Africana Studies Curriculum

Major

11 courses and an Experiential Learning Component

AFST 100: Introduction to Africana Studies
AFST 200: Approaches to Africana Studies

Four Africana Studies approved courses, two in Africa and two in the Diaspora

Three courses in an area of concentration (e.g., with focus on Africa or the Diaspora)

AFST 400: Writing in Africana Studies

One elective, which focuses on topics relevant to Africana Studies, including courses which study race, diaspora, Latin America, colonialism, post-colonialism, etc.

Experiential Learning Component requires students to engage with the actual experiences of people of African descent, in Africa or in the Diaspora, whereby students understand and evaluate issues relevant to these communities through some form of cultural immersion, approved by the department. Examples include: Study Abroad, Service Learning Course, Mosaic Program, Internship, Independent Research.

Suggested Four Year Program

First Year: AFST 100; AFST 200
Second Year: Three courses to fulfill the Africa/African Diaspora requirement; Africana Studies Elective
Third Year: One course to fulfill Africa/Africana Diaspora requirement; Two Africana Studies courses at the 300-level; Experiential Learning
Fourth Year: Africana Studies; AFST 400

Independent Study and Independent Research

The Africana Studies Department encourages advanced students in the major to undertake independent research and independent study projects. The student, in consultation with the supervising professor, will submit a topic proposal and program of work the semester before the study is undertaken.

Independent study allows a student to pursue an academic interest outside the listed course offerings. The study may include library research and reading and may culminate in several short papers, a single paper, or any other project acceptable to the supervising faculty member and the student.

Independent research, like independent study, allows a student to pursue an academic interest outside the listed course offerings, but it involves primary research which is largely self-initiated and self-directed. Students are encouraged to present the results of independent research at a professional conference, regional meeting, or other public forum.

Internships

Students may choose to pursue an internship that will meet the experiential learning requirement. To satisfy the academic requisite, students will apply specific aspects of the histories and theories of Africana Studies to the work experience. The internship must be approved and will be supervised by the Department Coordinator. Upon completion of the internship, the student will submit a final report.

Opportunities for Off-Campus Study

In order to gain a deeper understanding of African and African diasporic communities, students are encouraged to study abroad. Typically, students have studied in Cameroon or Tanzania. For a full list of study abroad options, students should contact the Office of Global Education.

Courses

• 100 Introduction to Africana Studies
  This interdisciplinary introduction to Africana Studies combines teaching foundational texts in the field with instruction in critical reading and writing. The course will cover Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade, the creation of African Disaporic communities, the conceptualization and representation of Black culture and identity, and the intellectual and institutional development of Black and Africana Studies.
  This course fulfills the Division II social sciences distribution requirement and the Comparative Civilizations graduation requirement.

• 200 Approaches to Africana Studies
  This course will investigate the importance of conceptual analysis and the development of concepts in the theoretical and textual research of Africana Studies. Thus, the course will focus on various interpretive frameworks and approaches to organizing and understanding Africana Studies, including but not limited to the African model, Afrocentricity, diaspora model, critical race theory, post-modernism, and post colonialism.
  Prerequisite: 100. This course fulfills the Division II social sciences distribution requirement and the WR graduation requirement.

• 235 Introduction to Caribbean Studies
  The greater Caribbean region was at the center of the formation of the modern African Diaspora. Over the years, the Caribbean region has played an influential role in the development of social and cultural movements throughout the African Diaspora. This class will survey the Caribbean, examining its location, population, diversity, and significant role in shaping world events. Students will become familiar with the Caribbean region, its place as a site of empire, and the important role of key intellectuals who were foundational in developing anti-colonial and post-colonial black consciousness. The course will cover the following areas of inquiry: geography and sociology of the region, key theoretical concepts, leading intellectuals, transforming world events and cultural production.
  This course fulfills the Division II social sciences distribution requirement.

• 310 Special Topics in Caribbean History and Culture
  This course offers a critical examination of issues related to the study of the Caribbean within the wider African diaspora. Examples of topics that would be offered at this level are "The Anthropology of Music in the Caribbean" and "The Caribbean and its African and Indian Diasporas."
  This course fulfills the Division II social sciences distribution requirement.

• 400 Writing in Africana Studies
  This course will build on experiences in the methods course. Students in this course continue research toward and writing of a senior thesis. The emphasis is on writing skills and course material; assignments link those skills to work in Africana Studies. Seniors in the major will work independently with the director of Africana Studies and a second faculty reader (representing a discipline closer to the senior's interest) to produce a lengthy paper or special project which focuses on an issue relevant to the student's concentration. Under the direction of the director of Africana Studies, students will meet collectively two or three times during the semester with the directors (and, if possible, other Africana Studies core and contributing faculty) to share bibliographies, research data, early drafts, and the like. This group will also meet at the end of the semester to discuss and evaluate final papers and projects.
  Prerequisites: 100 and 200; four 200/300-level AFST approved courses (2 Africa, 2 Diaspora); three 300-level (in area of concentration).