Africana Studies, B.A.

FACULTY:

Courtney Thompson, Chair
Omar Dieng
Miriam Kilimo
Lee McBride

Africana Studies is an academic discipline rooted in a political, social, historical, and cultural context that seeks to introduce students to knowledge and perspectives about people of African descent and the African Diaspora that are often overlooked in traditional disciplines. As a corrective, Africana Studies challenges the long-standing epistemic and paradigmatic approaches of traditional disciplines to the study of people of African descent and emphasizes Black agency and struggles for equality and freedom.

Our interdisciplinary trained faculty help students investigate, analyze, and develop multidisciplinary competencies to better understand the historical and contemporary experiences of Black people in the global world. Since its inception in 1968, the Department of Africana Studies (formerly the Black Studies Program) has prepared College of Wooster graduates to succeed and become leaders in a multicultural world.

By the end of the senior year, an Africana Studies graduate should be able to: describe the intellectual history, evolution, purposes, and challenges of Africana Studies within the academy; explain the connections between Africana Studies and historic Africa and the contemporary experiences of people of African descent around the world; recognize major historical events crucial to Africana people and their experiences in Africa, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and other parts of the world; apply relevant African-centered theories and methodologies to the investigation of topics, texts, artistic productions, events, and/or phenomena related to the African diaspora; and conceptualize, research, and write an independent study project that meets the learning outcomes of the department.

AFST courses

Major in Africana Studies

Consists of ten courses:

One 100 level AFST course
Four 200 level AFST courses
Three elective courses in AFST or cross-listed with AFST
AFST 45100 - Independent Study Thesis
AFST 45200 - Independent Study Thesis

Special Notes

S/NC courses are not permitted in either the major or minor.
Only grades of C- or better are accepted for the major or minor.

Cross-listed Courses Accepted for Africana Studies Credit

Art and Art History

ARTH 22000. African Art [C, AH, GE, W]

English

ENGL 21002. Black Women Writers [AH]

ENGL 22011. James Baldwin & Toni Morrison [AH]

ENGL 23002. Survey of African-American Literature [AH]

French and Francophone Studies

FREN 33500. W. Afr. & France:Encounters since 1900Africa [AH, C, D, GE]

History

HIST 10107. Black-ish: Class in Black America [HSS, PPRE]

HIST 11500. History of Black America [C, HSS]

HIST 20119. West Africa and the African American Connection [C, HSS, W]

HIST 23100. The Making of Africa [C, HSS]

HIST 23200. Africa From Colonization to Globalization [C, HSS]

HIST 27517. From Civil Rgts to Black Lives [C, HSS]

HIST 27525. Modern Black Freedom Movements [HSS, PPRE, SJ]

Music

MUSC 21400. Hist of African American Music [AH, C]

MUSC 21700. Survey of Jazz [AH, C]

Philosophy

PHIL 29921. W.E.B. DuBois and Sylvia Wynter [AH, PPRE, SJ]

Political Science

PSCI 20800. Race and Power [C, HSS, D, SJ]

PSCI 24900. The Government & Politics of Africa [C, HSS, D, GE]

Psychology

PSYC 24007. Psychology of Black Americans [HSS, PPRE]

Religious Studies

RELS 26100. The Black Relgious Experience in America [C, R]

Sociology and Anthropology

SOCI 20900. Inequality in America [HSS]

SOCI 21400. Racial & Ethnic Groups in Amer Society [C, HSS, D]

Theatre and Dance

THTD 29908. Black American Theatre and Performance [AH, PPRE]