African American Studies

The undergraduate degree program in African American Studies exposes students to the social, political, and cultural history of African-descended people in the modern world. While its primary focus is on the United States, the program’s conceptual framework places African Americans within a broader global, diasporic dialogue about the evolving function of race in history as well as in the contemporary moment. With its interdisciplinary strengths in history, culture, and social and political institutions, the major provides students with skills in research, criticism, and writing that our graduates have taken to a variety of professional paths, including teaching, government and policy work, employment in mass media, professional schools (law, medicine, business), and graduate study in multiple fields.

Declaring the Major

Completion of, or enrollment in, the three following courses is required in order to declare the major: AFRICAM 4A, AFRICAM 5A, and AFRICAM 5B. For details regarding how to declare the major, please see the department's website.

Honors Program

To be eligible for admission to the honors program, a student must have completed at least two semesters at UC Berkeley and have attained senior standing with a GPA of 3.3 or higher in all University work, as well as a 3.5 GPA or higher in the African American Studies major. Students in the program are required to take the AFRICAM 195 senior capstone course to be completed in the fall semester of their senior year and must complete the AFRICAM 100 and AFRICAM 101 prerequisites for AFRICAM 195 (to be taken prior to or concurrently with AFRICAM 195).  Students must receive a minimum of a B or above in AFRICAM 195 to enroll in AFRICAM H195 (Honors Thesis) the following semester culminating in the completion of a senior honors thesis.

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