# African American Studies (AFRAM) courses

Merritt College · 2026-2027 Catalog · 27 courses

Source: https://mc.curriqunet.com/catalog/iq/48441/48769/49120/49121/49176

"Offered" lists sections in this catalog year's class schedules: Fall 2026.

### AFRAM 2 — Black Economics

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Concentration on those areas of the U.S. economy that affect African Americans the most: Economic contributions of slave labor; the connection between race, gender and wages, Black entrepreneurs, philosophies of economic empowerment, globalization, and a critical examination of capitalism and socialism from an African-centered perspective.

### AFRAM 3 — Ghana: Pan-African Thought and the Struggle for Africa’s Liberation

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Study of Pan-African thought and worldwide African unity: Pan-African ideas and movements with a focus on Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana’s independence; particular attention on the history, culture, and current conditions of the people of Ghana.

### AFRAM 4 — The Black Panther Party: Strategies on Organizing the People

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6;

In-depth examination of the Black Panther Party: Origins, philosophy, leaders, organizing strategies, community programs, FBI surveillance, and long term impact.

### AFRAM 5 — The African American Family in the United States

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

History related to the formation of the black family: From slavery to the current debates about the structure of black families. Examination of effects of larger demographic, political and social changes on African American families.

### AFRAM 8 — African American Politics

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Analysis and understanding of major trends and developments in the politics of African Americans: Emphasis on African American politicians within the two-party system.

### AFRAM 10 — Sociology of African-Americans

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Sociological analysis of African-American society in the United States: Political, economic, religious and judicial systems as they affect African-Americans; emphasis on recent African-American socio-political movements.

### AFRAM 11 — Perceptions of the African American Male in America

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

The African American male in the history of the United States: Roles in sports, economics, entertainment, military, politics and family structure.

### AFRAM 12 — Psychology of African Americans

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Principles of psychology related to African American racial identity: Examination of mental health services; coping strategies; African centered theories of black psychology; and the impact of race, class and gender upon psychological states of being.

### AFRAM 14A — Social Psychology of African American Male/Female Relationships

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Exploring the dynamics of African American male/female relationships: Self-actualization, handling conflict in relationships, building a foundation for healthy relationships.

### AFRAM 14B — Social Psychology of African-American Male/Female Relationships

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Exploration of the dynamics of African-American male/female relationships: Study of male-female interpersonal communication skills.

### AFRAM 16 — The Prison Industrial Complex: African American Incarceration

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Overview of the criminal justice system and the growth of the prison industrial complex in the United States as it affects the African American community including: Arrest, trial, sentencing , incarceration and private industry profits.

### AFRAM 18 — African Heritage of Latin America

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4;

Also offered as M/LAT 32. Not open to students who have completed or are currently enrolled in M/LAT 32. Survey of the influence of African people throughout Latin America: Culture; music, language, religion and dance; examination of slavery, colonialism, resistance and independence movements in the region.

### AFRAM 19 — Racism in the United States

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **C-ID:** SJS 110
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4, 6;

Also offered as ASAME 19, M/LAT 6, and NATAM 19. Not open for credit to students who have completed or are currently enrolled in ASAME 19, M/LAT 6, or NATAM 19. Exploration of the development of modern racism in the United States: Economic, socio-cultural, and psychological implications; and resistances to its effects from African-American, Asian-American, Mexican and Latin-American and Native American perspectives.

### AFRAM 23 — Perceptions of African American Women

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Study and application of the historical role African American women have played in the development of this country from its inception.

### AFRAM 25 — Classical African Civilizations

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4;

History, development, and contributions of classical African civilizations of the Nile River Valley (Kush, Nubia, Egypt): Examination of the scientific contributions, social and political structures, religious philosophies, artistic techniques, and technological innovations that these civilizations have made to world culture and history from 4,000 BCE to 30 BCE.

### AFRAM 30 — African American History: Africa to 1865

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 3 sections (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4, 6; CSU area US1; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4, 6;

Survey of the experience of African Americans from their origins to the end of the Civil War: Emphasis on political, social and cultural developments, and change.

### AFRAM 31 — African American History: 1865-1945

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4, 6; CSU area US1; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4, 6;

Survey of the experience of African-Americans in the United States from 1865 to 1945: Emphasis on Black Reconstruction, African-American nationalism, racism, and the impact of the Depression and World War II.

### AFRAM 32 — African American History: 1945 to Present

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4;

Survey of the experience of African Americans in the United States from 1945 to the present: Emphasis on the Civil Rights movement and other contemporary issues.

### AFRAM 33 — The Roots of African-American Culture

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B, 4;

Historical dimensions of the African-American experience: Emphasis on formation of a distinctive African-American culture.

### AFRAM 38 — Environmental Racism and Justice

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 4;

Also offered as ENVMT 12. Not open for credit to students who have completed or are currently enrolled in ENVMT 12. American and global environmental policy and ethics concentrating on their impact on minorities and people of color: Unequal environmental protection; the politics of pollution, race and waste dumping; and the intersection of the Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Movements with an emphasis on civil rights, social justice, white supremacy, and the impact of the Environmental Movement on people of color.

### AFRAM 39 — Black World Films

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B;

Examination of the image of African Americans in Hollywood films past and present: African-centered analysis for evaluating movies, which expands our understanding of Black film makers in Africa and the Western world including the Caribbean and South America.

### AFRAM 41 — African-American Writers (Fiction)

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B;

African-American fiction writers: Emphasis on the African-American novelist and playwright; analysis of the development of each genre and the themes used.

### AFRAM 42 — African-American Writers (Non-Fiction)

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B;

African-American nonfiction writers: Emphasis on essays, autobiographies, and biographies.

### AFRAM 43 — African-American Writers (Poetry)

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3B;

African-American poets (past and present): Emphasis on interpretation of ideas in poetry from the African-American perspective; creative writing required.

### AFRAM 49 — Independent Study in African-American Studies

- **Units:** .5-5
- **Hours:** .5 - 5 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule

In-depth exploration of an area or problem of the student's choice not covered by regular catalog offerings in African-American Studies. Student must obtain approval from an appropriate faculty member. For more details, see the section on independent study in the college catalog.

### AFRAM 52 — Hip Hop: A Culture Beyond Beats and Rhymes

- **Units:** 3
- **Hours:** 3 hours lecture
- **Transfers to:** CSU, UC
- **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/merritt-college/schedule/fall-2026/afram.md)
- Peralta GE Areas 3, 4, 6; Cal-GETC Area 3A;

Social and political exploration of hip hop: Cultural artifact, art form and music genre, from 1970's through today; musical narrative of people of African ancestry.

### AFRAM 200 — Africana Learning Lab

- **Units:** 1
- **Hours:** 3 hours lab
- **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule

Interactive learning modules: Africana history, identity and culture, foundational teachings of Africana studies.