The Africana Studies Department is an interdisciplinary unit that focuses on the histories, sociology, philosophy, literatures, politics, anthropology, religions, and experiences of people of African heritage within a global context. Our faculty facilitates social commitment, promote sensitivity to the civil rights of all people, and teach responsibility to community.
The major in Africana Studies provides students with a thorough background in the historical, political, social, and economic conditions of people of African descent. The major is designed to explore issues within the black international communities of Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Particular attention is focused on political concepts, cultural developments, literary manifestations, and social theories. Because of this field's interdisciplinary approach, students are exposed to the critical contributions of scholars representing a variety of theoretical approaches and intellectual perspectives.
Africana Studies offers our majors and minors excellent preparation for graduate and professional schools in such disciplines and professions as law, medicine, business, engineering, nursing, social work, and education. Africana Studies courses also benefit students who go on to do graduate work in history, politics, anthropology, sociology, literature, cultural studies, and other fields.
The major in Africana Studies leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses for the major, except those graded S/U, must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.
Completion of the major requires 39 credits, including at least 21 upper-division credits (from courses numbered 300 or higher).
Courses taken pass/fail with an AFS or AFH designator (283, 475, 476, and 488) are considered enhancements to the major experience but do not count towards major requirements. They may fulfill university requirements.
Students select from an Interdisciplinary concentration, a concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice, and a concentration in Health and Disease. Note that concentrations do not appear on the Stony Brook transcript.
Interdisciplinary Concentration in Africana Studies
The interdisciplinary concentration in Africana Studies is intended to provide students with a broad knowledge of issues pertinent to Africa and the African diaspora. Students who follow this concentration will be exposed to the breadth of courses offered in the department, including foundations courses that deal with the Black experience; courses from the humanities and the social sciences; and courses that delineate the experiences of Africans in Africa and the diaspora. Thus, students will learn about art, music, philosophy, literature, history, politics, languages, cultures, societies, religion, dance—all from an interdisciplinary and transnational Africana perspective.
Learning Objectives
Students who complete the Interdisciplinary concentration in Africana Studies will be able to:
Requirements for the
Interdisciplinary Concentration in Africana Studies
1. Foundation Courses
2. Two courses from each of the following areas (at least two courses selected from 200-level courses, and at least five upper-division courses at the 300 or 400-level):
a. Africana Studies in the Humanities
b. Africana Studies in the Social Sciences
c. The African American Experience
d. The Global African Experience
3. Three credits in AFH 447 or AFS 447 Readings in Africana Studies or AFH 487 or AFS 487 Research in Africana Studies taken in the junior or senior year.
4. Two additional AFS or AFH courses at the 300 or 400 level, or two upper-division courses outside of the department (approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies is necessary when taking courses outside of the department for major credit).
5. Writing within the Discipline
Africana Studies Majors are required to enroll in AFS 459 Effective Writing in Africana Studies, taken in conjunction with an upper-division AFS or AFH course. AFS 459 teaches the skills and techniques of effective academic writing. Students must inform the instructor of the course in advance of their plan to co-register for AFS 459 to satisfy the Africana Studies WRTD requirement. Students must earn a grade of 'S' in AFS 459 to satisfy the WRTD requirement. AFS 459 also satisfies the Stony Brook Curriculum learning objective WRTD.
Concentration in Human Rights & Social Justice
Questions of human rights and social justice have been central features of modern nation-states. In fact, in the twenty-first century, issues of human rights and social justice seem even more pressing in the light of the rise of autocratic governments, a recrudescence of far-right movements and fascist sensibilities, contracting economies, restrictions placed on journalists and others who “speak truth to power”, and examples of ethnic cleansing under the watch of those who were held up as exemplars of human rights. This concentration will provide students with the knowledge and skills to address the multifarious issues that fall under the rubrics of human rights and social justice.
Learning Objectives
Students who complete the concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice will be able to:
Requirements for the Concentration in Human Rights & Social Justice
1. Foundation Courses
2. One course from each of the following areas (two of these courses must be selected from 200-level courses and two must be upper-division courses at the 300- or 400-level):
a. Africana Studies in the Humanities
b. Africana Studies in the Social Sciences
c. The African American Experience
d. The Global African Experience
3. Five courses under area of specialization; 3 of these courses must be from the Department of Africana Studies. Courses in the Department of Africana Studies which will be used to satisfy the Human Rights and Social Justice concentration are as follows:
Courses from outside of Africana Studies which can be used to satisfy the concentration are as follows:
4. 2 Research and EXP+ Courses at the 400-level:
5. Writing within the Discipline
Africana Studies Majors are required to enroll in AFS 459 Effective Writing in Africana Studies, taken in conjunction with an upper-division AFS or AFH course. AFS 459 teaches the skills and techniques of effective academic writing. Students must inform the instructor of the course in advance of their plan to co-register for AFS 459 to satisfy the Africana Studies WRTD requirement. Students must earn a grade of 'S' in AFS 459 to satisfy the WRTD requirement. AFS 459 also satisfies the Stony Brook Curriculum learning objective WRTD.
Concentration in Health and Disease
Access to healthcare is one of the defining features of compassionate nations. Moreover, establishing standards of care is critical to delivering adequate health services. The concentration in health and disease considers these issues while at the same time creating educated citizenry who can move easily between academic and professional healthcare settings.
Learning Objectives
Students who complete the concentration in Health and Disease in Africa and the African Diaspora will be able to:
Requirements for the Concentration in Health and Disease in Africa and the African Diaspora
1. Foundation Courses
2. One course from each of the following areas (two of these courses must be selected from 200-level courses and two must be upper-division courses at the 300- or 400-level):
a. Africana Studies in the Humanities
b. Africana Studies in the Social Sciences
c. The African American Experience
d. The Global African Experience
3. Five courses under area of specialization; 3 of these courses must be from the Department of Africana Studies. Courses in the Department of Africana Studies which will be used to satisfy the Human Rights and Social Justice concentration are as follows:
Courses from outside of Africana Studies which can be used to satisfy the concentration are as follows:
4. 2 Research and EXP+ Courses at the 400-level:
5. Writing within the Discipline
Africana Studies Majors are required to enroll in AFS 459 Effective Writing in Africana Studies, taken in conjunction with an upper-division AFS or AFH course. AFS 459 teaches the skills and techniques of effective academic writing. Students must inform the instructor of the course in advance of their plan to co-register for AFS 459 to satisfy the Africana Studies WRTD requirement. Students must earn a grade of 'S' in AFS 459 to satisfy the WRTD requirement. AFS 459 also satisfies the Stony Brook Curriculum learning objective WRTD.
Notes:
1. Students are recommended, but not required, to take AFS 491 Interdisciplinary Seminar.
2. Students must take at least two 200-level courses in Africana Studies prior to beginning their junior year.
3. Only six credits of directed readings or independent study courses (courses numbered 447 and 487) may be used toward the major.
4. The following courses may not be used to fulfill major requirements: AFS 283, AFS 475, AFS 476, AFS 488, AFH 475, AFH 476.
5. Transfer students must take at least 12 credits of upper-division Africana Studies courses in residence at Stony Brook to complete the AFS major.
6. Students can earn credit (S/U) by enrolling in AFS 283 (Community Service with the BlackWorld newspaper option). AFS 283 may not be used to fulfill major requirements.
Africana Studies Honors Program
Departmental majors with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.33 in Africana Studies courses as specified in the major requirements and an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 are eligible to enroll in the Africana Studies Honors program at the beginning of their senior year. The student must submit a research project proposal to a faculty sponsor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, indicating the merit of the proposed project. The faculty sponsor must submit to the Department a statement of support for the proposal. The resulting project is read and evaluated by a committee consisting of the faculty sponsor and two faculty members (one may be a member of a department outside of Africana Studies). If the committee deems that the honors project has been completed successfully, honors are conferred by the Department.
The minor in Africana Studies is intended for students interested in exploring aspects of the Black experience in ways that relate to their own major field of study. The sequence of lower- and upper-division courses gives the student a well-balanced analysis of the varied aspects of the African, African American, and Caribbean experience. All courses offered for the minor, except those graded S/U, must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.
Completion of the minor requires 21 credits, including 12 upper-division credits.
1. AFS 101, AFS 102 Themes in the Black Experience I, II
2. One course from each of the following areas (see above):
a. Africana Studies in the Humanities
b. Africana Studies in the Social Sciences
c. The African-American Experience
d. The Global African Experience
3. One additional upper-division course selected from one of the areas listed in requirement 2
OR
Three credits in AFH 447 or AFS 447 Readings in Africana Studies or AFH 487 or AFS 487 Research in Africana Studies taken in the junior or senior year.
For more information about SBC courses that fulfill major requirements, click here.
FRESHMAN |
---|
FALL | Credits |
---|---|
First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
WRT 101 | 3 |
AFS 101 | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Total | 16 |
SPRING | Credits |
---|---|
First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
WRT 102 | 3 |
AFS 102 | 4 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Total | 16 |
SOPHOMORE |
---|
FALL | Credits |
---|---|
Course from Area A | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Total | 15 |
SPRING | Credits |
---|---|
Course from Area A | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Total | 15 |
JUNIOR |
---|
FALL | Credits |
---|---|
AFH 447 or AFS 447 or AFH 487 or AFS 487 | 3 |
Course from Area B | 3 |
Course in related discipline* | 3 |
Course from Area C | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Total | 15 |
SPRING | Credits |
---|---|
Course from Area B | 3 |
Course in related discipline* | 3 |
Course from Area C | 3 |
Upper-division elective | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Total | 15 |
SENIOR |
---|
FALL | Credits |
---|---|
Course from Area D | 3 |
Course in related discipline* | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
AFS 459 | 0 |
Total | 15 |
SPRING | Credits |
---|---|
Course from Area D | 3 |
Course in related discipline* | 3 |
SBC | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
Total | 15 |
*Course may not be crosslisted with AFH or AFS.
Major and Minor in Africana Studies
Department of Africana Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Shimelis Gulema
Assistant to the Chair: Ann Berrios
Email: ann.berrios@stonybrook.edu
Office: S-249 Social and Behavioral Sciences
Phone: (631) 632-7470
Website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/africana-studies/
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Africana Studies: Anthropology (ANT), Economics (ECO), English (EGL), History (HIS), Philosophy (PHI), Political Science (POL), Sociology (SOC)