Undergraduate Bulletin - Loyola Marymount University

African American
Studies
Faculty
Acting Chairperson: Ronald K. Barrett
Assistant Professor: Dionne Bennett
Objectives
African American Studies is an interdisciplinary department
with a worldview grounded in the perspective of Africa
and the Diaspora. This worldview forms the basis of our
intellectual, theoretical, and methodological approaches.
The objective of African American Studies is to understand
the forces that impact the lives of people of African descent
in America as well as the influences of African descent
on America and beyond. The Department’s curriculum
challenges students to integrate knowledge and analytical
skills from disciplines such as sociology, history, literature,
political science, philosophy, and economics so that a more
holistic understanding emerges.
By examining the lived experiences of Africans in America
and throughout the Diaspora from the perspective of various
disciplines, students develop a deeper understanding of
themselves and their interactions within a diverse society.
Thus, African American Studies provides students with
an excellent preparation for graduate study, professional
schools, social advocacy and activism to promote social
justice, and numerous employment opportunities (e.g., law,
education, counseling, entertainment, social work, public
relations, business, etc.) that require a Bachelor of Arts
degree.
African American Studies Student Learning
Outcomes
By virtue of exposure to African American Studies courses,
African American Studies students should know:
• The general history of African American people in
the U.S. and the Diaspora
• The significance of the concept of an African
worldview and its significance to African
American-centered scholarship
• How to conduct social science research and to
interpret scientific data
• The basic research questions posed by the various
disciplines contributing to a better understanding
of the African American experience
• The value of embracing the concept of diversity in
the modern and complex world in which we live
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES / 89
• The pathways to graduate schools and professional
careers provided to a major or minor in African
American Studies
• The scope and content of African-centered
knowledge systems;
African American Studies students should be able to:
• Effectively employ social science methodologies
in the analysis of issues related to African
Americans
• Demonstrate written and oral competencies in
the analysis of theories and practices
• Identify and utilize appropriate primary data,
including census and demographic data
• Apply their understanding of social issues to the
development and critical analysis of programs
and policies that impact residents in rural and
urban areas
• Develop a basic knowledge and appreciation of
the Black Aesthetic
• Develop an understanding of the forces that
negatively impact the Black family and other
institutions in the Black community;
African American Studies students should value:
• The contributions of Black people to America and
to world civilization
• The importance of diversity in a complex world
• Critical thinking as an important problem solving
skill
• Community service and service learning as
meaningful activities
• The dignity of all human cultures.
Major Requirements
Lower Division:
AFAM 115
AFAM 150
AFAM 155
One course in research methods chosen from the
following:
AFAM 208
POLS 210
SOCL 109