Program in Africana Studies (BA)
Faculty
Dawna Thomas, Chair of the Department of Critical Race & Gender Studies, Professor of Sociology / Women’s & Gender Studies
Tatiana Cruz, Assistant Professor & Interdisciplinary Program Director of Africana Studies
Affiliated Faculty:
Abel Amado, Assistant Professor of Political Science & International Relations
Sheldon George, Chair & Professor of the Department of Literature and Writing
Daren Graves, Associate Professor of Education & Social Work
Marda Messay, Associate Professor of Modern Languages & Literature
Frances Sullivan, Assistant Professor & Interdisciplinary Program Director of Migration Studies
Becky Thompson, Professor of Sociology
Lynn Perry Wooten, Simmons University President
Lena Zuckerwise, Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations
Program Overview:
The Africana Studies program offers opportunities to critically examine the historical, political, social, economic, and cultural processes and institutions of people across the African diaspora, including the experiences of Black people in the United States and across the globe. The program has a long history at Simmons University. The program was established as Black Studies in 1972 in response to Black student activism on campus.
The Africana Studies program offers both a major and a minor. It is an interdisciplinary and transnational program situated primarily in the humanities and social sciences that provides opportunities for the intersectional study of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. It provides a solid foundation in critical thinking, research, writing, and technology, equipping students with marketable, transferable skills that translate into living and working in a diverse world as well as demonstrate cultural competency to future employers in fields such as education, social work and nonprofit sectors, medicine, law, and business. Students with degrees in Africana Studies develop the tools to become global citizens and participate effectively to shape a more inclusive, equitable, socially just world.
The Africana Studies major and minor both pair well with any fields of study across the university. With a wide array of electives across many different departments, students have the freedom to choose a course of study that reflects their interests. Students interested in dual degree programs or self-designed majors should consult with program faculty to design an individualized program that best suits their interests. The program also offers internships and opportunities for advanced study in independent studies or a senior thesis for interested students as well as supports study abroad.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Students in Africana Studies will...
I. Content: Analyze major historical, political, social, economic, and cultural developments and institutions of people of African descent, including diverse communities of Black people in the United States and abroad.
II. Knowledge of the Field: Demonstrate a broad understanding of the field, its intellectual and institutional history, its multidisciplinary / interdisciplinary nature, its core
concepts and theoretical frameworks, as well as its body of literature and key historiographical debates.
III. Analytical Framework: Identify the foundations and workings of racism, colonialism, classism, heteropatriarchy, and other systems of oppression, as well as the ability to effectively employ the theoretical concept of intersectionality.
IV. Skills & Methods: Demonstrate critical thinking and analysis, research, and writing skills, as well as evaluate and employ the field’s major methodological approaches and schools of thought.
V. Relevance & Applicability in a Diverse World: Develop cultural competence and debate current sociopolitical issues and initiatives that are relevant to people of African descent.
VI. Global Citizenship & Community Engagement: Apply knowledge to research and develop solutions to challenge systemic oppressions and take action to create social change in local communities and the world at large.
Program Requirements: Major Requirements
The Africana Studies major consists of 9 courses (36 semester hours) of coursework. Students in the major are required to complete the following program of study:
Three Required Core Courses (12 semester hours) that include:
o Two Additional Africana Studies Courses (8 semester hours) in the program each with an AST prefix.
o Four Elective Courses (16 semester hours) chosen from the list of approved classes. At least one of the elective courses needs to be at the advanced 300-level. No more than two elective courses can be situated in the same department and have the same prefix.
Africana Studies Course Offerings:
Approved Elective Course offerings
Africana Studies Minor
The Africana Studies minor consists of 5 courses (20 semester hours) of coursework. Students in the minor are required to complete the following program of study:
One Required Course (4 semester hours) chosen from the following:
| AST 101 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 4 |
| AST 102 | Black Culture in U.S. Society | 4 |
o Two Additional Africana Studies Courses (8 semester hours) in the program each with an AST prefix.
o Two Additional Courses (8 semester hours) in the Africana Studies program (AST prefix) or from the list of approved elective courses. At least one of the elective courses needs to be at the advanced 300-level.
Any AST course numbered 350 and above will satisfy half of the College’s Independent Learning requirement. Two such courses will satisfy the entire Independent Learning requirement. Students may also satisfy the College’s Independent Learning requirement by taking appropriate courses or completing approved projects in an area other than Africana Studies.