About the Program
Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the contributions of Africa and the peoples of the Black Diaspora to the global community. Students majoring in Africana Studies develop critical thinking, research and communications skills while learning about the culture, institutions, languages, history, and intellectual contributions made by peoples of African descent across Africa, the United States, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and South America. Disciplines represented in the Africana Studies program include, but are not limited to, anthropology, art, history, culture, language and literature, political science, sociology, and women's studies.
Africana Studies Major Academic Roadmap
Program Requirements
33 credit hours 33
Foundational “A” Courses (12 cr)
AAS 100 Introduction to Africana Studies
AAS 200 Blacks in Buffalo
AAS 343 Why Africa Matters (Black Psychology)
AAS 485 Advanced Seminar in Africana Studies
Foundational “B” Courses (6 cr)
Choose 2
AAS 300 Black Thought
AAS/HIS 322 African American History
AAS/SOC 326 Black Feminist Thought
AAS/PHI 360 Africana Philosophy
Histories and Cultures of Africa (3 cr)
Choose 1
AAS/MUS 209 Sub-Saharan African Music/Cultures
AAS/ANT 305 Mother Africa
AAS/HIS 337 Africa Since 1800
The Humanities (3 cr)
Choose 1
AAS/DAN 234 Politics of Black Dance in America
AAS 240/ENG African Am. Literature before 1940
AAS/ENG 241 African Am. Literature since 1940
AAS/PHI 361 Race and Progress
AAS/FAR African American Art
The Social Sciences (3 cr)
Choose 1
AAS/PSC 218 African American Political Culture
AAS/SOC 351 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
AAS/CRJ 425 Race Ethnicity and the Administration of Justice
Elective Courses (6 cr)
Choose 2
AAS 189 Topics Course
AAS/MUS 209 Sub-Saharan African Music/Cultures
AAS/PSC 218 African American Political Culture
AAS/SPF 221 History of Black Education in America
AAS/DAN 230 Dance Techniques from the African American Perspective
AAS/DAN 234 Politics of Black Dance in America
AAS 240/ENG African American Literature before 1940
AAS/ENG 241 African American Literature since 1940
AAS 300 Black Thought
AAS/ANT 305 Mother Africa
AAS/HIS 306 Africa to 1800
AAS/SOC 321 The African American Family
AAS/HIS 322 African American History
AAS/SOC 326 Black Feminist Thought
AAS/PSC 333 African International Relations
AAS 334/SPC 333 Race, Class, and Gender in Media
AAS/HIS 337 Africa Since 1800
AAS/SOC 351 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
AAS/PHI 360 Africana Philosophy
AAS/PHI 361 Race and Progress
AAS/FAR 366 African American Art
AAS/ANT/HON 373 “Saving” Africa
AAS/FAR 380 Art of Africa
AAS 389 Topics in Africana Studies
AAS/THA 421 Drama from the African American Perspective
AAS/CRJ 425 Race, Ethnicity and the Administration of Justice
AAS 488 Internship (1-6 credits)
AAS 495 Special Project (1-3 credits)
AAS 499 Independent Study (3-9 credits)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- recall the history and development of the discipline of Africana Studies, including its history, purpose, and unique African-centered lens that may apply to all matter of phenomena.
- explain systems of inequity and its intersectional nature across Africa and the African diaspora.
- identify course concepts to decenter oppressive ideology in theory and practice.
- analyze how pertinent issues and perspectives of Africana Studies apply to Western New York, Africa, and the African Diaspora.
- assess the multidisciplinary nature of Africana Studies and explain how its multiple lenses offer unique problem-solving ideas across various real-world problems and professions.