African studies utilizes a variety of disciplinary tools, particularly those in the social sciences and humanities, to understand the realities facing individuals, groups, and states in contemporary Africa. The field is by its very nature comparative, juxtaposing one part of the continent to another, and comparing the African experience to that of other parts of the world.

The minor in African Studies is comprised of five courses taken from at least three different disciplines. Four of the courses must be taken from disciplines outside of the student's major. Three of the four courses must be taken from the core undergraduate and graduate courses listed below, and one of the three must be the Seminar in African studies. Additional courses may be taken from the list of core courses, courses not regularly offered which deal specifically with Africa, or upon special petition, topics courses in which the students have written research papers on Africa. Petitions must include copies of the papers which students wrote and are submitted through the Director of African Studies to the University's Committee on African Studies. Because of the intended pan-African nature of the minor, students will be required to demonstrate that some of their course work has included northern Africa. Because of the extensive coverage of Egypt in the AUC curriculum, courses which focus upon Egypt will not count towards this requirement.