The Undergraduate Specialization
in Black American and Diasporic Studies (BADS)

 

The Undergraduate Specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies, administered by the College of Arts and Letters, is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in Bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University.  With its focus on politics and society and Humanities and Culture, the specialization introduces students to interdisciplinary study of the historical and contemporary experiences of blacks in the Unites States and elsewhere in the complexity of the African continent.  Students who enroll in this specialization will be challenged to think critically and to develop their research and communication skills and will find that this specialization provides them with a strong foundation for study in graduate and professional schools or for employment in government and business.

With the approval of the department and college that administer the student’s degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the specialization may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the Bachelor’s degree.

The Specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies is committed to mentoring and developing the research skills of undergraduates.  Therefore, each student must enroll in AL 495 Research-Mentoring in Black American and Diasporic Studies for 3 credits as a requirement of the specialization.  Students who enroll in this internship course will be research interns who will be required to meet regularly with Black American and Diasporic Studies faculty, develop and maintain a mentoring journal, and submit a research paper. 
Students who plan to complete the requirements for the Specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies must contact the advisor for the specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies.  The student’s program of study for the specialization must be approved in advance and in writing by the advisor for the specialization.

Requirements for the Specialization in BADS

1. The student must complete the following (a minimum of 21 Credits):
   
   A. AL 495 Research-Mentoring in Black American and Diasporic Studies         
   B.  The Student must complete 9-12 credits in either Option A or Option B below:
   
   Option A. (Politics and Society)
   
   FCE 442 Ethnic Minority Families in America 3 Credits
   HST 312 African American Women 3 Credits
   HST 362 West Africa and the African-American Connection 3 Credits
   ISS 215 Social Differentiation and Inequality (D) 3 Credits
   MC 324B Regional Politics, Cooperation and Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa 4 Credits
   MC 372 African American Political Thought 4 Credits
   MC 383 African American Politics 4 Credits
   PLS 304 Minority Politics 4 Credits
   PLS 351 African Politics 3 Credits
   SOC 375 Urban Sociology 3 Credits
   
   
   Option B. (Humanities and Culture)                                                                   
   ENG 349 African American Literature I 3 Credits
   ENG 350 African American Literature II 3 Credits
   ENG 405 Language Use in the African-American Community 3 Credits
   HST 310 African American History to 1876 3 Credits
   HST 311 African American History since 1876 3 Credits
   HST 383 The Caribbean 3 Credits
   HA 470 Art of West Africa 4 Credits  
   MC 395 The Cultural Dimensions of Public Affairs 3 Credits
   MUS 426 Music of West Africa 2 Credits
   MUS 430 Music of the Caribbean 2 Credits
   WRA 125 Writing: The American Ethnic and Racial Experience 4 Credits
   
   Electives:                                                                                                                      
   The student must complete a minimum of 9 credits.  None of these credits may be earned in courses in the department of the student’s major.  To fulfill this elective requirement, students will select courses from the list that follows and/or from courses listed under the option not chosen for the core requirement.  Thus, if a student chooses to complete Option A for the core requirement, then courses listed under Option B become possible elective choices, and vice versa.

                                                                                                                  
ANP 330 Race, Ethnicity, and Nation 3 Credits
EC 414 Economic Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa 3 Credits
ENG 453 Women and Literature 3 Credits
ENG 360 Postcolonial Literature and Theory 3 Credits
ENG 420 Language and Culture 3 Credits
ENG 363 African Literature 3 Credits
ENG 450 Studies in African American Literature 3 Credits
ENG 463 Studies in the Literature of Africa and the African Diaspora 3 Credits
ENG 471 Third World Cinema 4 Credits
HST 360 African History to 1800 3 Credits
HST 361 African History since 1800 3 Credits
HST 480 Seminar in American History (W)* 3 Credits
IAH 211C Area Studies and Multicultural Civilizations: The Americas (D)* 4 Credits
IAH 231B Themes and Issues: Moral Issues and the Arts and Humanities* 4 Credits
IAH 241ACreative Arts and the Humanities: Music and Society in the Modern World (D)*  4 Credits
ISS 215 Social Differentiation and Inequality (D) 4 Credits
JRN 470 Social Groups and the News Media 3 Credits
LIN 225 Women and Language* 3 Credits
MUS 428 Music of Africa, Europe, and the Americas 2 Credits
MUS 491 Special Topics in Music* 1-4 Credits
PHL 350 Moral and Political Issues* 3 Credits
PLS 377 American Political Thought 3 Credits
SOC 215 Race and Ethnicity 3 Credits
SOC 330 Social Stratification* 3 Credits
SW 320 Social Work and Social Policy* 3 Credits
WRA 125 Writing: American Ethnic and Racial Experience 4 Credits

*Courses counted toward the requirements for the Specialization in Black American Diasporic Studies must have a significant focus on Black American and Diasporic Studies subject matter.  Prior approval by the advisor for the Specialization in Black American Diasporic Studies is required.   The advisor may approve one additional unlisted course that has a significant focus on Black American and Diasporic Studies subject matter to count as an elective.

Upon completion of the requirements for the Specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies, the student should contact the advisor for the Specialization in Black American and Diasporic Studies and request certification for the completion of the specialization.  After the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, the Office of the Registrar will enter on the student's academic record the name of the specialization and the date that it was completed. This certification will appear on the student's transcript.