BA in Africana Studies

In the Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies program, students delve into current issues and the historical context surrounding cultural theory and black studies. Classes encourage open discussions on topics including independence movements in Africa, race relations in the United States, Islamic philosophy, immigration and the American Dream. Many majors also choose to complement their class work with study abroad and internships.

Professor Randi Kristensen lectures in her Intro to Africana Studies class

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Declare a Major

Major Areas

Students choose electives from one of three primary areas.

Classes in this area include Race and Minority Relations, Nineteenth Century Black Literature and African American History to 1865.

Classes in this area include Anthropology of Africa, West Africa to Independence and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World.

Classes in this area include Contemporary Francophone Literature and Latin America: Problems and Promise.

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required for the major
AFST 1001	Introduction to Africana Studies (taken within three semesters of declaring the major)
African American studies:
HIST 3360	African American History to 1865
SOC 2179	Race and Minority Relations
ENGL 3570	Nineteenth-Century Black Literature
or ENGL 3950	Cultural Theory and Black Studies
Another course from the following designated courses: ^*
AMST 2440	The American City
ENGL 3940	Topics in African American Literary Studies
ENGL 3945	African American Poetry
HIST 3360	African American History to 1865
HIST 3361	African American History Since 1865
HIST 3362	African American Women’s History
HIST 2312	The American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
MUS 1108	History of Jazz
MUS 3175	Topics in Music History and Literature
SOC 2151	Jackie Robinson: Race, Sports, and the American Dream
SOC 2170	Class and Inequality in American Society
SOC 2179	Race and Minority Relations
SOC 2169	Urban Sociology
Four courses in African studies:
ANTH 3708	Anthropology of Africa
HIST 3520	Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World
or HIST 3540	West Africa to Independence
Two additional courses from the following list of designated courses ^*
HIST 3501	Topics: Africa
HIST 3510	African History to 1880
HIST 3520	Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World
HIST 3530	Women in Africa
HIST 3540	West Africa to Independence
ANTH 3801	African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe
IAFF 2093	Africa: Problems and Prospects
PSC 2381	Comparative Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa
PSC 2482	African International Politics
FREN 3300	Topics in French and Francophone Literatures and Cultures in Translation
FREN 3560	Topics in Contemporary Francophone Literature and Cinema
GEOG 3154	Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
GEOG 3164	The Geography of Africa
Two courses in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean studies:
HIST 3710	History of Latin America I
Another course from the following list of designated courses ^*
ENGL 3930	Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature and Culture
FREN 3300	Topics in French and Francophone Literatures and Cultures in Translation
FREN 3560	Topics in Contemporary Francophone Literature and Cinema
GEOG 3161	Geography of Latin America
IAFF 2090	Latin America: Problems and Promise
HIST 3711	History of Latin America II
SPAN 3600	Special Topics
An upper-division course in gender studies from the following list of designated courses (this course may also count toward one of the above categories) ^*
ANTH 2501	The Anthropology of Gender: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
HIST 3530	Women in Africa
HIST 3362	African American Women’s History
PHIL 2125	Philosophy of Race and Gender
REL 3481	Women in Islam
One additional course from above or from the following:
AMST 2020	Washington, DC: History, Culture, and Politics
AMST 2410	Modern U.S. Immigration
HIST 2803	The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C.
REL 3475	Islamic Religion and Art
REL 3414	Islamic Philosophy and Theology
GEOG 2133	People, Land, and Food
GEOG 2141	Cities in the Developing World