The minor in African, African American, and Diaspora (AAAD) Studies broadens students' world perspectives by enhancing their acquaintance with and understanding of the peoples, cultures, and institutions of Africa and the African Diaspora. The AAAD program engages cross disciplinary approaches to understand and to encounter Africa and the African Diaspora in a global context. The cross disciplinary character of the program is further enhanced by the fact that courses taken to fulfill program requirements are drawn from several departments. From these course offerings, students will examine and engage with some of AAAD Studies key contributing disciplines, concepts, methods and topics including the development of new identities.

The minor program in AAAD Studies is open to all undergraduate students at JMU. Courses taken to complete the AAAD minor can also be used to satisfy the student's major, as well as General Education requirements.

Core Classes

AAAD 200: Introduction to African, African American, and Diaspora Studies 

Section 0001 | Rachel Rhoades 

Section: 0002 | Jaimee Swift 

AAAD 489: African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Senior Research Experience 

Section 0001 | Rachel Rhoades 

Minor Elective Classes  

AAAD 401: Internship in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies 

Section 0001 | Case Watkins  

Section 0002 | Case Watkins  

Section 0003 | Case Watkins   

ELED 310: Diversity Equity and Justice in Elementary Education 

Section 0001 | Kara M. Kavanagh 

Section 0002 | Kara M. Kavanagh 

REL 300: Christianity in Africa  

Section 0001 | Jennifer Aycock 

ENG 408: Local Black Literature  

Section 0001 | Mollie Godfrey

ENG 302: Special Topics in Literature and Language Egyptian Literature  

Section 0001 | Sofia Samatar

ARTH 426: NEW AFRICAN DIASPORA ART 

Section 0001 | Aderonke Adesanya

ENG 408: Advanced Studies in African American Literature 

Section 0001 | Mollie Godfrey

DANC 246: Intermediate Jazz 

Section 0001 | Matthew Pardo 

DANC 446: Advanced Jazz 

Section 0001 | Matthew Pardo

FR 447: Special Topics in Francophone Culture: Francophone Cultures Through Cinema 

Section 0001 | Amina Saidou

HIST 307: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade 

Section 0001 | Bill Van Norman

HIST 470: Modern Africa 

Section 0001 | David Owusu-Ansah 

HON 200: Special Topics in Honors 

Topic: Black Poetry in Performance  

Section 0006 | Kwyn Townsend Riley

MUS 240: Jazz Improvisation Laboratory I 

Section 0001 | Greg Thomas

MUS 255: Jazz Theory 

Section 0001 | Masayoshi Ishikawa 

MUS 346: Large Ensemble Jazz Arranging 

Section 0001 | Chuck Dotas

MUS 440. Jazz Improvisation Laboratory II 

Section 0001 | Adam Larrabee 

Section 0002 | Masayoshi Ishikawa 

Section 0003 | Bob Hallahan

MUS 446: Jazz Composition 

Section 0001 | David Pope

MUS 473: Jazz Ensemble Procedures and Techniques 

Section 0001 | Greg Thomas

MUS 498: Selected Topics in Music: Racism in Popular Music 

Section 1201 | Joseph Taylor

PHIL 103. Introductory Topics in Philosophy: What is racism?  

Section 2101 | Alberto Urquidez

Core Classes

AAAD 200: Introduction to African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

Section 0001 | Rachel Rhoades

Section 0002 | Amina Saidou

Section 0003 | Kathryn Hobson

Section 0004 | Diane Phoenix-Neal

AAAD 489: African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Senior Research Experience

Section 0001 | Rachel Rhoades | TBA | TBA

Minor Elective Classes 

AAAD 401: Internship in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies

Section 0001 | Case Watkins

Section 0002 | Case Watkins

Section 0003 | Case Watkins

ARTH 424: Arts of Ancient Egypt

Section 0001 |  Aderonke Adesanya

ARTH 426: Advanced Topics in Cross-Cultural Art

Topic: New African Diaspora Art

Section 0001 |  Aderonke Adesanya

EDUC 310: Teaching in a Diverse Society

Section 0001 | Diana Meza

Section 0002 | Diana Meza

Section 0003 | Ruthie Bosch

Section 0004 | Ruthie Bosch

ENG 239: Studies in World Literature

Section 0001 | Debali Mookerjea-Leonard

ENG 260: Survey of African American Literature

Section 0001 | Mollie Godfrey, Courtney Swartzentruber

ENG 302: Seeding the Future with Black Poetry & Creative Writing

Section 0002 | Erica Cavanagh

ENG 362: African American Poetry

Section 0001 | Mollie Godfrey

HIST 365: Topics in Connected History

Topic: Africa & Global Connections

Section 0003 | David Owusu-Ansah

HIST 401: Research Capstone Topics

Topic: Problem of Slavery in Early US

Section 0003 | Kevin Hardwick

HRD 123: Developing Multicultural Competency for Effective Facilitation

Section 0001 | TBA

JUST 328: Race, Class, and Justice

Section 0001 | Gianluca De Fazio

JUST 357: Environmental Justice

Section 0001 | Case Watkins

MUS 240: Jazz Improvisation Laboratory I

Section 0001 | Greg Thomas

MUS 305: Jazz Keyboard Skills

Section 0001 | Masayoshi Ishikawa

MUS 345: Small Ensemble Jazz Arranging

Section 0001 | Chuck Dotas

MUS 356: History of Jazz in America

Section 0001 | Andrew Connell

MUS 440. Jazz Improvisation Laboratory II

Section 0001 | Adam Larrabee

Section 0002 | Masayoshi Ishikawa

POSC 326: Civil Rights

Section 0001 | Jennifer Byrne

POSC 341: Social Movements in the US & Abroad

Section 0001 | Kristin Wylie

POSC351: Topics in American Politics: Race and Capitalism

Section 0003 | Brentus Green | MW 3:25-4:40 | Miller 2180

POSC 376: Introduction to Black Politics

Section 0001 | Jaimee Swift

POSC 377: Global Black Feminist Politics: On Power, Resistance and Transformation

Section 0001 | Jaimee Swift

SOCI 354: Social Inequality

Section 0001 | Bethany Bryson

UNST 300: Integrative General Education 

Topic: The Unfinished Journey Of People Of Color

Section 0005 | H Gelfand