Africana Studies Minor
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.
Credits required. 18
Program/Minor coordinator. Professor Charlotte Walker-Said, Department of Africana Studies (212.237.8758, cwalker-said@jjay.cuny.edu)
Prerequisites. The prerequisites for AFR 310 are 6 credits in AFR courses and junior standing, or permission of instructor.
Requirements. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minors or programs.
Additional information. The curriculum presented here applies to students who started the
minor in September 2015 and after. If you declared the minor prior to that, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin 2014-2015.
Part One. Required Courses
| AFR 140 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 3 |
| AFR 310 | Research Seminar in African-American Studies | 3 |
Note: Students who take AFR 390 McNair Research Methods, AFR 410 Independent Study or a 300 or 400-level “Experience Course” equivalent (such as one of the courses below indicated below with an asterisk) can use such a course in lieu of AFR 310, see Minor coordinator for more information).
Total Credit Hours: 6
Part Two. Electives
Select any four courses
Select ANY 4 courses taught by the Africana Studies Department (AFR course prefix) or those from ICJ, LIT, MUS or SOC listed below.
The following list provides suggested groupings of courses for those students with particular interests, but does NOT include all possible course choices. Credit toward the Africana Studies Minor may be given for courses taken elsewhere at the College if they include substantial Africana content upon review of the course syllabus. Please contact the Africana Studies Minor Coordinator for guidance.
For students interested in Justice:
| AFR 123 | Justice, the Individual & Struggle in African American Experience | 3 |
| or | |
| AFR 125 | Race & Ethnicity in America | 3 |
| AFR 215 | Police and Urban Communities | 3 |
| AFR 220 | Law and Justice in Africa | 3 |
| AFR 227 | Introduction to Community-based Approaches to Justice | 3 |
| AFR 229 | Restoring Justice: Making Peace and Resolving Conflict | 3 |
| AFR 315 | Community-based Justice in Africana World | 3 |
| AFR 317 | Environmental Racism | 3 |
| AFR 320 | Perspectives on Justice in the Africana World | 3 |
| ICJ 381 | Internship in International Criminal Justice | 3 |
| SOC 381 | Internship in Dispute Resolution | 3 |
For students interested in a focus on Humanities:
| AFR 132 | Arts & Culture in the African Diaspora | 3 |
| AFR 223/LIT 223 | African-American Literature | 3 |
| AFR 230/DRA 230 | African-American Theatre | 3 |
| AFR 267/LLS 267/HIS 267 | History of Caribbean Migrations to the United States | 3 |
| AFR 270 | The History of African-American Social and Intellectual Thought | 3 |
| AFR 280 | Selected Topics in Africana Studies | 3 |
| AFR 340/LIT 340 | The African-American Experience in America: Comparative Racial Perspectives | 3 |
| AFR 354/PHI 354 | Africana Philosophy | 3 |
| LIT 212 | Literature of the African World | 3 |
| LIT 344 | Caribbean Literature and Culture | 3 |
| MUS 103 | American Popular Music from Jazz to Rock | 3 |
| MUS 110 | Popular Music of the Caribbean | 3 |
| MUS 310 | Comparative History of African American Musics | 3 |
MUS 310: Prerequisites: one HIS course and any 100-level MUS course.
For students interested in Inequality:
| AFR 110 | Race and the Urban Community | 3 |
| AFR 121 | Africana Communities in U.S. | 3 |
| AFR 125 | Race & Ethnicity in America | 3 |
| AFR 227 | Introduction to Community-based Approaches to Justice | 3 |
| AFR 237 | Institutional Racism | 3 |
| AFR 280 | Selected Topics in Africana Studies | 3 |
| AFR 317 | Environmental Racism | 3 |
| AFR 322 | Inequality and Wealth | 3 |
| LLS 321 | Puerto Rican/Latina/o Community Fieldwork | 4 |
LLS 321: Students who take AFR 390 McNair Research Methods, AFR 410 Independent Study or a 300 or 400-level “Experience Course” equivalent can use such a course in lieu of AFR 310, see Minor coordinator for more information). Prerequisites: LLS 241.
For students interested in a focus on Africa:
For students interested in Psychology and Identity:
| AFR 129/PSY 129 | The Psychology of the African-American Experience | 3 |
| AFR 245 | Psychology of the African-American Family | 3 |
| AFR 248 | Men: Masculinities in the United States | 3 |
| AFR 319 | Self, Identity & Justice: Global Perspectives | 3 |
| AFR 347/PSY 347 | Psychology of Oppression | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12
Total Credit Hours: 18