Africana Studies

Programs and Course Descriptions

Faculty

The Africana Studies Concentration

The Africana Studies (AFST) concentration employs rigorous interdisciplinary and comparative approaches for the study of over one billion people of African descent, a fifth whom are in the Diaspora. The central mission of the program is to prepare students for lifelong learning, graduate study in various fields, and careers in private and public organizations across the globe.

The AFST curriculum engages students in a critical examination of the intellectual, political, economic and cultural challenges and achievements of Africans and African-descended peoples. The study of these diverse and dynamic traditions does much more than embracing the centrality of race. It also encompasses imperial, national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious currents and intersections in such far-flung settings as Africa, North America, the Caribbean Basin, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe.

The Program draws on wide-ranging fields of inquiry that include history, sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, religion, literature, music, drama, dance, film, and the visual arts. Through coursework that integrates and at often transcends disciplinary knowledge, students will learn to appreciate the specificity of Africa and its offshoots, the ways in which local and global forces interacted to shape a shared identity of Blackness as well as community-specific identities, and the trajectories of syncretism and other forms of intercultural exchange.

AFST majors may select one of three Concentrations, each of which studies Africans in their own terms but always in a global context: African-American Studies, African Studies, or African-Diaspora Studies. Students are encouraged to combine their scholarly study with service learning, study away, or study abroad. Course work in each of the three tracks must encompass at least three disciplines to ensure a genuinely interdisciplinary grounding in historical and contemporary issues along with practical applications of such knowledge (internships, civic engagement, and independent research).

Details on the structure of the major are provided below. Full descriptions of courses and requirements are available from faculty advisors and the program’s website. Africana majors are encouraged to look into allied Interdisciplinary programs such as American Studies, Women’s Studies, Global Studies, and International Relations for complementary courses and intellectual exchange.

Language Requirement. Africana Studies requires an Africa-relevant foreign language study that exceeds the College-wide proficiency requirement. This means one course beyond the 202-level in one language, or 202-level proficiency in two languages. Besides native African languages (such as Amharic, Hausa, Oromiffa, Swahili, Yoruba, Wolof and Zulu), the following can be used to fulfill the requirement: Arabic, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. Others, such as Creole, may be approved on a case by case basis. Students are well-advised to choose languages that are appropriate for the chosen concentration.

Engaged Scholarship and Service Learning. Students are encouraged to engage in service-learning or engaged-scholarship opportunities to supplement classroom study of such issues as racial inequality, cultural exchange, and identity politics.

Study Abroad. Students are strongly encouraged to seek overseas opportunities, especially in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America that complement the major. Contact the Global Education Office at the Reves Center for more information. With prior approval, courses taken abroad may be applied to the major or other requirements.

Study Away. Majors are also encouraged to seek out study away opportunities in the U.S. in approved Centers or Institutes, Colleges, or Universities. For example, students may arrange to take language courses elsewhere in the summer, or devote a semester to undertake a pre-approved program of study and research.

Programs and Course Descriptions

Programs

Courses

Africana Studies