The Africana Studies program website>>

Sample Courses:
  • AFR-100. Introduction to Africana Studies. An interdisciplinary examination of social, economic, political, historical and cultural problems and perspectives of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora.
  • AMU-131. Music of Black America. Examines black music’s beginnings to present-day pop styles through live performance, lecture, video and sound recordings.
  • EGL-240. Black Women Writers. An examination of the ways in which black womanhood is characterized through race, gender, class, sexuality and empire, using a variety of genres (novels, poetry, essays plays).
  • FRN-430. West African Oral Literature (Also MLT-213). Explores the socio-cultural structures of ancient West Africa, their collapse through religious and colonial implications, and their vestiges in today’s Africa.
  • HST-231. The Civil Rights Movement. A survey of the movement, assessing the early campaigns of the 1940s, development of black grassroots organizations in the 1950s and 1960s, and impact of black nationalist consciousness in the late 1960s and early 70s.
  • PSC-235. African American Political Thought. Examines the critical and constructive dimensions of African American political thought.
  • SOC-230. African Americans in Contemporary Society. An exploration of contemporary issues relating to African American experiences, through readings, lectures, discussions, popular media examples and field trips.
After Union:
After Union
  • Historic Preservation Professional, Planting Fields Foundation
  • Youth Leader, Harvest Fields Community Church
  • Corps member, CityYear
  • Educator, Teach for America

Africana Studies

Africana Studies offers a major, interdepartmental major and a minor that explores the history, culture, intellectual heritage and social development of people of African descent.

Focusing on the continent of Africa as well as such places in the diaspora as the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the United States, our program features a variety of approaches that draw upon the arts, humanities, and social and behavioral sciences.

Africana Studies majors have more than 60 courses from which to choose. There are also opportunities to pursue mini-terms in Senegal, South Africa and the American South.

Students who graduate with a degree in Africana Studies are prepared for graduate study in the humanities and social and behavioral sciences, as well as for professional careers in a wide array of fields, including human services, education, government, law, business, community development, journalism and international affairs.

No matter which path you pursue, you will have a solid understanding of the diversity that characterizes our society and its workplace – a foundation that will serve you well anywhere.