All of Africa
The Minor in African and African Diaspora Studies is designed for students interested in the cultures and experiences of the peoples of African descent on the continent or elsewhere. The minor includes study of economic and political systems as they reflect the African continent and areas of the African Diaspora, and the histories, languages, and literatures of Africans and peoples of African descent elsewhere. All of Africa falls within the geographical scope of the minor.
A student may concentrate on a particular region or on any of the broad groupings of African cultures, such as Arabic-speaking, Anglophone, Francophone, or Lusophone Africa. Equally, a student choosing to focus on the African Diaspora may concentrate on any group of African-descended populations in the Americas. Students focusing on either principal area (Africa or the African Diaspora) must also take at least one subject which deals with the other area or with interactions between them.
The Continent and the People
The goal of the minor program is to emphasize the importance of Africa and people of African descent in world cultural, economic, and social developments, and to provide a balance between language, humanistic, historical, and contemporary study.
The Minor Program in African and African Diaspora Studies consists of six subjects (at least three of which must be MIT subjects) arranged in four areas of study:
Area I: Language
Area II: Humanities and the Arts
Area III: Social Sciences
Area IV: Historical Studies
As with all HASS Minors, only five of the six minor subjects may be counted toward the 8-subject Institute HASS Requirement. Of these five, at most one (1) shall count toward satisfaction of the HASS-Distribution.
Area I: Language
Students are expected to have two intermediate (Levels III and IV) subjects in either the official language of the region of study or in an indigenous African language. In cases where the student is specializing in Anglophone Africa or an English-speaking region of the diaspora, and does not undertake study of indigenous language, or is a native speaker of the official language(s) of a country or region of empasis, this component would be replaced by literature or other humanities subjects.
Language subjects offered at MIT
21F.303 French III HASS-D Language Option
21F.304 French IV HASS-D Language Option
21F.703 Spanish III HASS-D Language Option
21F.704 Spanish IV HASS-D Language Option
Language subjects offered elsewhere:
Courses in Portuguese and African languages are available to our students at Harvard University and/or Wellesley College. Courses in African languages may be taken at other institutions with prior permission of the Advisor.
Areas II, III, IV:
At least four subjects are to be selected from at least two of the remaining areas. Where the exception in Area I applies, the student will take all six subjects from these three remaining areas, with at least one subject in each area.
Area II: Humanities and the Arts
21L.007 World Literatures HASS-D, CI-H
21L.504J Race and Identity in American Literature [SP.518]
21M.226 Jazz HASS-D
21M.293 Music of Africa
21M.621J Theater and Cultural Diversity in the U.S. HASS-D
21M.630J Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies [24.912J, SP.417J, 21A.114J, 21H.106J, 21L.008J, 21W.741J] HASS-D, CIH
21M.712 African American Performance
21M.775 Hip-Hop
21W.742J Writing About Race [SP.575J] CI-H
21W.766J Contemporary US Women of Color: Writing & reading Short Stories [SP.574J]
Area III: Social Sciences
3.988 Africa - Past and Present: An Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials Perspective
9.75J Psychology of Gender and Race [SP.650J]
11.023 Bridging Cultural and Racial Differences
17.311 Politics, Race and Science
17.523 Ethnic Conflict in World Politics
21M.630J Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies [24.912J, SP.417J, 21A.114J, 21H.106J, 21L.008J, 21W.741J] HASS-D, CIH
STS.046J The Science of Race, Sex, and Gender in the United States [SP.640J] CI-H
STS.048 African Americans in Science, Technology, and Medicine
Area IV: Historical Studies
21H.116J The Civil War and Reconstruction [STS.029J]
21H.931 Seminar in Historical Methods (when the topical focus of the course is pertinent)
21M.630J Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies [24.912J, SP.417J, 21A.114J, 21H.106J, 21L.008J, 21W.741J] HASS-D, CIH
Courses offered elsewhere:
A substantial number of courses dealing with Africa and the African diaspora are available to our students at Wellesley College, offered through their program in African Studies and other departments, and Harvard's Department of Afro-American Studies. Students may take relevant courses at these institutions provided they receive permission in advance from the HASS African and African Diaspora Studies Minor Advisor.
Students that have taken the following subjects that are no longer offered can count these subjects toward their minor:
17.305J Race, Gender and Law [SP.604J]
17.53 Democratization of Asia, Africa and Latin America
21A.240 Race and Science
21A.460J Medicine, Religion and Politics in Africa and the African Diaspora [SP.620J]
21H.705 Introduction to the History of Modern Africa
Questions?
Additional information can be obtained from the Minor Advisor.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology