Ethnic and Area Studies (B.A.) with African and African American Studies Concentration

Program Overview

Director: Bernardo Michael

The mission of the Ethnic and Area Studies Major is to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of culture and in-depth knowledge of at least one culture or a cultural/racial/ethnic tradition so that students can apply this knowledge in church and society to become effective agents of social justice and reconciliation. Students take a shared set of courses from multiple disciplines to develop a broad understanding of culture and also choose a concentration in a particular ethnic/geographic area to complete a total of 36 credits. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out appropriate cross-cultural/study abroad experiences in their particular area of study.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates from Messiah’s Ethnic and Area Studies program can:

1. Explain theories of culture, ethnicity, race, and identity.
2. Articulate the significance of cultural diversity in America and in other world cultures.
3. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the historical experiences and contemporary challenges of at least one ethnic/racial/cultural group or of the culture associated with a specific area of the world (i.e. Middle Eastern Studies, Chinese Studies, etc.).
4. Identify the sources of cultural conflict and employ means of resolving cultural conflict.
5. Develop a significant research project grounded in a research question they develop that reflects their learning and intellectual or applied interests in the field.
6. Write an extended and well-researched argument using effective prose appropriate to the discipline.

7. Demonstrate how disciplinary knowledge contributes to the pursuit of a career and/or graduate study.

8. Identify a variety of Christian theological perspectives on culture and cultural diversity and articulate their own theological understanding of these areas.

Major Requirements

Complete the following for your major:

African and African American Studies Concentration

15 credits from the following:

Note: Students are encouraged to seek out appropriate cross cultural/study abroad experiences in their area of study.

QuEST Requirements