Associate of Arts in African-American Studies Merritt College

The focus of African-American Studies (AFRAM) is to assist students on a path of consciousness that ultimately leads to improving their lives and family and liberating our communities. The primary goals and objectives of the program are consistent with and enhance the overall Merritt College mission and have consistently sought to help community college students develop factual information, tools of analysis, and favorable attitudes toward the African-American struggle and the liberation of African people from powerlessness, poverty, and racism.

To qualify for the Associate of Arts in African-American Studies degree, students must satisfactorily complete the Degree Major requirements and the local AA/AS General Education requirements.

Note: Students should see a counselor at least once each semester to plan for their educational goal(s).

Peralta Colleges/Faiza Ali

Students who complete the degree will be able to:

• Examine research, ideologies, issues, and text from an African-Centered point of view that illuminates the uniqueness of the Black experience in a holistic and contextualized manner.
• Recognize and apply their identity and activism from a unified understanding of the race, culture, and heritage of African people.
• Exhibit a positive self and collective awareness of their race and heritage.
• Recognize the sources of personal attitudes and world views and deal constructively with issues that arise out of human differences. Combat and transcend the impact of over-generalizing and stereotyping.
• Develop a perspective and behavior that incorporates African-Centered thought into all areas of life; including family, work, community commitment, and social justice activities.
• Prepare to successfully complete academic work at the university/college they transfer to.
• Commit to the role they must play in combating oppression in the African world community. Enhance self-awareness about the power of collective action and the role of the individual in collective justice.

Degree Major Requirements:

Group 1: Family and Society

Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units

• AFRAM 5 The African American Family in the United States 3
• AFRAM 8 African-American Politics 3-4
• AFRAM 10 Sociology of African-Americans 3
• AFRAM 12 Psychology of African-Americans 3
• AFRAM14A Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3
• AFRAM14B Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3
• AFRAM16 The Prison Industrial Complex: African American Incarceration 3
• AFRAM19 Racism in the United States 3
• AFRAM38 Environmental Racism and Justice 3

Group 2: History and Economics

Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units

• AFRAM 4 The Black Panther Party: Strategies on Organizing the People 3
• AFRAM30 African-American History: Africa to 1865 3-4
• AFRAM31 African-American History: 1865-1945 3
• AFRAM32 African-American History: 1945 to Present 3

Group 3: Family and Society

Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units

• AFRAM25 Classical African Civilizations 3
• AFRAM27 Afro-Caribbean History, Politics, and Culture 3
• AFRAM 3 Ghana: Pan African Thought and the Struggle for Africa’s Liberation 3
• AFRAM18 African Heritage 3 of Latin America 3

Group 4: Family and Society

Select two courses from the following for a minimum of 6 units

• AFRAM33 The Roots of African-American Culture 3
• AFRAM39 Black World Films 3-4
• AFRAM41 African-American Writers (Fiction) 3
• AFRAM42 African-American Writers (Non-Fiction) 3
• AFRAM43 African-American Writers (Poetry) 3
• AFRAM45 Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships 3

Total Required Units for Degree Major: 23

Career paths comprise the same opportunities as any other humanities and social science degree — but with a knowledge of self and a commitment to community empowerment: scientists, business owners, nurses, medical professionals, corporate employees, artists, lawyers, politicians, community activists, psychologists, inventors, teachers, writers, and many other fields.