Fact Sheet 07: African Lit Minor

Revised June 2007

African and African American Literature Minor

The African and African American literature minor started in 1988, provides a literary and systematic way of examining issues of race, class, gender, and culture. It adds depth and provides a framework for scholarly inquiries into African and African-American thought and letters. This program is responsive to the demand for a curriculum that reflects the multiplicity of experiences and diverse voices within African and American cultures. Our concentration is the first and only one of its kind in the State System of Higher Education, thus providing you, as a student, with a unique opportunity to engage in an intellectually and culturally stimulating field of study. The African and African American literature minor will enhance the career opportunities of all majors, in view of the growing need for multicultural understandings in all aspects of contemporary life, especially in the workplace.

Requirements

The African and African American literature minor is an 18-semester-hour program in literary and cultural theory and criticism. You can combine the minor with any undergraduate major. You will begin the program with six semester hours of required literary study. One-third of the electives must be at the upper division (300 level or above), and you must take a senior seminar (400 level) as a capstone experience to your minor concentration.

Special Study Opportunities

You can undertake individual projects in conjunction with the Frederick Douglass Institute as part of the requirement for a particular course. You also can participate in the WCU/University of Ghana, West Africa, exchange program. In addition, the University will offer (subject to resource availability) a summer study and cultural experience in Ghana. You may earn credits through these programs.

Typical Courses

African Literature
African American Film
African American Literature I
African American Literature II
African American Literature and Literary Theory
Black Women Writers of America
Folklore in African Literature (Seminar)
Frederick Douglass: Autobiographical Acts (Seminar)
Harlem Renaissance
Interrelationships of African and African American Writing (Seminar)
The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Poetry and Criticism of the Black Arts Movement (Seminar)
Post-Colonial Narrative (Seminar)
South African Resistance Literature (Seminar)

Participating Faculty

A complete listing is available on our Web site at http://wcupa.edu/_academics/sch_cas.eng.

For More Information

Dr. C. James Trotman
Chair, African and African-American Minor Committee
Department of English
529 Main Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2959
E-mail: jtrotman@wcupa.edu