Africana Studies

The Africana Studies Program offers a minor in Africana Studies as well as programming, focusing on the interconnected historical, cultural, artistic and political forces of African-American, African and Caribbean peoples. The interdisciplinary minor in Africana Studies utilizes specialty courses and courses from Business Administration, Education, Economics, Fine Arts, History, Latina American/Latino Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Theology and Urban Studies to provide students with a foundation for understanding the historical underpinnings of current events involving people of African ancestry. 

The Africana Studies Program has an Advisory Council consisting of faculty, administrators, staff and students that helps to shape the direction of both minor and the programming. The primary purpose of this council is to ensure that the Africana Studies is continually evolving to meet the needs of the college community.

To earn a minor in African Studies, which is open to all majors, students must complete a minimum of 18 credits in approved courses. All students must complete the following courses:

 

This course offers an introduction to the field of Africana Studies. It includes the theoretical foundations for this discipline as well as an historical exploration of forces leading to emergence of artistic, music, poetry and social movements.

 

 

This capstone course will provide students with the opportunity to synthesis their previous 15 credits, as well as materials from other courses, into a senior thesis research project on a topic developed with the students and the program director.

In addition to these six credits, students must take an additional 12 credits selected from a variety of options. Below is a sample of these course offerings that are offered on a rotating basis; however, through the work of an Advisory Council more options are constantly added.

Ar 231 Egyptian Art

Ar 240 Cultural Diversity in Art

Ar 499 Egypt: Art, History, Religion (Travel Course)
As230 Black Politics
As352 Minority Group Relations

As 360 Contemporary Issues Facing People of the African Diaspora

Ec 452 Economic Development

Ed 428 Literature, Culture and Social Issues of West Africa*

El 322 The Black Novel

Hs 273 The Islamic World

Hs 327 A History of Jesuits*

Hs 347 The Modern Near East

Ls 101 Introduction to Latin American Studies

Ls 227 Sociology of Salsa

Ls 351 Issues in the Latino Community

Po 410 Nationalism and Revolution

Po 422 Comparative Politics:  Middle East and North Africa

Po 424 Government & Politics in Africa

SJ 130 Introduction to Non-Violence

SJ 325 Violence and Social Change

So 224 Black Hair and Identity in America

So 245 Haitians in America

So 352 Minority Group Relations

So 360 U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Th 443 Black Religion *

Th 496 Theology and Urban Problems

Ur 202 Urban Music: From Jazz to Hip-Hop

Ur 333 Black Community and the Law

Ur 412 Ethnicity and Race in Urban History

Ur 460 U.S. Civil Rights Movement

* values course

 

For information regarding the Africana Studies minor contact the Sociology /Urban Studies Department, Professor David S. Surrey, Ph.D., 201 761 6152 or dsurrey@spc.edu