Africa & the African Diaspora
The Africana studies minor aims to provide you with an understanding of the histories, experiences, and cultures of African-descended peoples around the world.
Africana Studies Minor
We draw on multiple disciplines to explore the political and social characteristics of societies in Africa and the African Diaspora, including black populations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Africana studies emphasizes the connections between different manifestations of blackness around the globe as well as the historical roots of the African Diaspora in relation to Western modernity. We believe that examining the particular struggles, contributions, and voices of African-descended peoples provides important insight into how our societies function and how the modern world system formed.
What Will I Learn?
You will learn about various cultures and political conflicts within Africa, African American literature, music, and political thought, the effects of the transatlantic slave trade in shaping the African Diaspora, as well as theories of coloniality and race, among other topics.
Eighteen credits are required from a variety of courses offered by several disciplines like Africana studies, English, political science, music, sociology and history. The core requirements of the minor include an introductory survey of the field and courses that are divided into two topics: Africa and the African Diaspora, and American History, Culture, and Politics. The elective courses provide context and address relevant issues of race, law, and politics. Both the core requirements and the electives include courses that consider how race intersects with gender, sexuality, and class, in order to better represent the complex constitution and experiences of African-descended peoples.
What is Unique About Our Program?
In attending to the identities, struggles, and achievements of African-descended peoples, the program offers an alternative to Eurocentric perspectives and helps you make connections across time and space, as well as think more critically about how to maintain a diverse and truly inclusive community.