Africana Studies
Program Components
The Africana Studies Department is multidisciplinary, with some of its faculty holding joint appointments in other departments. The department’s offerings thus range across the traditional fields of art history, history, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, etc. These disciplines are integrated by certain themes that underscore the uniqueness of the department. First, subject matter focuses on African people and cultures and those people of the New World who are descendants of Africans. Second, the department’s courses offer a non-Eurocentric and non-racial approach to the investigations, interpretations and understanding of the experiences of African peoples and of the wider world social, political and economic systems. Third, departmental courses broaden the scope and range of traditional disciplines and offer a corrective to those disciplines in which the knowledge of the presence, roles, cultural contributions and experiences of African people and their descendants have been omitted or neglected.
The department attracts students of all ethnic backgrounds. Both minority and non-minority students benefit from exposure to academic materials and perspectives not otherwise available to them.
All the department’s courses satisfy Harpur College requirements. A cross-disciplinary major (BA program) and minor in Africana Studies and a concentration are available.
Requirements for Africana Studies Major
For the major, eight courses (32 credits) taken within the department are required. These should include:
• AFST 101, Introduction to Africana Studies;
• one introductory course in Africana Studies (100-200 level);
• one upper-level writing course in the humanities (300-400 level);
• one upper-level writing course in the social sciences (300-400 level);
• four remaining courses chosen from departmental offerings or courses cross-listed with other departments, which must be at the 300-400 level.
Many students choose to pursue double majors with one of the related departments represented in Africana Studies.
Students must earn a grade of C or above in courses fulfilling the major requirements. Courses fulfilling major requirements may not be taken Pass/Fail. Only one independent study course may be counted in fulfillment of the requirements for the major.
Honors Program
Exceptional students majoring in Africana Studies are considered for admission to the honors program upon the successful completion of five semesters or 80 credit hours (including at least 16 in Africana Studies). The honors program consists of two courses taken in the senior year: AFST 497, Advanced Independent Study/Honors Research, and AFST 499, Honors Thesis. Honors in Africana Studies are awarded to students who receive at least a B+ grade in Advanced Independent Study/Honors Research and at least an A– in Honors Thesis.
Students who wish to enroll in the honors program must have a 3.5 grade-point average. The undergraduate studies director solicits a sample of the student’s written work in Africana Studies courses and two letters of recommendation from appropriate faculty.
Africana Studies Minor
The minor in Africana Studies is designed to give students with majors in other fields a chance to have a supplementary discipline and focus that may combine their political, social and academic interests as well as future professional concerns. Students develop their programs with the advice of departmental faculty. Students may, for example, take a history, sociology, literature or psychology concentration with the supervision of the Africana Studies faculty.
A minimum of six courses (24 credits) is required, including:
• any two Africana Studies courses at the introductory level (100 or 200). One of these must be in the humanities and the other must be in the social sciences.
• four upper-level courses.
All courses in fulfillment of the minor must be taken in the department. Only one independent study course may be counted in fulfillment of requirements for the minor. Students must earn a grade of C or above in courses fulfilling the minor requirements. Courses fulfilling minor requirements may not be taken Pass/Fail.