African American and African Studies, B.A.

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Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page .

Requirements for Major

The African American and African Studies (AAS) major comprises nine courses (29 credits). These courses may include classes taken before declaration of the major. In order to declare a major, a student must have taken, or be enrolled in the following:

AAS 1010 - Introduction to African-American and African Studies I Credits: 4
AAS 1020 - Introduction to African-American and African Studies II Credits: 4
NOTE: Students must have an average of 2.0 in the major for it to be considered complete.

Course Distribution

The department designates courses as filling particular distribution categories. The major requires a distribution of courses in the following areas and levels, all to be selected from the list of approved courses posted on the Woodson Institute’s website:

AAS 1010 and AAS 1020, with a minimum grade of C in each course;
One course concerning race and politics;
One course in the humanities (art history, drama, English, French, media studies, music, philosophy, religious studies);
One course in the social sciences or history, in addition to AAS 1010 and AAS 1020 (American studies, anthropology, economics, history, linguistics, politics, psychology, sociology, studies in women and gender);
Three electives selected from a list of approved courses;
One course about Africa, which may be fulfilled by requirements (2), (3), (4) or (5) above or (8) below;
Three courses at or above the 3000 level in addition to the course that fills the 4000-level seminar requirement, which may be fulfilled by requirements (2-6); and
One 4000-level seminar requiring a research paper, the body of which should contain no fewer that 5000 words. This course may count toward requirement (6) above if applicable. Note that if the student has already completed this requirement, additional 4000-level courses may fill requirements (2), (3), (4) or (5) above. Independent Study courses cannot fill this requirement.

Each semester the Carter G. Woodson Institute publishes a list of courses that satisfy the above requirements. Students should speak with an advisor or with the Director of Undergraduate Programs if they have any questions about how to distribute these courses.

Students frequently find that African American and African Studies works well as a double major with another discipline. Up to two courses (18 credits) in another departmental major or minor may count toward an AAS major, if the courses are among those listed on the Woodson Institute’s website at http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/woodson/courses/index.html. Up to six transfer credits from relevant study abroad may be counted toward the major, with the advance written permission of the AAS Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Exceptions to any of these requirements are made only upon written petition to the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Distinguished Majors Program in African American and African Studies

The Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) in African American and African Studies affords qualified students the opportunity to do advanced research, and to receive, at graduation, the honor of “Distinction,” ”High Distinction,” or “Highest Distinction.” Third-year AAS majors with a superior academic record are encouraged to apply.

Entry into the program

Students are eligible to apply if they have achieved a GPA of 3.4 in all coursework prior to application for the program.
The applicant must obtain the agreement of a thesis supervisor. The supervisor may be any faculty member who offers courses that count toward the AAS major. The thesis supervisor must agree to direct the thesis research, and the applicant must submit the name one appropriate secondary reader.
Application should be made to the AAS Director the Distinguished Majors Program by filling out a one-page application form and attaching a one-to-two page proposal with a bibliography. A copy should also be submitted to the AAS Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Requirements for completion of the program

Satisfaction of all College requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Record with an overall GPA of at least 3.4.
Fulfillment of the requirements for the normal AAS major.
At least 3.0 credits of coursework must be successfully completed at or above the 4000-level in addition to the 4000-level seminar required of all AAS majors and the fall and spring DMP thesis seminars (AAS 4070 and AAS 4080). These additional 3.0 credits (minimum) at the 4000-level or higher must be drawn from courses that are approved to count toward the AAS major, though they need not be courses that would fil the 4000-level seminar requirement. Students who wish to count a 4000-level course that is not focused on Black Studies for this requirement will have to demonstrate how such a course would support the student’s thesis project through the submission to the AAS Curriculum Committee of a petition form.
Completion of a thesis of about 8,000 words or 40 pages.
Completion of the following courses during the fourth year:

AAS 4070 - Distinguished Major Thesis I Credits: 3 - taught by the student’s thesis advisor.
AAS 4080 - Distinguished Major Thesis II Credits: 3 - taught by the student’s thesis advisor.

Independent Study

AAS 4993 (Independent Study) allows students to work on an individual research project that culminates in a research paper, the body of which must contain no fewer than 5000 words. Students wishing to pursue this opportunity should obtain an AAS Independent Study Form on the AAS website, which explains the procedure and requirements. Students must propose a topic to an appropriate faculty member and review the Independent Study Form with the supervisor. After obtaining the supervisor’s signature on this form, the student must submit a copy of the completed form to the AAS Director of Undergraduate Programs. In consultation with the faculty member directing this course, non-traditional projects may be approved as long as the course director determines that the project is at least equivalent to a research paper containing a minimum of 5000 words. Independent Study courses cannot fill the 4000-level seminar requirement.

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Programs in AAS, at the Carter G. Woodson Institute, University of Virginia, 108 Minor Hall, P.O. Box 400162, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4162; (434) 924-3109; www.virginia.edu/woodson.