Description. The Minor in Africana Studies provides students with interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the historical and contemporary experiences of peoples of African heritage. Using themes such as culture, agency, struggle, and justice, students will master multidisciplinary knowledge about Africa and the African diaspora, and will explore new ways of thinking about the cultures, philosophies, history, and society of African peoples and their communities throughout the diaspora.
Learning outcomes. Students will:
- Explain the core ideas (key concepts, theories, and methodologies) of Africana Studies, especially as they relate to themes of justice
- Acquire and hone their critical thinking skills as applied to problems around justice themes within Africana Studies and among people of color
- Use high level written and oral communication skills to work effectively and collaboratively with others
- Have a better understanding of themselves, and of their relationship(s) to the broader society, as a result of exposure to Africana Studies
Rationale. The Africana Studies minor uses interdisciplinary studies to expose students to different ways of thinking about and communicating both the diversity and commonality of cultural, political, social, economic, and historical experiences. With a focus on African people throughout the diaspora (people of color) this minor increases students' familiarity with themes of inequality and justice, and provides tools students can use to study and address historical and contemporary racial inequality. Students will also learn more about the accomplishments, cultural richness and uniqueness, and contributions to the past and present world of Africana. Through community-based projects offered in several of the courses, students will be more attuned to real-life application of Africana perspectives and methodology. This in turn contributes to their ability to thrive in an increasingly diverse and globalizing world, and to adapt to changing work environments; as well as to their becoming well-rounded thinkers who will be attractive to employers and graduate schools.
Program/Minor Coordinator. Professor Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Department of Africana Studies (646-557-4658, jnembhard@jjay.cuny.edu).
Prerequisites. The prerequisites for AFR 310 are 6 credits in AFR courses and junior standing, or permission of instructor. AFR 215 requires a prerequisite of AFR 110 and AFR 121.
**For information about the Africana Studies Honors Minor please see here
Part 1
Part 2
PART 1. Required Courses Subtotal: 6 credits
AFR 1XX Introduction to Africana Studies
AFR 310 Research Seminar in African American Studies*
*Note: Students who take AFR 390 McNair Research Methods or AFR 410 Independent Study or a 300 or 400-level "Experience Course" equivalent (such as one of the courses indicated below with an asterisk) can use such a course in lieu of AFR 310. See the Minor Coordinator.
PART 2. Electives
Subtotal: 12 credits
Select any four courses
Suggested groupings of courses are listed below depending on the interests of the students.
For students interested in Justice:
AFR 215 The Police and the Ghetto
AFR 220 Law and Justice in Africa
AFR 227 Introduction to Community-based Approaches to Justice
AFR 229 Restorative Justice: Making Peace and Resolving Conflict
ETH 123 Race and American Society: The African American Experience (or ETH 125 Race and American Society)
* ICJ 381 Internship in International Criminal Justice (requires SOC 341 and POL 259/ LAW 259)
* SOC 381 Internship in Dispute Resolution (prerequisites: SOC 380)
For students interested in a Humanities focus:
AFR 223/ LIT 223 African American Literature
AFR 230/ DRA 230 African American Theatre
AFR 270History of African American Social and Intellectual Thought
AFR 267/ HIS 267/ LLS 267 History of Caribbean Migrations to the United States
AFR 340/ LIT 340 The African American Experience in America: Comparative Racial Perspectives
AFR 354/ PHI 354 Africana Philosophy
AFR 1XX Society and Hip Hop
AFR 2XX African American Film
LIT 212 Literature of the African World
LIT 344 Caribbean Literature and Culture
MUS 103 American Popular Music from Jazz to Rock
MUS 110/ LLS 110 Popular Musics of the Caribbean (requires one HIS course and any 100-level music course)
MUS 310 Comparative History of African American Musics
For students interested in Inequality:
AFR 110 Race and the Urban Community
AFR 121 African American Community Issues
AFR 227 Introduction to Community-based Approaches to Justice
AFR 237 Institutional Racism
AFR 322 Inequality and Wealth (requires STA 250; and ETH 123 or ETH 125 or ECO 101 or SOC 101 or GEN 101)
ETH 125 Race and American Society: Race and Ethnicity in America
* LLS 321 Puerto Rican/Latino/a Community Fieldwork (requires LLS 241)
For a focus on Africa:
AFR 150 Origins of Contemporary Africa
AFR 263/ LLS 263 African Heritage in the Caribbean
AFR 270 African Politics
AFR 220 Law and Justice in Africa
AFR 322 Revolutionary Thought in Contemporary Africa
For students interested in Psychology and Identity:
AFR 129/ PSY 129 Psychology of the African American Experience
AFR 347/ PSY 347 Psychology of Oppression (requires PSY 101 or AFR 129/PSY 129, and PSY 221 or any 200-level AFR course)
AFR 245 Psychology of the African American Family
AFR 248 Men: Masculinities in the United States
AFR 3XX Africana Identities
Total: 18 credits
Description: The Honors Minor in Africana Studies provides a scafolded set of challenging courses that the Africana Studies Department considers essential as an introduction to the discipline and a basis for applying Africana Studies knowledge, concepts and methodologies to a student's major, profession, and/or graduate school studies. See Africana Studies Minor above for a fuller description.
Credits: 21
Eligibility: Overall GPA of 3.3 or higher, completion of ETH 123 Race and American Society: The African American Experience.
Learning Outcomes for Honors: Students will:
- Explain how and why selected methodologies of the social sciences and humanities differ, and are utilized in Africana Studies
- Analyze the impacts of racial disparities as well as of Africana agency on the micro-, medial-, and macro-levels of society
- Design a research project using at least two different research tools
- Apply knowledge and academic resources using key concepts, theories and methodologies of Africana Studies, to themes of inequality, struggle and justice.
PART ONE. REQUIRED COURSES
Subtotal: 15
AFR 1XX Introduction to Africana Studies
AFR 150 Origins of Contemporary Africa
AFR 270 History of African American Social and Intellectual Thought
AFR 310 Research Seminar in African American Studies
AFR 410 Independent Study
PART TWO. ELECTIVES
Select two Subtotal: 6
AFR 227 Introduction to Community-based Approaches to Justice
AFR 237 Institutional Racism
AFR 347/ PSY 347 Psychology of Oppression (requires PSY 101 or AFR 129/PSY 129, and PSY 221 or any 200-level AFR course)
AFR 248 Men: Masculinities in the United State
AFR 267/ HIS 267/ LLS 267 History of Caribbean Migrations to the United States
AFR 322 Inequality and Wealth (requires STA 250; and ETH 123 or ETH 125 or ECO 101 or SOC 101 or GEN 101)
AFR 322 Revolutionary Thought in Contemporary Africa
AFR 340/ LIT 340 The African American Experience in America: Comparative Racial Perspectives
LIT 344 Caribbean Literature and Culture
HJS 310 Comparative Perspectives on Justice (*requires HJS 250 and junior standing)
AFR 354/ PHI 354 Africana Philosophy
AFR 3XX Africana Identities
Total: 21
