AFAM SLOs
1. Field-specific Knowledge—Demonstrate an understanding about the rich complexities
of social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural life among African, African
American, and a variety of African diaspora peoples past and present.
2. Conceptual Interdisciplinarity—Demonstrate the ability to interweave arguments from
multiple disciplines in a meaningful way to address issues regarding African, African
American, and/or diverse African diaspora peoples. This assumes an understanding of the
seminal concepts, theories, major figures and authors that inform African, African
American, and African Diaspora Studies.
3. Research Skills—Demonstrate an understanding of the major methodologies that inform
African, African American, and African Diaspora Studies.
a. Methodological interdisciplinarity—Demonstrate an understanding of the major
methodologies of two disciplines central to the student’s interests
(multidisciplinarity), and an understanding of a specifically interdisciplinary
approach to research.
b. Basic dimensions of doing research— Demonstrate intellectual curiosity in
formulating a research question. Be able to locate and analyze primary sources, to
locate and critically read and evaluate secondary sources, and to weave them into
an argument.
c. Research ethics—Apply ethical practices in research, including ethical
obligations to research subjects and to the world of scholarship.
d. Linguistic competence—Research skills may also include linguistic competence
in languages needed for field, archival, and/or library research in African, African
American, and African Studies.
4. Written and Oral Communication Skills—Communicate ideas well in written and oral
form, appropriate for an academic setting, including proper citation, revision skills and
responsiveness to constructive critique.
5. Engagement—Be able to critically assess public positions and understand scholars’
responses regarding critical and controversial issues facing African, African American,
and African Diaspora peoples.
AFAM SLO RUBRICS
We have created three rubrics, for the first three SLOs in our list of five. Each rubric has a course
cover sheet for the instructor to fill out, as well as an analytic rubric in table form breaking up
each SLO into component parts. The analytic rubrics have space to identify whether the student
is a major, concentrator, or neither. The rubrics are attached to this report.
ANALYSIS OF SLO #1: FIELD-SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE
We collected data from all four AFAM-prefixed courses offered during the 2013-14 academic
year (AFAM 100, AFAM 130, AFAM 220, AFAM 230). Two of these courses were explicitly
about contemporary African American themes, and two were explicitly in African Diaspora
Studies (ADS). One of these latter two dealt with African and African American peoples, while
the other dealt with African American and African diaspora peoples.
We collected data on the instructor’s aims and understandings of these courses. Among the 100level courses (a freshman seminar on ADS, and a course on African American Social
Movements), both dealt with African American peoples past and present, while the freshman
seminar also dealt with African diaspora peoples past and present. Both 100-level courses
addressed society/culture and politics, while one also addressed arts/cultural production and
economics. Among the 200-level courses, both addressed African American peoples, while one
also addressed African peoples. One course looked at its topical area both historically and in the
present, while the other course focused on the present. Both courses addressed society/culture.
The course on Black intellectual thought also addressed arts/cultural production and polities; the
course on the Black middle class also addressed economics.
We collected data on twenty-eight students, fifteen from 100-level courses and thirteen from
200-level courses. Each instructor filled out a rubric chart based upon the student’s performance
in the course’s final project. In three of the courses, the final project was a research paper, while
in the freshman seminar the final project was a literature review. We distinguished among
students who were Af/AFAM concentrators and those who were not.
The students taking 100-level courses showed their greatest strength to be in their understanding
of society and culture (social organization, processes, and inequalities; beliefs, ideas, and
customs) among African American and to a lesser extent African diaspora peoples. Six students’
final projects ranked at outstanding mastery (“connects, analyzes, and draws conclusions with
depth and creativity”), seven at satisfactory/developing/expected at this course level (“draws
connections and analyzes”), and only two ranked as weak or beginning learners for this aspect of
field specific knowledge (“can name individual informational elements but not relate them to
others”). Political structures was the second area in which students demonstrated knowledge,
with four ranking at the outstanding level, eight at the satisfactory/developing level, and three at
the weak/beginning level. Only one of our 100-level courses addressed arts and cultural
production; for this aspect of field-specific knowledge, five ranked at the satisfactory level, and
two at the weak level. The 100-level courses addressed neither economic structures and
processes nor environmental conditions and processes. The three students who were
concentrators ranked marginally higher than those who were not (e.g. no “weak/beginning”
scores), but the numbers are too small to trace significant variation.
The students taking our 200-level courses likewise learned the most about society and culture,
with eight students’ final projects ranked as outstanding, and five as satisfactory/developing. The
200-level courses also address the issue of economic structures and processes; for this area of
knowledge, one student’s work ranked as outstanding, nine ranked as satisfactory, and one as
weak. Five students’ work addressed both the arts and politics, each time with two students
ranked as demonstrating outstanding knowledge, and three as satisfactory. Environmental issues
were not addressed in any of the 200-level course final projects. Only two concentrators took our
200-level courses, one ranking consistently in the outstanding level of understanding, and one
ranking in the satisfactory level.
Conclusions: We note that the 100-level courses consistently and successfully address sociocultural and political aspects of African, African American, and African diasporic lives, and to a
weaker extent address arts and cultural production. Economic structures and processes, as well as
environmental conditions, are not addressed in these courses. The 200-level courses are similar
in focus, and indicate that students have a more sophisticated knowledge in these areas at the
200-level than at the 100-level. The 200-level courses do address economic issues, something
neglected at the 100-level. Recruiting new faculty members on campus to teach courses on
economic and environmental issues in the program, or to teach units on these areas, could
enhance our students’ learning, help them prepare for the concentration’s pathway, and help
them be better citizen-scholars. Although the “neglect” is not as stark, we would also want to
enhance our teaching of the arts, cultural production, and politics of African American and
African peoples.
Whether a student learns about both African American and African/African diasporic peoples
depends upon which course a student takes in our program. We will have to work harder in the
future to insure that students not only gain an example of interdisciplinary approaches to the
study of peoples of African descent, but also learn to connect study of African and African
American peoples. These are the most important aims of the AFAM-prefixed courses.
We also need to decide how realistic it is for our AFAM-prefixed courses to address all five
areas of knowledge listed on our rubric (socio-cultural, arts, political, economic, and
environmental). For our concentrators, the distributional system insures that most of these areas
are covered at some time during the student’s Carleton career. The majority of students taking
our AFAM-prefixed courses, however, are not concentrators, and thus there is no way for us to
know if they are gaining this knowledge in their disciplinary (non-AFAM prefixed) courses.
AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES ASSESSMENT RUBRICS
Rubric #1: Field-specific Knowledge—Demonstrate an understanding about the rich complexities of social, political, economic,
environmental, and cultural life among African, African American, and a variety of African diaspora peoples past and present.
I. Course Cover Sheet (please fill out once per course, as a cover sheet)
Course Number/Title: ______________________________________________________
Course addresses which of the following (check all that apply):
African peoples
past
present
African American peoples
past
present
African diaspora peoples
past
present
Society/Culture
Arts/Cultural Production
Politics
Economics
Environment
I am filling out the subsequent rubrics for SLO #
The course’s final project
A different course assignment
Comps
based upon:
This assignment is:
A research paper
A literature review
A mock proposal
An exam
An oral presentation
Other ____________________________________
II. Assessment Rubric: SLO#1: Field-specific Knowledge
Through written or oral work in the
assessed assignment, the student
demonstrates an understanding of:
Society/Culture (social org’tion,
processes, and inequalities; beliefs/
ideas/ customs) among African, African
American, and other African diasporic
peoples (please circle those that
pertain)
Arts and cultural production among
African, African American, and other
African diasporic peoples (please circle
those that pertain)
Political structures and processes among
African, African American, and other
African diasporic peoples (please circle
those that pertain)
Economic structures and processes
among African, African American, and
other African diasporic peoples (please
circle those that pertain)
Environmental conditions and processes
among African, African American, and
other African diasporic peoples (please
circle those that pertain)
N/A No
Knowledge
Course # _________________
Student # _________________
AFAM concentrator
AFAM major
Weak/ Beginning
(can name individual
informational elements but
not relate them to others)
Satisfactory/Developing/
Expected at this course
level
(draws connections and
analyzes)
neither
Outstanding
(connects, analyzes,
and draws
conclusions with
depth and creativity)
AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES ASSESSMENT RUBRICS
Rubric #2: Conceptual Interdisciplinarity—Demonstrate the ability to interweave arguments from multiple disciplines in a
meaningful way to address issues regarding African, African American, and/or diverse African diaspora peoples. This assumes an
understanding of the seminal concepts, theories, major figures and authors that inform African, African American, and African
Diaspora Studies.
I. Course Cover Sheet (please fill out once per course, as a cover sheet)
Course Number/Title: ______________________________________________________
Course addresses which of the following (check all that apply):
African peoples
past
present
African American peoples
past
present
African diaspora peoples
past
present
Society/Culture
Arts/Cultural Production
Politics
Economics
Environment
I am filling out the subsequent rubrics for SLO #
The course’s final project
A different course assignment
Comps
based upon:
This assignment is:
A research paper
A literature review
A mock proposal
An exam
An oral presentation
Other ____________________________________
II. Assessment Rubric: SLO# 2: Conceptual Interdisciplinarity
Through written or oral work in the
assessed assignment, the student
demonstrates an understanding of:
1. Seminal concepts and theories in
African, African American, and/or
African Diaspora Studies (please circle
those that pertain)
2. Major figures and authors in African,
African American, and/or African
Diaspora Studies (please circle those that
pertain)
3. Meaningful interweaving of multiple
disciplines addressing African, African
American, and/or African Diaspora
Studies (please circle those that pertain)
3.a.Please list the disciplines that the
student is interweaving:
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
N/A
No
Knowledge
Course # _________________
Student # _________________
AFAM concentrator
AFAM major
Weak/ Beginning
(can name individual
informational elements but not
relate them to others)
Satisfactory/Developing/
Expected at this course
level
(draws connections and
analyzes)
neither
Outstanding
(connects, analyzes,
and draws conclusions
with depth and
creativity)
AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES ASSESSMENT RUBRICS
Rubric #3: 3. Research Skills—Demonstrate an understanding of the major methodologies that inform African, African American,
and African Diaspora Studies.
I. Course Cover Sheet (please fill out once per course, as a cover sheet)
Course Number/Title: ______________________________________________________
Course addresses which of the following (check all that apply):
African peoples
past
present
African American peoples
past
present
African diaspora peoples
past
present
Society/Culture
Arts/Cultural Production
Politics
Economics
Environment
I am filling out the subsequent rubrics for SLO #
The course’s final project
A different course assignment
Comps
based upon:
This assignment is:
A research paper
A literature review
A mock proposal
An exam
An oral presentation
Other ____________________________________
II. Assessment Rubric: SLO# 3: Research Skills
Course # _________________
AFAM concentrator
Through written or oral work in the
assessed assignment, the student can:
1. Methodological interdisciplinarity—
a. multidisciplinarity:
Demonstrate an understanding of the
major methodologies of two disciplines
central to the student’s interests
Please list the two (or more) disciplines:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
1.b. interdisciplinarity:
Demonstrate an understanding of a
specifically interdisciplinary approach to
research
3. Basic dimensions of doing research—
Demonstrate intellectual curiosity in
formulating a research question:
a. locate and analyze primary sources
b. locate and critically read and evaluate
secondary sources
c. weave sources into an argument
4. Apply ethical practices in research,
including ethical obligations to research
subjects and to the world of scholarship
N/A
No
Knowledge
Weak/ Beginning
Student # _________________
AFAM major
Satisfactory/Developing/
Expected at this course
level
Outstanding
neither
5. Shows linguistic competence in
languages needed for field, archival,
and/or library research in African,
African American, and African Studies.
Please list the languages: