Africana Studies, BA

Note on Crosslisted Courses

This program contains courses that are crosslisted  with at least one other academic department. Any course with an asterisk (*) indicates that it is crosslisted. Students will earn credit toward this degree requirement by registering for either course, but may not repeat the course by enrolling a second time under the other option. To view all course options, please click the course title.

Interdisciplinary Concentration in Africana Studies

The interdisciplinary concentration in Africana Studies is intended to provide students with a broad knowledge of issues pertinent to Africa and the African diaspora. Students who follow this concentration will be exposed to the breadth of courses offered in the department, including foundations courses that deal with the Black experience; courses from the humanities and the social sciences; and courses that delineate the experiences of Africans in Africa and the diaspora. Thus, students will learn about art, music, philosophy, literature, history, politics, languages, cultures, societies, religion, dance-all from an interdisciplinary and transnational Africana perspective.

Learning Objectives

Students who complete the Interdisciplinary concentration in Africana Studies will be able to:

• Apply an Africana lens to the study of the humanities and the social sciences.
• Demonstrate an awareness of African and diasporic cultures and societies.
• Demonstrate their ability to think critically about social, political, and economic issues pertinent to Africa and the African diaspora.
• Interrogate and assess scholarly and popular sources on Africa and the African diaspora.
• Demonstrate awareness of the methodologies and skills used in the humanities and social sciences.

Concentration in Human Rights & Social Justice

Questions of human rights and social justice have been central features of modern nation-states. In fact, in the twenty-first century, issues of human rights and social justice seem even more pressing in the light of the rise of autocratic governments, a recrudescence of far-right movements and fascist sensibilities, contracting economies, restrictions placed on journalists and others who “speak truth to power”, and examples of ethnic cleansing under the watch of those who were held up as exemplars of human rights. This concentration will provide students with the knowledge and skills to address the multifarious issues that fall under the rubrics of human rights and social justice.

Learning Objectives

Students who complete the concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice will be able to:

• Demonstrate expertise in the major Africana theories on human rights and social justice.
• Evaluate and analyse the worth and veracity of various discourses (literature, moving images, inter alia) that delineate human rights issues in Africa or the African diaspora.
• Conduct research and write a cogent analysis on a major issue pertaining to social justice or human rights in Africa or the African diaspora.
• Apply the principles learnt in the classroom to “real-life” situations through a Social Action Project.

Concentration in Health and Disease

Access to healthcare is one of the defining features of compassionate nations. Moreover, establishing standards of care is critical to delivering adequate health services. The concentration in health and disease considers these issues while at the same time creating educated citizenry who can move easily between academic and professional healthcare settings.

Learning Objectives

Students who complete the concentration in Health and Disease in Africa and the African Diaspora will be able to:

• Demonstrate expertise in the areas of health and disease in Africa and the African diaspora from historical and contemporaryperspectives.
• Analyse case studies of health issues from Africa and the African diaspora.
• Demonstrate knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and be able to use these methodologies to measure health outcomes.
• Interpret data.
• Demonstrate awareness of how the law and health intersect including areas relating to patient confidentiality and medical ethics.
• Demonstrate verbal and written skills consistent with those needed in professional healthcare settings.

Notes:

1. Students are recommended, but not required, to take AFS 491 - Interdisciplinary Seminar in Africana Studies .
2. Students must take at least two 200-level courses in Africana Studies prior to beginning their junior year.
3. Only six credits of directed readings or independent study courses (courses numbered 447 and 487) may be used toward the major.
4. The following courses may not be used to fulfill major requirements: AFS 283 , AFS 475 , AFS 476 , AFS 488 , AFH 475 , AFH 476 .
5. Transfer students must take at least 12 credits of upper-division Africana Studies courses in residence at Stony Brook to complete the AFS major.
6. Students can earn credit (S/U) by enrolling in AFS 283  (Community Service with the BlackWorld newspaper option). AFS 283  may not be used to fulfill major requirements.

Africana Studies Honors Program

Departmental majors with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.33 in Africana Studies courses as specified in the major requirements and an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 are eligible to enroll in the Africana Studies Honors program at the beginning of their senior year. The student must submit a research project proposal to a faculty sponsor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, indicating the merit of the proposed project. The faculty sponsor must submit to the Department a statement of support for the proposal. The resulting project is read and evaluated by a committee consisting of the faculty sponsor and two faculty members (one may be a member of a department outside of Africana Studies). If the committee deems that the honors project has been completed successfully, honors are conferred by the Department.