inline-defaultCreated with Sketch.
inline-defaultCreated with Sketch.
HomeUniversitiesProgramsStudents & Alumni
search
Students
Bachelors

African Cultural Studies, BS

University of Wisconsin
Madison , United States
Visit Program Website
Students
Tuition Fee
Not Available
Start Date
Not Available
Medium of studying
Not Available
Duration
Not Available
Details
About Program
About University
Gallery
Contact School
Details
Program Details
Degree
Bachelors
Course Language
English
About Program

Program Overview

African Cultural Studies, BS

The mission of the Department of African Cultural Studies is to research and teach the languages and expressive cultures of Africa and Africans around the world. Our faculty specialize in literature, history, music, film, critical applied linguistics, drama, diaspora studies, communications and new media.


Program Description

The undergraduate program emphasizes the development and application of analytical, linguistic, and research methods that enable students to work effectively and imaginatively across regions, languages, cultural forms, fields, and disciplines. A student majoring in African Cultural Studies is prepared for careers across the globe.


Coursework

Undergraduates study one of six languages offered by the department Arabic, Hausa, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba, and Zulu and combine their language study with popular courses in the humanities, literature, and ethnic studies. Students can also enroll in academic self-driven study for less commonly taught African languages. The department offers a wide range of course topics, including African literature and theater, contemporary cinema and music, Afro-Futurism, gender and sexuality, and internet and media studies.


Study Abroad

Majors are encouraged to study abroad in Africa during their undergraduate careers. Study abroad programs sponsored by UWMadison include semesters or full years in Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, and other African nations.


Admission Requirements

  • No application required.
  • All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare.
  • Courses required to get in: None
  • GPA requirements to get in: None
  • Credits required to get in: None
  • Other: None

University General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. These requirements include:


  • BreadthHumanities/Literature/Arts: 6 credits
  • BreadthNatural Science: 4 to 6 credits
  • BreadthSocial Studies: 3 credits
  • Communication Part A & Part B
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Quantitative Reasoning Part A & Part B

College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science (BS)

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. The College of Letters & Science allows this major to be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree requirements.


Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

  • Mathematics: Complete two courses of 3+ credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level in MATH, COMP SCI, or STAT subjects.
  • Language: Complete the third unit of a language other than English.
  • L&S Breadth: Complete 12 credits of Humanities, 12 credits of Social Science, and 12 credits of Natural Science.
  • Liberal Arts and Science Coursework: Complete at least 108 credits.
  • Depth of Intermediate/Advanced Coursework: Complete at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level.
  • Major: Declare and complete at least one major.
  • Total Credits: Complete at least 120 credits.
  • UW-Madison Experience: Complete both 30 credits in residence, overall, and 30 credits in residence after the 86th credit.
  • Quality of Work: Maintain a 2.000 GPA in all coursework at UWMadison and a 2.000 GPA in Intermediate/Advanced level coursework at UWMadison.

Requirements for the Major

The African Cultural Studies major consists of a combination of literature and culture courses and two semesters of an African language for a minimum of 32 credits. The major requirements are divided into three areas: Language, Literature and Culture, and Capstone Course.


Language

Complete one of the following language options:


  • AFRICAN 321 & AFRICAN 322: First Semester Arabic and Second Semester Arabic
  • AFRICAN 331 & AFRICAN 332: First Semester Swahili and Second Semester Swahili
  • AFRICAN 335 & AFRICAN 336: First Semester-A Language of Southern Africa and Second Semester-A Language of Southern Africa
  • AFRICAN 339 & AFRICAN 340: First Semester Summer Arabic and Second Semester Summer Arabic
  • AFRICAN 361 & AFRICAN 362: First Semester Hausa and Second Semester Hausa
  • AFRICAN 371 & AFRICAN 372: First Semester Yoruba and Second Semester Yoruba
  • AFRICAN 391 & AFRICAN 392: First Semester-A Language of West Africa and Second Semester-A Language of West Africa

Literature and Culture

  • Core course: AFRICAN 100: Introduction to African Cultural Expression
  • Intermediate/Advanced Literature and Culture: 12 credits from a list of approved courses
  • Literature and Culture Electives: 6 credits from a list of approved courses

Capstone Course

1 course from the following:


  • AFRICAN 403: Theories of African Cultural Studies
  • AFRICAN 405: Topics in African Cultural Studies

Residence and Quality of Work

  • 2.000 GPA in all AFRICAN and major courses
  • 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits, taken in residence
  • 15 credits in AFRICAN, taken on the UWMadison campus

Honors in the Major

Students may declare Honors in the African Cultural Studies Major in consultation with the African Cultural Studies undergraduate advisor. To earn Honors in the Major in African Cultural Studies, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major and the following additional requirements:


  1. Earn a 3.300 overall university GPA
  2. Earn 3.300 GPA in all AFRICAN and major courses
  3. Complete 15 Honors credits in the major, in residence, that includes: a. 9 credits in courses numbered 200 and above b. A two-semester Senior Honors Thesis in AFRICAN 681 and AFRICAN 682, for a total of 6 credits.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the African Cultural Studies major, students will be able to:


  1. Recognize canonical authors and texts, historical forms, genres, and structures, and recognize aesthetic and cultural concerns in Africa and its diasporas.
  2. Demonstrate their understanding of major theories, approaches, concepts, and current and classical research findings in African and diaspora literary and cultural studies.
  3. Develop a level of proficiency in the different ways of knowing Africa and the diaspora through language, literatures, and cultures.
  4. Understand their own learning processes and possess the capacity to intentionally seek, evaluate, and learn from information, and recognize and reduce bias in their thinking.
  5. Effectively retrieve and comprehend primary sources in English and African languages, and secondary sources from a range of disciplines.
  6. Develop or improve speaking, listening, writing, reading skills in an African language, and integrate these skills to communicate effectively.
  7. Communicate effectively through essays, oral presentations, and discussion, so they may share their knowledge, wisdom, and values with others across social and professional settings.
  8. Show knowledge of conventional rhetorical strategies, and integrate research by other authors while distinguishing between their own ideas and those of others.
  9. Write and speak across disciplinary boundaries with regard to existing research about Africa and the diaspora in the humanities and social sciences.
  10. Discuss cultural texts from various theoretical and critical perspectives, formulate ideas and make connections between literary/cultural concepts and themes.
  11. Demonstrate command of the terminology and methodology of cultural studies, construct complex arguments, and use primary and secondary sources to support arguments.

Four-Year Plan

This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests.


First Year

  • Fall: First semester AFRICAN language, AFRICAN 100, Communication Part A, Biological Science Breadth
  • Spring: Second semester AFRICAN language, AFRICAN/AFROAMER 233 or 297, Quantitative Reasoning Part A, Physical Science Breadth

Second Year

  • Fall: AFRICAN 201, 202, 203, or 204, Social Science Breadth, Science Breadth, Continue language study for BA/BS OR Elective
  • Spring: One AFRICAN or related course at Intermediate level, Quantitative Reasoning Part B, Social Science Breadth, Continue language study for BA OR Elective, Elective

Third Year

  • Fall: One AFRICAN or related course at Intermediate level, Social Science Breadth, Science Breadth, Elective, Elective
  • Spring: One AFRICAN or related course at Intermediate level, Social Science Breadth, Elective, Elective, Elective

Fourth Year

  • Fall: One AFRICAN or related course at Intermediate level, Elective, Elective, Elective, Elective
  • Spring: AFRICAN 403 or 405, Elective, Elective, Elective, Elective

Advising and Careers

Declare or Cancel This Major

Please follow the process described on the African Cultural Studies website.


Advising

If you like to plan, seeing your major advisor is very important; it can make the difference between fitting in certain courses before you graduate. Many students also try to complete more than one major or certificate, and discussing how you might be able to reach this goal is another primary role of your major advisor.


Careers

Humanities majors develop a wide variety of skills and talents, so they're prepared for just about any type of career or educational pursuit. Our coursework builds the critical thinking and communication skills needed to succeed in careers ranging from politics and education to business and law.


See More