Program in Africana Studies (BA)
Faculty
Dawna Thomas, Chair and Professor of Sociology, Director of Law and Justice Minor
Tatiana Cruz, Program Director and Assistant Professor
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
Overview
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 Honors
Program honors are offered to eligible students according to the College requirements on page 26. Majors with a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average and a 3.67 grade point average within the Department of Africana Studies are eligible for the program honors.
Program Requirements
This course of study is for students who want to pursue a liberal arts major in Africana studies. Students who anticipate professional careers or graduate study in liberal arts should consider this major track.
The major requires 36 semester hours comprising the following:
| AST 101 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 4 |
| AST 102 | Black Cultures in U.S. Society Of African Americans | 4 |
| AST 240 | African American Intellectual History | 4 |
Eight semester hours contributing to an interdisciplinary knowledge of Africana studies, no more than four hours of which may be taken in any one department.
Courses that count toward the satisfaction of this requirement include:
Eight semester hours of electives.
Courses listed under the “interdisciplinary knowledge” requirement may count as electives only if they are not counted toward the satisfaction of the “interdisciplinary knowledge” requirement.
Other electives are:
Eight semester hours from
Any AST course numbered 350 and above will satisfy half of the 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.
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.