the African American Studies major will complete eight courses focused on black intellectual thought, colonialism and slavery, and research. Additionally, each student will work with their advisor to choose a concentration area.
The department typically offers 6-8 classes across these disciplines each semester and during the summer, both face-to-face and online.
Degree Requirements
To declare the major in African American Studies, students must complete three prerequisite courses. Students must complete four additional upper division elective courses.
All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. To apply for the minor in African American Studies, students must submit the departmental minor application once they have decided to minor in the program.
Honors Program
To be eligible for admission to the honors program, a student must have completed at least two semesters at UC Berkeley and have attained senior standing with a GPA of 3.3 or higher in all University work, as well as a 3.5 GPA or higher in the African American Studies major.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Students in the program are required to take AFRICAM 195 senior capstone course to be completed in the fall semester of their senior year and must complete AFRICAM 100 and 101 prerequisite for AFRICAM 195 (to be taken prior to or concurrently with AFRICAM 195). Students must receive a minimum of a B or above in AFRICAM 195 to enroll into AFRICAM H195 (Honors Thesis) the following semester culminating in the completion of a senior honors thesis.
Graduate Program Admission
Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree and should demonstrate a general knowledge of African American history and an understanding of the disciplinary bases for the study of the African Diaspora. Demonstrated knowledge in the field should include understanding relations among social, economic, and political structures and culture in African American life.
A minimum of two years or four semesters of academic residence is required by the university for all Ph.D. programs. Academic residence is defined as enrollment in at least 12 units in the 200 series of courses. Thus, every graduate student must enroll in and complete a minimum of 12 units of graduate course work per required semester of academic residency.
Faculty and Instruction
Our instructors are experts in their fields and bring with them years of experience as educators and community workers. Ethnic Studies instructors who complement our program’s existing strengths, particularly those who bring an intersectional, relational, and/or decolonial praxis to their pedagogy, are welcome to inquire about teaching opportunities.
All instructors must meet the minimum qualification (MQ) requirements outlined in the California Community Colleges Minimum Qualifications Handbook. In brief, an instructor must have an M.A. (or equivalent number of hours) in the specific field.
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
Course Examples
Here are some examples of courses offered, showcasing the breadth and depth of the curriculum. These courses span various disciplines and offer students diverse perspectives on American culture and history.
Introductory Courses
- American Studies 10 - Los Angeles on the Move: Art, Technology, and the City: This course examines Los Angeles as both a material place and a mediated landscape, exploring the intersection of technologies of mobility with technologies of representation.
Upper-Level Courses
- American Studies 101 - James Baldwin’s America, 1953-74: This course explores Baldwin's critiques of American liberalism and the failed promises of US-American democracy, examining his work against the backdrop of the social, political, and cultural moment of 1953-1974.
- American Studies 110: Classical Music and American Mass Culture Between the World Wars: This course explores the evolution of American classical music during the 1920s and 30s, examining the political, social, and cultural forces that shaped composers' music.
- American Studies C111E - Culture and Society in Classical Hollywood Cinema: This course considers a series of films released during the Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema, analyzing their relationships to the historical and political contexts in which they were produced.
- History 122AC - Antebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society: This course examines the emergence of modern society and culture in the United States during the period preceding the Civil War.
- History 139AC - The Multiracial History of Slavery and Servitude in America: This course introduces students to the entwined, overlapping, multiracial histories of involuntary servitude and slavery in British North America/the United States.
- History of Art 185D - The Transatlantic Gilded Age and Its Discontents: This course considers the linked arts of the United States, the U.K, and France in the period between 1865 and 1918.
- American Studies 102AC - Wilderness and Civilization: Nature, Culture, and the American Zoo: This course will explore the history, culture, and significance of zoos and other sites of animal display in the United States.
- American Studies 102 - Things Fall Apart: American Decay, American Ruin: This seminar examines several key ideas relating to decay in American culture, with a special focus on material objects, spaces, and places.
- American Studies H110 - Secret History of America: Designed with a dual purpose of providing a history of the present moment while serving as an active laboratory for generating new, student lead knowledge, this class will be both discussion seminar and writing workshop.
- History 7B - Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Civil War to Present: This course presents a history of the United States since the Civil War with attention to pluralism, political economy, and projection of power.
- History of Art 192G - Two Residential Neighborhoods: A Writing-intensive Seminar on Berkeley’s Built Enviro...
Planning Your Experience
Use this map to help plan and guide your experience at UC Berkeley, including academic, co-curricular, and discovery opportunities. Everyone’s Berkeley experience is different and activities in this map are suggestions.
Here are some additional opportunities to enhance your learning experience:
- Planning study or research in Africa?
- Learn about graduate and professional school.
- Planning a senior thesis or project?
- Experience life at another UC or college on a visitor and exchange program.
- Study and intern in Washington D.C. Assoc. Obama Admin/Special Asst.
- Attend department events with students, staff, and faculty.
Table: Selected African American Studies Courses at UC Berkeley
| Course Name | Course Description |
|---|---|
| American Studies 10 | Explores Los Angeles through art, technology, and urban development. |
| American Studies 101 | Examines James Baldwin's writings and their context in American society. |
| History 139AC | Studies the multiracial history of slavery and servitude in America. |
