The African Diaspora Studies (ADS)* minor allows students to deepen their exploration, begun in the introductory ADW 111-112 sequence, about the foundational contributions of Africans and African descendants to the creation and development of the modern and post-modern worlds.
It provides students with an intellectual foundation that enables them to reflect upon and articulate their sense of identity in the context of the global presence of people and cultures of African origin. Special emphasis is placed on the intersections and connections among the various communities of African descent globally. The course sequence, which requires both scholarly and experiential engagement, seeks to prepare students to become members of a world community committed to positive social change.
*While African Diaspora and the World (ADW) provides knowledge relevant to African Diaspora Studies (ADS), ADW and ADS are separate and distinct programs. ADS is a program offering multiple courses and an interdisciplinary academic minor, while ADW is a first-year program exclusively offering Spelman’s signature ADW 111 and 112 courses.
African Diaspora Studies (ADS) Program
350 Spelman Lane SW
Atlanta, GA 30314
404-270-5486
sbusdiec@spelman.edu
Mon – Fri | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
To fulfill the requirements of the ADS Minor, students will complete six (6) courses for a total of twenty-four (24) credit hours. These six courses include two core courses, ADS 220 and ADS 242, along with four electives, two from the social sciences and two from the humanities and/or fine arts.
ADS 220 Discourses of the African Diaspora
ADS 242 Directed Reading
2 Social Science Electives
2 Humanities Electives OR 1 Humanities and 1 Fine Arts Elective
For additional details, including descriptions of the core courses and a list of approved electives, view the ADS College Bulletin Pages.
The scope of the ADS minor is multi/interdisciplinary and global and encompasses both historical and contemporary subject matter. Upon completion of the minor, students will be able to do the following:
Define and critically explain the terms “diaspora” and “the African diaspora."
Use “diaspora” and “the African Diaspora” as analytical and political terms and lenses for critically exploring phenomena (i.e., lived experiences, identities, continuities and discontinuities, events, etc.) observable across the global African diaspora.
Identify and describe different populations of the global African diaspora.
Explain perspectives related to key areas of inquiry, intellectual strands/schools of thought, and debates in African diaspora studies, including but not limited to: diaspora; Pan-Africanism; the Black Atlantic; Afrocentrism; social justice; black feminism; Africana womanism; black queer studies.
Define and apply key terms relevant to African diaspora studies (e.g., identity, race, ethnicity, culture, nation, blackness, etc.) to socio-cultural and political-economic phenomena.
Students pursuing the ADS Minor come from a variety of majors across all academic divisions of the college and, therefore, represent a diversity of intellectual interests and professional goals. Given the scope of African Diaspora Studies as a field in the larger academy and as a minor at Spelman, it is relevant to many professional paths, so students of African Diaspora Studies go on to deploy its knowledge and methods in a diversity of ways. For examples of careers and of individuals who have earned a degree in African Diaspora Studies or a related field (e.g., Africana Studies, African American Studies, Black Studies), see: What can I do with Black Studies?
Among numerous public figures who pursued African Diaspora Studies or a related field (e.g., African American Studies) as undergraduates are: actress Angela Bassett; director, producer, and screenwriter Ava DuVernay; journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones; physician and NASA Endeavor astronaut Mae Jemison; actress Sanaa Lathan; writer, creator, and “The Boondocks” cartoonist Aaron McGruder; lawyer and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama.
For additional insights into the field, see: Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD) and National Council of Black Studies (NCBS).
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