African and African American Studies

Are you interested in a degree that can prepare you for a career on a global level? Do you want to study different cultures and political systems?

The bachelor of arts degree in African and African American studies is an interdisciplinary degree program housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. Its comparative focus and multidisciplinary emphasis complement many existing programs that seek to prepare undergraduate students for competitive careers and productive work in a global world of different cultures, political systems and economic infrastructures.

Students pursuing a degree in African and African American studies will develop a broad "perspective on human" values and ethnic diversity, as well as an understanding of the socio-political, religious and historical evidence related to African peoples, both in Africa and the diasporic communities of North America and the Atlantic world. Students are encouraged to combine a major in AAAS with others at East Carolina University.

A bachelor's degree in African And African American studies will allow students to pursue various careers in the public and private sector. Graduates go on to become lawyers or politicians, hold political office, become astronauts, entertainers, and teachers/professors, and serve as United States ambassadors, historians, journalists/writers, business managers, foreign service specialists, social workers, and museum curators/directors.

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Program Coordinator: Jarvis Hargrove (Brewster Building, 220-A; 252-328-1035; [email protected])

The major in African and African American studies is an interdisciplinary degree program housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.Its comparative focus and multidisciplinary emphasis complement many existing programs that seek to prepare undergraduate students for competitive careers and productive work in a global world of different cultures, political systems, and economic infrastructures. Students pursuing a degree in AAAS will develop a broad perspective on human values and ethnic diversity, as well as an understanding of the socio-political, religious, and historical evidence related to African peoples, both in Africa and the diasporic communities of North America and the Atlantic world. Students are encouraged to combine a major in AAAS with others at East Carolina University.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 s.h. as follows:

(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program section.)

(For information about the foreign language requirement view Special Requirements for the BA Degree in the Academic Advisement, Progression and Support Services  section and Placement Testing, Foreign Language in the Admission and Readmission section.)

• AAAS 1000 - Introduction to African and African American Studies
• AAAS 2500 - Theory and Methods in African and African American Studies
• AAAS 4000 - Senior Seminar

(Choose 9 s.h. from any one of the following concentrations and 12 s.h. from any combination of courses from the 3 concentrations to complete the 21 s.h. requirement.)

African Concentration:
• AAAS 2000 - Study Abroad
• ANTH 3003 - Cultures of Africa
• ART 2906 - West and Central African Art
• ARTH 3970 - African Art
• ENGL 3280 - African Literature
• GEOG 3050 - Africa
• HIST 3810 - History of Africa
• HIST 3820 - History of South Africa
• HIST 3830 - Africa and Islam
• POLS 3265 - African Political Systems
• RELI 3694 - Religions of Africa
African American Concentration:
• ARTH 3975 - African American Art
• DNCE 1013 - Jazz Dance I
• DNCE 1023 - Jazz Dance II
• ENGL 3260 - History of African American Literature
• ENGL 4340 - Ethnic American Literature
• HIST 3110 - History of African-Americans
• HIST 5230 - Themes in African American History
• HLTH 3020 - Understanding and Achieving Health Equity
• JUST 3700 - Race, Gender and Special Populations in the Criminal Justice System
• MUSC 2258 - History of Jazz Music
• PHIL 2455 - Introduction to Africana Philosophy
• POLS 3039 - Black Politics in America
• PSYC 2777 - Ethnocultural Psychology
• SOCI 1010 - Race, Gender, Class
• SOCI 4345 - Race, Ethnicity, Power, and Privilege
• SOCI 4347 - Social Inequality
Caribbean, Latin America and the Diaspora Concentration:
• ANTH 2760 - Afro-Caribbean Language And Culture OR
• LING 2760 - Afro-Caribbean Language and Culture


• ANTH 3016 - Cultures of the Caribbean
• ANTH 3115 - Caribbean Archaeology
• ENGL 4380 - Studies in African American and African Diaspora Literatures
• GEOG 3049 - Latin America
• HIST 3710 - Introduction to Latin-American History: Colonial Period
• HIST 3711 - Introduction to Latin-American History: Since 1808
• HIST 5130 - Comparative History of New World Slavery and Race Relations

For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

• African-American/Black Studies

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

• Self-employed;
• Work for the federal government, including the military: or
• Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.