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Table of Contents

Academic Life
A St. Olaf Education
The 4-1-4 Calendar
Academic Resources
Majors and More
Graduation Requirements
Campus Facilities

Academic Regulations
Entering St. Olaf
Transferring to St. Olaf/Transferring Courses
Registering for Courses
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Successful Study
Counting Courses and Credits
Academic Status
Curricular Regulations and Advice
Records/Policies
Leaving St. Olaf

The Academic Programs
How to Use This Catalog
Africa and the Americas
American Conversations
American Racial and Multicultural Studies
American Studies
Ancient Studies
Art and Art History
Asian Conversations
Asian Studies
Biology
Biomedical Studies
Chemistry
Chinese
Classics
Communication and Theater
Computer Science
Dance
Economics
Education
English
Environmental Studies
Family and Social Service
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Fine Arts
Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC)
French
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Great Conversation
Hispanic Studies
Historical Perspectives
History
Integrative Studies, Center for
Interdisciplinary Fine Arts
Interdisciplinary Studies
Japanese
Linguistic Studies
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Molecular Biology
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Nursing
Philosophy
Physical Education
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Religion
Romance Languages
Russian
Russian and Central European Studies
Social Studies Education
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Sociology/Anthropology
Spanish
Theatre
Statistics
Women's Studies

International and Off-Campus Studies
Overview
Programs Led by St. Olaf Faculty
Study/Service Programs
Student Teaching Abroad
Interim Courses
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Special Programs
Education Put to Work
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Admissions and Financial Aid
Admissions Procedures
Financing Your Education
Financial Aid Program

Life Outside the Classroom
Residential Life
Student Services
Co-Curricular Activities

People
Board of Regents
Emeritus Faculty and Staff Members
Faculty, 2000-01
Administrators, 2000-01

Facts and Figures
History and Heritage
Recent Statistics

College Calendar
2000-2001 College Calendar
2001-2002 College Calendar
2002-2003 College Calendar

Africa and the Americas

Director, 2000-01: Michael Fitzgerald, History, American history, African American history

Faculty, 2000-01: Joan Hepburn, English, African American literature, drama; Joseph Mbele, English, post-Colonial and Third World literature; Helena Pohlandt-McCormick, History, African cultural and social history, South Africa, African women’s history; Mary Titus, English, American literature

The "Africa and the Americas" program offers a concentration that integrates studies of African history and culture, the forced movement of African peoples to the New World, and the consequences of slavery and post-slavery relations in the United States. Throughout history, African and African American peoples have played a central role on the world’s stage, and they continue to offer perspectives critical to understanding the modern world. The concentration in "Africa and the Americas" provides students with the opportunity to study the ways in which Africans and peoples of African descent understand and interpret their respective experiences and their interactions with other cultures and traditions.

The Africa/African Diaspora experience has been most commonly expressed and understood through its history, arts, religion, and politics. As students explore the values and lifestyles deriving from communities of African heritage, they gain a fuller understanding of the significance of these communities’ contributions to the larger world.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONCENTRATION

The concentration requires a minimum of five courses. The interdisciplinary seminar Africa and the Americas 231 is required of all students electing this concentration. One course from an off-campus program may be offered, as may one independent study.

COURSES

REQUIRED SEMINAR

231 Africa and the Americas: The Diaspora Experience

Based upon courses from participating departments, the seminar introduces students to the historical and cross-cultural experiences of Africans and African Americans. It affords students the chance to engage in interdisciplinary interpretation and analysis and encourages them to interpret their own heritage in light of the African/African American experience. GE: ALS-L, MCS-G

ELECTIVE COURSES

Elective courses must be relevant to the focus of the concentration. For some electives, students may be required to negotiate specific assignments with the instructor and the concentration director. Other courses not identified in this list may also be acceptable, depending on the relevance of their content to the concentration.

  • American Racial and Multicultural Studies 121 Introduction to American Racial and Multicultural StudiesEnglish 245 American Racial and Multicultural Literatures
  • English 247 Post-Colonial Literatures
  • English 399 The Major Seminar (topics vary)
  • History 128 Women in African History: (Re-)production, Representation and Resistance
  • History 132 Slavery in the Americas
  • History 145 Civil Rights Revolution
  • History 242 African American History
  • History 244 America in the Civil War and Reconstruction Era
  • History 277 South Africa
  • History 345 American Seminar (topics vary)
  • Interdisciplinary 260 Dimensions of Multiculture (ACM Chicago — off-campus)
  • Music 237 World Music
  • Psychology 259 Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • Sociology/Anthropology 128 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  • Sociology/Anthropology 244 Race and Class in American Culture
  • Sociology/Anthropology 261 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective