THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 2295S Date of Senate Approval 3/9/95 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Statement of Faculty Senate Action: APC Document # 18: Africana Studies Minor Effective Date: Fall 1995 (1995-96 Catalog) Add: On page 62 of the 1994-95 Catalog "Africana Studies (AFST) The Africana Studies minor at UNCA allows students to supplement existing UNCA majors. Africana Studies courses offer an interdisciplinary exploration of the centrality of humane values expressed in the thoughts and actions of Black people throughout the world. The program's aim is to encourage freedom of thought, excellence in scholarship and creativity of expression as fuller understandings are sought regarding the roles of Black people in society and culture. Africana Studies Minor 21 hours distributed as follows: AFST 130, 330, 430 and 12 hours selected from the list of course below. Special topics courses may count as electives in the minor with the approval of the Africana Studies Director. Courses must be taken from at least two different academic departments. 130 Introduction to Africana Studies (3) A survey of the disciplines that constitute Africana Studies. Students are introduced to the methodologies and basic contents of the fields that have shaped past and current understandings of Black people. Course offered in the Spring semester. 330 Field Practicum (3) A semester long project with participating public agencies or community service organizations. Background readings, practical experience and field observations and written reports are facets of this course. Students are expected to present reports at the end of the course. Prerequisite: AFST 130. Course offered on demand. 171.2, 271.3, 371.3, 471.3 Special Topics in Africana Studies (1-3) Courses not otherwise included in the catalog but for which there will be special needs. May be repeated for credit as subject matter changes. Courses offered on demand. 430 Senior Seminar in Africana Studies (3) Advanced readings in Africana Studies focusing on topics of pertinent interests. Interdisciplinary attention is given to current writings in the field. Prerequisite: Completion of 12 hours in Africana Studies. Course offered on demand. Africana Studies Electives Lit 244 African-American Literature Lit 358 Black Literature MCOM 362 Women & Minorities in Media MUSC 357 Jazz History POLS 341 Evolution of African-American Politics POLS 342 Contemporary African-American Politics POLS 361 Imperialism & Revolution in Colonial Africa POLS 362 Contemporary African Politics ANTH 215 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology SOC 221 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity SOC 322 African-American Culture and Society SOC 350 Sociology of the Third World Rationale: The University of North Carolina at Asheville is the only campus in the UNC system that has been classified as Liberal Arts I. This new and unique position allows a tailoring of the programs and curriculum to more adequately fulfill the university's mission. According to the university's Mission Statement, "The university is committed to a liberating education emphasizing the central role of humane values in thought and action, the free and rigorous pursuit of truth, and a respect for differing points of view and heritage. It aims to develop men and women of broad perspective who think critically and creatively and who communicate effectively." UNCA has progressed towards meeting this charge by instituting the Humanities minor in 1990, the Women's Studies Program in 1991 and International Studies in 1992. These programs supplement the university's regular academic offerings through various co-curricular activities while also allowing students to earn minors. Furthermore, one of the most attractive and important features of the campus is the interdisciplinary nature of its programs. For these and other reasons it seems appropriate to also offer students the opportunity to pursue a minor in Africana Studies. The establishment of an Africana Studies Program at UNCA agrees with a growing number of university campuses that have sought over the last twenty-five years to enhance the opportunities to teach and learn about the literature, history, culture and other particularities characterizing Black peoples. Initially, these early programs concentrated primarily on African-Americans with several also including the study of the peoples of Africa. These departments, centers, institutes and programs used "Afro-American", "African and African-American", and "Black" in the formal names. The University of California at Los Angeles, Harvard University, Yale University, The Ohio State University and Princeton University are examples of the foregoing. Today, as other campuses inaugurate programs while ongoing programs are revamped, there is a growing recognition that "Africana Studies" is a more appropriate title for the subject matters actually being found in the curricula and specialties of participating faculty. More importantly, though, scholarly research indicates exciting new developments resulting from the recognition of the close interconnectedness between Black peoples, nations and cultures of Africa, the United States, Caribbean, and Latin America. Even though an Africana Studies program at UNCA might, because of resource limitations, focus most directly on Africa-America, the opportunity must not be lost in establishing a program that is in sync with national developments. Columbia University and New York University are recent examples of programs recognizing, through, name and objectives the holistic and interwoven, multidisciplinary nature of the study of Black peoples. Afro-Hispanics and Afro-Europeans, for example, are subjects of increasing scholarly attention within Africana Studies. Interdisciplinary teaching and research is not new to UNCA. Instituting a program that allows for the coordinated, interdisciplinary study of Black peoples, however, would be an exciting addition to the campus' offerings while simultaneously, insuring that we are current with national scholarly developments. The following program is offered as a possible means to meet this end. Impact: If the Africana Studies Program is adopted, the university would need to provide three hours per semester of reassigned time for the Director. In order to lessen the weight that the Director's home department might at times be required to bear, it is strongly recommended that the Director teach at least one course in his/her home department. Other effects of the program on the personnel resources of the institution would include the addition of courses with topics in Africana Studies that are not listed in the 1994-95 catalog. A significant number of disciplines including History, Psychology, Art, Management, and Biology that are typically found in similar programs nationally will probably be asked to offer related courses at UNCA once this minor has been established. The addition of courses in these areas would enhance the multicultural components of the campus' offerings while also placing strains on the current resources of the campus. However, to not provide these offerings would be an important limitation of the deserved depth of the program. In order to better prepare faculty for teaching and advising students taking courses in Africana Studies it is expected that faculty development seminars be regularly offered by the institution. This would include seminars designed to allow faculty to study topics, discuss pedagogies and prepare courses that will be offered as minor electives or that will supplement other departmental and General Education courses. In addition, it is strongly recommended that Ramsey Library strengthen their ability to support the Africana Studies program by acquiring additional holdings in texts, audio/visual and other teaching and research materials. Faculty choosing to teach courses in Africana Studies will offer courses that are currently listed, by departments, in the University Catalog. However, faculty would also offer courses that would appear as "Special Topics". Both types of courses would be cross-listed in the upcoming semester's Schedule of Courses by appearing under departmental and Africana Studies offerings. Neither of these approaches is expected to require the addition of any new faculty positions. These approaches also should not demand that losses be incurred by departments as faculty choose to offer cross-listed courses. Obviously, cross-listed courses service department need by acting as electives available for students to fulfill the major.