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AFROAMER

African American Studies

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Spring 2027

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

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22 courses

Critical interrogation of the relationship between HipHop and social justice, exploring concepts in Black studies and social theory.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introductory survey of African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments, covering nationalism and social change.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · James Delehanty

The workload included a heavy reading load, but exams and a five-page paper were considered manageable if students completed the assigned work.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to African and African-American linkages, analyzing retention of African elements in culture and examining race and self-determination in Africa and North America.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Examines the aesthetic and political evolution of hip-hop culture and its relationship to contemporary social issues, including US race relations and global popular culture.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Alexander Shashko

The course required extensive reading to succeed, with 75% of the grade determined by three papers that relied heavily on that material.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines the interaction between African American musical culture and its historical context from 1920 to the present.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Alexander Shashko

Grading relied on essays and discussion participation, with no exams reported. One student found the workload manageable, while another noted it involved more work than expected but remained very manageable.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to African American Literature analyzes major works of fiction, drama, poetry, and autobiography, focusing on historical, cultural, and biographical contexts.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Sandra Adell

Students of Sandra Adell read one short book per week and completed few writing assignments; staying on top of the reading from the start helped.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

In-depth study of major African American autobiographies to explore the Black American experience and individual responses to U.S. conditions.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Introductory course covering specific topics in African American culture.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Thulani Davis

The workload included 75-minute lectures followed by 50 to 100 pages of reading per week, with grades based on essays and attendance.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Survey of race's role in American politics from 1932 to present, focusing on the Second Reconstruction, Black Power, white backlash, and contemporary racial issues.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Alexander Shashko

The class consumed more time than expected, with comprehensive tests focusing on memorization. In one term, grades relied on Q&A participation and three reasonably graded papers.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Intensive literary criticism of major African American authors, emphasizing fiction and selecting works from one or two writers for close study.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Examines the relationship between slavery and capitalism in the US, focusing on the labor of enslaved people, the impact of capitalism on slavery, and the experiences of enslaved people.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Selected Topics in African American History offers an intensive analysis of specific historical themes in African Americans' experiences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Intensive analysis of societal themes in African American experiences, focusing on qualitative research in Black communities.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Michael Thornton

The course required students to be ready to challenge their beliefs during discussions, which students rated as moderately difficult.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Intensive analysis of specific cultural themes in African American experiences, focusing on contextual frameworks shaping cultural representations of race.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Introduction to Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Kathryn Sanchez

Lectures delivered a lot of information quickly, requiring diligent note-taking to succeed on tests. One student noted that multiple-choice questions often targeted small details mentioned only once during class.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Introduction to Afro-American Art surveys the historical evolution of African American art from its African heritage through the creativity of the 1970s.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Anthony Black

The course required one midterm with slide identification, three short reading summaries, and two longer analysis papers. While the midterm demanded memorization, the papers were short and manageable, and some students found the reading responses time-consuming.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Graduate course exploring variable topics in Visual Culture with analytic attention to gender, sexuality, and race.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Studies intersections of Asian American and African American dance and martial arts through an Afro Asian lens, focusing on fusion, choreography, and improvisation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Peggy Choy

Expect to spend several hours weekly on rehearsals and writing assignments, with a strict attendance policy limiting absences to two before grade penalties.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Survey of African American history from 1900 to the present, covering segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, late 20th-century changes, and the Obama presidency.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample