Program Overview

The context of African American Studies is rooted in the initial mission of the discipline of Black Studies. Black Studies was created as an outreach of student activism on college campuses. Student activists partnered with other student organizations who were their allies as well as primarily Black faculty to have academic courses specifically addressing the historical and contemporary issues that impact African Americans. This movement worked to acknowledge and revise policies and practices that would create greater representation of Black faculty, staff, and students at the university, shift the culture of the institution to be more inclusive of its Black students and faculty, have a curriculum centered on the Black experience, and create a continuous engagement of students on college campuses and the communities they occupy. The goal of this African American Studies degree program will embody the mission of connecting the academic program with its community through embedded service-learning experiences, internships, and research that has a direct impact on the lived experiences of the people in its community.

Admission
Students are directly admissible to the African American Studies program upon their admission to Spalding University. Students who are conditionally admitted will be required to work directly with the program director to support their Student Success Plan and provide an addition to the network of supports available.

Academic Advising
Advising is provided by the faculty members to help students sharpen their goals, select courses and access academic support services within the University. The faculty will assist students with professional school applications. In collaboration with the Writing Center and Career Development, students will also receive support on their personal statements, resume/curriculum vitae, interviewing techniques, and job placement.

Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies requires a total of 120 credit hours for the degree. These hours are comprised of 52 credit hours of University Studies requirements, 42 credit hours of major courses, and 26 credit hours of general elective courses. The major courses include 18 credit hours of core courses in African American Studies, 9 credit hours of African American Studies electives, 15 credit hours of supplemental interdisciplinary electives, and 26 credit hours of general electives.

Students must be in good academic standing according to the guidelines outline in the University Catalog and complete all course requirements in order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies.

African American Studies Degree Requirements: 120 credit hours
University Studies (52 hours)
African American Studies Core Courses (18 hours)
African American Studies Electives (9 credit hours)
Interdisciplinary Electives (15 credit hours)
General Electives (26 hours)

African American Studies Core Courses (18 credit hours):

AAS 201 Introduction to African American Studies
AAS 205 Black Legacy Series   
HIST 383 African American History I
HIST 384 African American History II
AAS 400 African American Studies Research Methods & Capstone (12-week course)
AAS 401 African American Studies Internship (3-6 credit hours over 6 weeks)

African American Studies Electives (9 credit hours)
Students will select courses from the African American Studies course list below to meet the 9 credit hour African American Studies electives requirement for the Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies degree.

AAS 301 Policing the Black Experience
AAS 304 1980s War on Drugs and School-to-Prison Pipeline
AAS 345 Survey of African American Education
AAS 385 History and Socio-politics in Black Louisville

Interdisciplinary Electives (15 credit hours)

Students will select courses from the list below to meet the 15 credit hour interdisciplinary electives requirement for the Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies degree.

CJ    220 Race, Crimes, and Restorative Justice
CJ    225 Juvenile Justice and Restorative Justice
CJR 340  Black Males in the Criminal Justice System
ENG 364 African American Literature
ENG 383 Themes in Literature
HIST 290 Race, Gender, Health, Medicine
HIST 330 Jim Crow American
RS    218 African American Religion
SW   310 Oppression and Privilege

Assessment:
Student learning is assessed through a variety of measures, including objective examination, research and reflective writing, and self-assessment by the student. Students will also be assessed through the projects within the Research Methods and Capstone Course completed in the late junior/early senior year as well as their internship course. It is through these experiences students will be able to demonstrate the applicability of theories and concepts within a supportive learning environment and under the supervision of a faculty member.

Application and Student Engagement in Black Studies:
The African American Studies program at Spalding University is guided by the theoretical framework of “applied” Black Studies (also referred to as Applied Africana Studies). This framework guides the production of scholarship that is both centered and relevant to the needs and interests of people of African descent. In this respect, students are required to not only engage in scholarship that provides analysis of social issues within Black communities, but also work directly in these communities. Each student must complete an approved internship showcasing this direct community interaction.

Students are encouraged to be actively engaged within the classroom and most importantly to connect with other majors and minors within African American Studies outside of the classroom. These identified points of engagement enhance the overall student experience as well as their success as a student and their ability to transition their knowledge and skills into their work upon graduation. These experiences include, but are not limited to:

Ankh Maat Wedjau Honor Society: Through the National Council of Black Studies, eligible students will be annually nominated by African American Studies faculty and African American Studies affiliated faculty to the Ankh Maat Wedjau Honor Society. The purpose of this honor society is the promotion of scholarly study, research, publication and other scholarly activity in the field of Africana Studies among students at academic institutions, and among academic professionals in the field of Africana studies.

• Students nominated must be a major or minor in Africana Studies, Pan-African Studies or Black Studies, etc.
• They must have maintained a 3.5 grade point average (or an equivalent letter grade) in their Africana Studies coursework.
• They must have a 3.0 grade point average overall in all course work undertaken.
• Students must have completed a minimum of 60 semester credits or its equivalent and have undertaken a minimum of 12 semester units (or its equivalent) in their Africana Studies major or minor.
• Must be a member of NCBS.
• Must complete an application by the deadline submitting the required information and $25.00 induction fee.

Black Student Alliance (BSA): This is a recognized student organization with mostly an undergraduate Spalding student membership. The purpose of this organization is to embrace the African American experience through educating others on the African American experience, and work to improve the experience of students of color at Spalding. They offer a number of programs and events that work to create an inclusive environment for Black students and their allies that includes #ForTheCulture, an orientation for Blacks and students of color coming to Spalding University.

Elmer Lucille Allen Student Conference: This annual conference is named in honor of Elmer Lucille Allen who is a Spalding University alum with a legacy of being a trailblazer throughout the span of her life. This conference highlights the scholarship and activism of students taking African American Studies courses and/or working to expand the scholarly and community-centeredness of the African American experience. This event is offered each year in February as a signature event during Black History Month.

Sowing Seeds with Faith Program
The Sowing Seeds with Faith Program is based in Louisville and serves as a community driven summer tutorial program that addresses all levels of academic inquiry for youth K-12. In the summer of 2021, the program partnered with the African American Studies program for their 8-week program. One Spalding graduate in African American Studies and one Spalding student in African American Studies were hired to teach African American Studies to 120 Jefferson County Public School students. The curriculum that was taught was created and developed in the African American Studies program courses. In the process of the course development, it was proposed to establish a way for the 11th grade students to take apply Spalding credit to their completion of the class.

Program Sheet

Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies
African American Studies Minor