African American Studies (AAM)

AAM 2000 - Freedom Dreams: Intro to African American Studies

3 Credits

The interdisciplinary study of African descendants (also known as Black Studies, Africana Studies or African Diasporic studies) has transformed the teaching of US and global history and politics. How has race, gender, class and capitalism impacted the evolution of Africana Studies? What methodologies have scholars utilized in the study of Black populations? This course invites engagement with Africana scholars, philosophies, and political mobilization. We will utilize history, literature, music, visual art and other modes in our exploration. This course will introduce students to the core concepts and debates that comprise Africana Studies.

Attributes: African American Studies, Global Local Justice-Domestic, Service Learning, UUC:Identities in Context, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 2010 - Contemporary Black America

3 Credits

This course offers a thematic survey of the current issues and problems facing and impacting the Black communities in the US and abroad, from WWII through present-day. Students will examine how Black people and ideas have influenced varied areas of society, such as, politics, arts, education, public health, technology, etc. Using primary sources, like films, artwork, videos, and texts, this course introduces students to the themes and issues that continue to impact Black communities in the US and around the world.

Attributes: African American Studies, Global Local Justice-Elective, Service Learning, UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 2120 - Survey of Art in Africa

3 Credits

This course explores visual culture in Africa from prehistory through present-day. We will look at rock art, ancient Nubia, the nomadic Wodaabe, Christian Ethiopia, and various sub-Saharan cultures. Students will learn about architecture, ceramics, textiles, metal arts etc. Students graded on two Exams and two short quizzes.

Attributes: Fine Arts Requirement (CAS), Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies

AAM 2120X - Art in Africa

3 Credits

Attributes: Art Produced After 1800, Art Produced Before1800, Art History - Global Arts, Fine Arts Requirement (CAS), Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies, MLIC Elective

AAM 2220X - African American Art

3 Credits

We discuss visual art created by African-American artists from 1600s to present-day. We cover the themes, artists, and artworks from important movements like the Harlem Renaissance, WPA period, and Black Arts Movement, etc. Students graded on four short formal analysis papers and a final project.

Attributes: Art Produced After 1800, Fine Arts Requirement (CAS), Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 2320X - Art of the African Diaspora

3 Credits

We will discuss the visual and performing arts of artists of African descent from prehistory (Aksum) through the present-day (UK, Latin, America, US, Caribbean, & Africa). Students will be graded on three short essays, two formal analyses and one final project.

Attributes: African American Studies, Art Produced After 1800, Art Produced Before1800, Art History - Global Arts, Fine Arts Requirement (CAS), Global Citizenship (CAS), MLIC Elective, UUC:Identities in Context

AAM 2500X - Intergroup Dialogue

3 Credits

Intergroup dialogue provides a space for discussion and learning about issues of cultural and social differences, conflict, and community. Students will explore their own and others' social identities and ways of taking action to create change and bridge differences at both the interpersonal and the social/ community levels.

Attributes: Global Local Justice-Elective, MLIC Elective, Social Science Req (A&S), UUC:Identities in Context, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 2520X - Introduction to African Politics

3 Credits

Study of governments and political processes in Africa. Examines salient themes such as the nature of African traditional heritage; the colonial experience; nationalism and independence; the challenge of nation-building; African political parties; the role of the military and contributions of different theories to the understanding of African politics.

Attributes: Foreign Service Political Sci, Global Citizenship (CAS), Global Local Justice-Global, International Studies, International Studies-Africa, MLIC Elective, UG Pol Sci Comparative, Social Science Req (A&S)

AAM 2570 - Race, Gender, and Health Care

3 Credits

This course uses a multidisciplinary perspective to examine unequal access to and treatment by the health care system in the U.S. Without discounting other social identities, we will focus on race/ethnicity and gender as major determinants of people's disparate experiences with health care. The course will analyze aspects of the health care system that routinely give rise to these experiences, and examine how they help produce and perpetuate racial and gender inequality. The course will also raise questions about what counts as justice and individual rights, and discuss current policies and conditions through an ethical lens. (Offered occasionally)

Restrictions:

Students in the Madrid, Spain campus may not enroll.

Attributes: UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc, UUC:Identities in Context

AAM 2570X - Race, Gender, and the Ethics of Health Care

3 Credits

Attributes: UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc, UUC:Identities in Context

AAM 2800 - Making the Carceral State: The History of Mass Incarceration

3 Credits

This course will study the development of the carceral state as a system designed to criminalize, punish, and control African Americans post-slavery to the present. An examination of political, economic, and social factors will contextualize the history of mass incarceration and how institutions were structured and (re)structured to target and exclude Blacks. In this course, students will explore current reform movements and identify additional areas for change.

Attributes: African American Studies, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci

AAM 2900 - Intergroup Dialogue: Black Male Identity

3 Credits

This course deconstructs notions of the black male identity. Intergroup Dialogue is designed to provide a space for difficult discussions and for learning about issues of difference, conflict, and community through dialogue. Students will learn how to create change and bridge differences at both the interpersonal and the social/community levels. Students will be admitted upon the completion of a brief survey and with the approval of the professor.

Attributes: African American Studies, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 2930 - Special Topics

3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 2980 - Independent Study

1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Independent study topics are assigned which deal with selected problems in the African America experience. Offered every semester.

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 3200 - Cultures of the African Diaspora

3 Credits

This course will deepen students’ knowledge of the African diaspora through the study of what some scholars have called “Africanisms,” a broad term that seeks to capture the wide array of technical skills, artistic practices, religious and spiritual beliefs, philosophies, linguistic patterns, and epistemologies that derive from the African continent and take root around the world. Though many of these practices continue in the present day, they are as likely to be found throughout the African diaspora in places such as the Panamanian city Colón, the Brazilian state of Bahia, and New York City as they are in Africa.

Attributes: African American Studies, Social Science Req (A&S), Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn

AAM 3240X - History of Africa since 1884

3 Credits

This course explores the modern history of Africa since 1884. It focuses on the political, economic, and socio-cultural developments that have defined and characterized African societies since the late nineteenth century. Inventory of themes include: Africa in the age of New Imperialism, colonialism and its effects as well as misrepresentations, Africa and its Diaspora, trends and patterns in African nationalisms, Decolonization, and postcolonial challenges including, but not limited to, state and conflict, health and society, and economic development.

Attributes: Educ World History, Global Citizenship (CAS), World History, International Studies-Africa

AAM 3250 - Critical History of African American Education

3 Credits

The course will examine African Americans' educational experiences post-enslavement to the present. Students will understand: (1) Historically, the approaches to African American education; (2) Philosophies and themes undergirding African American education; and (3) Laws and policies around African American education. This course will explore these topics at the P-20 levels.

Attributes: African American Studies, UUC:Global Interdependence, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci

AAM 3270X - Dismantling Oppression: Exploring Equity & Inclusion

3 Credits

The course is an examination of social justice activities that seek to expose barriers created towards a realization of a more equal and just society. The focus is on differences and similarities in the experiences, needs and beliefs of people and includes perspectives on discrimination and oppression based on race, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, mental and physical disability, and/or spiritual orientation. This course focuses on human diversity within the context of anti-oppression framework in social work. The course also addresses how group membership affects access to resources, services, and opportunities and relates to risk factors for specific population groups.

Attributes: African American Studies, BHS-Professional, Social Science Req (A&S), UUC:Identities in Context, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Women's & Gender Studies

AAM 3300X - African American Literary Traditions II: After 1900

3 Credits

Examines African American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries including works of literature, essays, poems and short stories.

Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900

Attributes: Educ American Literature, Engl - Late Texts & Contexts, English Culture & Critique, Literature BS Requirement(CAS), UUC:Aesthetics, Hist & Culture, UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S), UUC:Writing Intensive

AAM 3310X - Intercultural Communication

3 Credits

Introduces the role of culture in the process of human interaction and encourages in-depth analysis of the unique challenges posed by inter-cultural encounters. Develops a better understanding of culture and the many ways in which it influences interaction between individuals and groups.

Prerequisite(s): Minimum Earned Credits of 15

Attributes: African American Studies, CMM Studies Explorations, CMM Studies Foundations, Global Local Justice-Global, International Studies, International Studies-Arts, UUC:Identities in Context, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci, Diversity in the US (A&S), Women's & Gender Studies

AAM 3330X - Literature of the African Diaspora

3 Credits

An introduction to the fiction and poetry of Black African and African -American writers.

Attributes: African American Studies, Educ American Literature, English Culture & Critique, Global Citizenship (CAS), International Studies, International Studies-Africa, Literature BS Requirement(CAS)

AAM 3350 - African American Religious Traditions

3 Credits

The purpose of this class is to expose the student to the historical and social nature of African American Religion. The course will cover the historical development of African American Religion from its African origins up to and including the Civil Rights Movement with some attention given to contemporary black liberation theology. Fall semester.

Attributes: African American Studies, Catholic Studies-Elective

AAM 3360X - Racial and Ethnic Relations

3 Credits

This class focuses on how races and ethnic groups in the United States differ in their access to economic, political, and social resources and manage the resulting tensions that arise as a result of such inequalities.

Attributes: Anthropology Elective, Global Local Justice-Domestic, Sociology Elective, Soc-Urban, Imm & Demog, Social Science Req (A&S), Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn

AAM 3510 - Theoretical Foundations of African American Studies

3 Credits

This course will utilize critical inquiry to help students uncover the theoretical foundations of African American Studies. The theoretical perspectives will be used to examine contemporary issues within the African Diaspora. Students will engage in learning opportunities that explore the historical, social, and political themes that interconnect the transnational experiences of African people. Students will be able to identify real-world problems and reflect on their position in the world. The course will help students understand various interdisciplinary knowledge sources fundamental to developing a global view of the challenges that impact different populations in the United States and abroad.

Attributes: African American Studies, UUC:Global Interdependence, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci

AAM 3610 - Civil Rights in America

3 Credits

The course examines the struggle to secure basic civil rights and civil liberties for African-Americans. This course examines the socio-economic, political and legal developments which brought about racial segregation and the institutional efforts to dismantle Jim Crow Society. Special attention will be given to modern civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Students Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which lead the civil rights struggle.

Attributes: African American Studies, Upper-Division US History, UUC:Identities in Context, Urban Poverty - Applied, Urban Poverty - Social Justice, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 3730 - African Diaspora Writing

3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

An introduction to the fiction and poetry of Black African and African American writers. Offered every semester.

AAM 3910 - Internship

1-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500^*

^* Concurrent enrollment allowed.

Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action

AAM 3913 - Atlas Internship

1-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

In this internship, students collaborate to coordinate SLU’s Atlas Program. The goal of the program is to increase awareness of contemporary global injustices and educate students of the responsibilities of global citizenship. The internship is designed to empower students to become effective leaders of social change. Permission of Instructor required.

Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500^*

^* Concurrent enrollment allowed.

Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action

AAM 3930 - Special Topics

1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 3980 - Independent Study

1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

AAM 4000 - Field Service - Community Activism in St. Louis High Schools

3 Credits

In collaboration with the Urban Financial Services Coalition, students will engage with finance professionals to assist in a financial literacy program. After four weeks of teaching at local high schools on money management, students will prepare presentations on topics that range from college 101, African American History and Studies.

Attributes: Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn

AAM 4200 - History of African American Cinema

3 Credits

Traces the history of African-Americans in the motion picture industry. Topics cover “black-face” minstrel stereotypes, wages, social and political opposition, organizing for representation, Blaxploitation, inter-racial casting and subject matter, and documentaries. A comparative study of Hollywood versus the Independent Filmmaker looks at 'Race Movies' and the first African-American film companies.

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 4320X - Communicating Across Racial Divisions

3 Credits

Focuses on the communication process in interactions between races in the United States, with emphasis on the relationship between Blacks and Whites. Examines how issues such as class structure, power and the history of race relations create barriers to effective communication and explores solutions to increase understanding.

Prerequisite(s): CMM 1000

Attributes: CMM Studies Explorations, CMM Studies Foundations, Global Local Justice-Domestic, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 4330X - Psychology of Oppression

3 Credits

The course teaches students how to understand the mechanisms that undermine the appreciation of multiculturalism and other forms of diversity in society. The perspective emphasizes how socially constructed definitions of various groups are used to distinguish sameness and difference among people. Topics include micro- and macro-level theories of oppression, the importance of ideology in oppressive systems, and theories of social change and liberation.

Attributes: Global Local Justice-Elective, Psychology BA Elective, Psychology Advanced Elec, Psychology BS Elective, Social Science Req (A&S), Urban Poverty - Social Justice, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 4340X - African American Psychology

3 Credits

The course reviews some of the theoretical perspectives in the psychological study of African Americans, examines some of the biases in past research, reviews current research in the field, and applies current theory and research to other areas of psychology (clinical, organizational, etc.)

Prerequisite(s): PSY 1010; Minimum Earned Credits of 30

Attributes: African American Studies, Psychology BA Elective, Psychology Advanced Elec, Psychology BS Elective, Social Science Req (A&S), UUC:Identities in Context, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 4350X - Stereotyping and Bias in the Mass Media

3 Credits

Examines debates over stereotyping and bias in the mass media. Considers the types of materials that have aroused charges of bias and surveys the historical, economic, political, and sociological perspectives that help explain stereotyping as a cultural practice.

Attributes: CMM JAMS Foundations, UUC:Global Interdependence, Diversity in the US (A&S), Women's & Gender Studies

AAM 4380 - POST 1900 AMERICAN LITERATURE

3 Credits

AAM 4400X - Em(body)ing Inequity: Marginalized in the Medical Sciences

3 Credits

This course examines the existing forms of systemic sexism and racism in the medical sciences from multiple perspectives including the patient experience, healthcare worker perspectives, prescription drug trials, and the medical research—through a historical and sociological lens. Taking an intersectional approach, we will discover the history between medical sciences with racism and eugenics, male-centeredness, and heteronormativity. The course will also take a close look at the history of women's reproductive healthcare as it relates racism, such as the birth control pill, maternal mortality rates, forced sterilizations, perceptions of pain, and access to healthcare.

Attributes: Social Science Req (A&S), UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc, UUC:Social & Behavioral Sci, Women's & Gender Studies

AAM 4800 - Civil Rights Era/Leaders

3 Credits

This course is designed to provide an interdisciplinary analysis of the contemporary Civil Rights Movement and the leadership that emerged. The course will examine selected primary works of the local and national events of the 1950's to 1970's. Students will engage in oral history interviews to collect local history. Offered occasionally.

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 4810 - Philosophy and Race

3 Credits

A critical examination of the philosophical bases of multiculturalism; the biological and socio-cultural significance of race; varied philosophical approaches to racial identity; the epistemic and ethical dimensions of interracial interpretation and prejudice; and the questions posed about the philosophical tradition by its relationship to victims of racial prejudice.

Attributes: African American Studies, Urban Poverty - Social Justice, Diversity in the US (A&S)

AAM 4890 - Language and Black Womanhood

3 Credits

A Black feminist examination of language and Black womens' lived experiences with specific attention to intersectional identities and strategies addressing disparities, the mandate for Black womens' strength, and language use by and about Black women across communicative contexts.

Attributes: African American Studies, CMM Studies Foundations, Urban Poverty - Cycles Exclusn, Diversity in the US (A&S), Women's & Gender Studies

AAM 4910 - Internship

1-6 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Prerequisite(s): (CORE 1000 or UUC Ignite Seminar Waiver with a minimum score of S); CORE 1500^*

^* Concurrent enrollment allowed.

Attributes: UUC:Reflection-in-Action

AAM 4930 - Special Topics

1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Attributes: African American Studies

AAM 4960 - Capstone Course

3 Credits

This synthesizing course provides an opportunity to integrate key concepts of African American Studies in a specific area of interest. Capstone projects are expected to demonstrate competence in critical thinking, inquiry skills, and the synthesis of knowledge through original research or field service project or artistic endeavor. Offered every semester.

AAM 4970 - Research Methods in African American Studies

3 Credits

Through the reading of major scholarly monographs and articles, students will learn and analyze methodological approaches to African American Studies. Students will then design independent research projects utilizing methodologies appropriate to the field. This course is open to African American Studies majors and by permission of the instructor.

AAM 4980 - Advanced Independent Study in African American Studies

3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

Independent study is conducted in select topics that deal with the African, African American, or Caribbean experience.

Prerequisite(s): (Minimum Earned Credits of 60)

AAM 5930 - Special Topics

3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)

AAM 5980 - Graduate Independent Study in African American Studies

1 or 3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)