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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.

Fall 2026

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

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

Find your next class

26 courses

Historical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.

This introductory survey covers African society, culture, polity, and economy from prehistory to contemporary developments using multidisciplinary perspectives.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of James Delehanty, Neil Kodesh: Workload includes heavy reading and essays or exams, but reviewers note these are manageable if students complete the assigned work.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

This course analyzes the retention of African elements in African-American oral, written, and material culture.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Introduction to African American Studies exploring its origins, early forms, and contributions to understanding the Black experience.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Survey of the characteristics and problems of African Americans in contemporary society.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Exams rely heavily on textbook readings and specific quotes, with lectures sometimes disconnected from course descriptions or led by guest speakers.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Examines the aesthetic and political evolution of hip-hop culture and its relationship to contemporary social issues.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

The course requires extensive reading, which forms the basis for three major papers that constitute the majority of the grade. While the reading volume is high, reviewers note the material is relevant and the papers are not overly difficult if the readings are completed.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

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

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Assessment structures vary, with some reviews citing two exams and one paper, while others describe grading based on three essays and discussion attendance without exams.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

AFROAMER 270 introduces selected topics in the African American experience, exploring key factors impacting current society.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sample

AFROAMER 271 is an introductory course exploring specific topics within African American culture.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Workload is low, consisting of weekly vocab quizzes and short writings graded easily, with exams focused on memorizing test bank questions.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Survey of the decisive role played by race in American politics, 1932-present.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Workload varies by term. Some students found exams comprehensive and time-consuming, while others noted fewer papers and manageable grading. One reviewer warned against expecting an easy grade, while others found the structure reasonable.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

AFROAMER 302 provides an in-depth treatment of a key theme in black historical studies.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Examines blackness in 1960s Black Arts Movement poetry and drama and the resulting critical discourse.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Anthony Black: Workload consists of pop quizzes and four short essays, with success dependent on reading and participation.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

AFROAMER 671 provides an intensive analysis of specific historical themes in African Americans' experiences.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

AFROAMER 673 provides an intensive analysis of specific societal themes within African Americans' experiences.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Michael Thornton: The course requires students to be ready to challenge their beliefs, indicating a significant intellectual workload focused on critical engagement.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

AFROAMER 699 is an advanced directed study course where students arrange specific projects with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

Introduction to comparative ethnic studies examining race, ethnicity, and indigeneity in the US.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Christy Clark-Pujara, Timothy YU: Workload includes readings and essays that some found easy to understand and grade. One reviewer noted completing only textbook readings for an A, while another mentioned three essays and a final exam.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to Afro-American Art is a historical survey examining the evolution of African American art from African heritage to the 1970s.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Requirements include one midterm with slide identification, three short reading summaries, and two longer analysis papers, with reading responses taking longer than expected.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Explores fundamental knowledge, theories, and methods in the transdisciplinary field of Visual Cultures.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

AFRO ASIAN IMPROV: FROM HIP HOP TO MARTIAL ARTS FUSION studies intersections of Asian American and African American dance and martial arts through practice and theory.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Students should expect significant weekly work, including rehearsals and writing, with strict attendance policies affecting grades.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Examines the influence of West African dance and music heritage on the development of hybrid cultural forms in the Americas through historical and social contexts.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Reviewers report a heavy weekly workload involving approximately 15 assignments and 50-100 pages of reading, with strict requirements for using quotes in written work.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

This course covers the civil rights history from 1930-1970, examining legal, historical, and economic origins and the movement's impact on US culture, politics, and international relations.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Historical reviews of Brenda Plummer: All tests and assignments are in the form of essays.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Surveys the medical and scientific constructions of race and racial theories within social and political contexts, focusing on racial science in slavery and colonialism.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2023

CIVIL RIGHTS: POLICING, PRISONS, VOTING, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT explores civil rights, discrimination, and legal constraints on government remediation.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.