African Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that covers African topics through a coordinated set of courses offered in the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, Ethnic Studies, History, Literature, Music, Political Science, Sociology, Theatre Arts, and Visual Arts. In addition to the offerings at UCSD, opportunities for further study in Africa and Europe are avail- able through the University of California Education Abroad Program and the UCSD Opportunities Abroad Program. Students develop a broad background in African histories, societies, cultures and politics. A minor in African Studies signals a candidate with a strong global perspective and offers a competitive edge in career and academic possibilities.

A minor in African Studies consists of six total courses.
Take a minimum of one course from Groups A, B, and C,
but take no more than four courses in any one department.
Detailed course descriptions are available in the course
catalog and up-to-date class information is available
through the departments.

African Studies Minor
Spring 2025 Course Offerings

We are gearing up for AAASRC’s 31st Anniversary Awards Banquet on Friday, May 30, 2025 at 5:00 pm at the Atkinson Pavilion of the UCSD Faculty Club. As usual, the Banquet will begin with a meet-and-greet hour in the courtyard and will then move into the building t 6:00 pm. The donor link is https://giveto.ucsd.edu/giving/home/gift-referral/87b36118-eb31-4014-a657-60e8fe032349/ If you have trouble clicking on the link, you may go to the main Give to UCSD page and enter AAASRC in the Fund Search box and select the fund from the search results.

Our keynote speaker this year is UCSD alumna, Sabrina Strings, Ph.D. (Professor and North Hall Chair of Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara). Her research examines race, gender, and embodiment in science, media, and medicine. She has been featured in dozens of venues, including BBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, NowThis!, Essence, Vogue, TIME, and The New York Times. Professor Strings is also featured in the Netflix docuseries, “The Black Beauty Effect.” She is the author of the award-winning book Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU Press, 2019). Her second book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism and the Death of Romance, is the subject of her keynote address for AAASRC’s Awards Banquet. More information about Professor Strings may be found on her website at: https://www.sabrinastrings.com.

The Banquet will honor the outstanding achievements of African Studies students, faculty, staff, and community members.  Tables of eight are available for purchase for $650.00. Support for individual students is $25.00. Early bird ticket purchases are due by Thursday, May 8, 2025 at $81.25 a piece. Day of Ceremony Tickets will be available in a very limited number for $85 each.

We look forward to seeing you at this very exciting event.
With all the best, 

Bennetta Jules-Rosette
Distinguished Professor of Sociology
Director, African and African-American Studies Research Center
University of California, San Diego
858-534-9063
fax: 858-534-4753
bjulesrosette@ucsd.edu

and

Lea Marie Ruiz-Ade
Social Media Chair, AAASRC

Professor Bennetta Jules-Rosette, Director
African and African-American Studies Research Center Presents

Labor in Apartheid and Post Apartheid South Africa
ERC Provost Ivan Evans

Thursday, February 13, 2025
3:30 PM
SSB 101
Join via Zoom https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/94446215470

Provost Ivan Evans (ERC) will present a lecture, film clips, and a discussion concerning government repression during the Apartheid Era (Sharpeville, 1960) and the Post-Apartheid Era (the Marikana Massacre, 2012), as well as the treatment of illegal miners in 6,000 abandoned mines in 2024. Patterns of violence and redress will be examined in a comparative perspective.

AAASRC 2025 Black History Month

Professor Bennetta Jules-Rosette, Director
African and African-American Studies Research Center Presents
Dance & Drumming Workshop
with Gene Perry

February 20, 2025
3:30 – 5:00 PM
SSB 101

Master Drummer Gene Perry will present an Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin Dance and Drumming Workshop with practical applications of the musical rhythms and dances from various regions, with UCSD African Studies students.

Light refreshments will be served.

AAASRC 2025 Black History Month

AAASRC is thrilled to announce that our Director, Bennetta Jules-Rosette (Distinguished Professor of Sociology, UC San Diego), and our Board Member, J.R. Osborn (Associate Professor, Communication, Culture & Technology (CCT), Georgetown University), received recognition for their book, African Art Reframed (University of Illinois Press, 2020). The Arnold J. Rubin Outstanding Publication Award was presented at the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA) Triennial in Chicago this month.

Join us in celebrating Black History Month 2018 with a film screening of War Witch accompanied by a roundtable discussion Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 4:00 PM.

This 2012 film, directed by Kim Nguyendeals with the dilemmas of a twelve-year-old girl who is forced to become a child soldier in Congo (DRC). A panel led by Provost Ivan Evans and the AAASRC Board will discuss the film. Running Time For the Film: 90 minutes.

Admission is free and open to the campus community and the general public. Light refreshments will be served.

Link to Facebook event here.