About the Program
Majors in Africana Studies explore the meanings of Black liberation and thus a world where humans learn to live in harmony with each other and the earth. Offering multidisciplinary courses across the arts and sciences, majors develop cultural competence, critical and creative thinking skills, and research, writing, and presentation skills.
Admission Requirements
Any matriculated student in good academic standing may declare this program.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
1. recall the history and development of the discipline of Africana Studies, including its history, purpose, and unique African-centered lens that may apply to all matter of phenomena
2. analyze how pertinent issues and perspectives of Africana Studies apply to Buffalo and Western New York (neighborhood, city, region, nation, and global locale)
3. assess the multidisciplinary nature of Africana Studies and explain how its multiple lenses offer unique problem-solving ideas across various real-world problems and professions
4. identify and explain systems of inequity and its intersectional nature across Africa and the African diaspora
5. use course concepts to decenter oppressive ideology in theory and practice
Program Requirements
General Education 23 Requirements
33 credit hours 33
Required Foundational A Courses (12 credit hours)
AAS 100 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICANA STUDIES 3
AAS 200 BLACKS IN BUFFALO 3
AAS 343 WHY AFRICA MATTERS 3
AAS 485 ADVANCED SEMINAR IN AFRICANA STUDIES 3
Required Foundational B Courses (6 credit hours) 6
Choose at least 2 of the following courses:
AAS 300 BLACK THOUGHT: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CONSCIOUSNESS AND LIBERATION
AAS 322 AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
AAS 326 BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT
AAS 360 AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY
Histories and Cultures of Africa (3 credit hours) 3
AAS 209 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN MUSIC AND CULTURES
AAS 305 MOTHER AFRICA
AAS/HIS 337 AFRICA SINCE 1800
The Humanities (3 credit hours) 3
Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
AAS 234 THE POLITICS OF BLACK DANCE IN AMERICA
AAS 240 AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1940
AAS 241 AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE SINCE 1940
AAS 361 RACE AND PROGRESS
AAS 366 AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
The Social Sciences (3 credit hours) 3
AAS 218 AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE
AAS 351 SOCIOLOGY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY
AAS 425 RACE, ETHNICITY, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
Electives (6 credit hours) 6
Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
AAS189 TOPICS COURSE 3 Credit Hours
AAS209 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN MUSIC AND CULTURES 3 Credit Hours
AAS218 AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE 3 Credit Hours
AAS221 THE HISTORY OF BLACK EDUCATION IN AMERICA 3 Credit Hours
AAS230 DANCE TECHNIQUES FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 3 Credit Hours
AAS234 THE POLITICS OF BLACK DANCE IN AMERICA 3 Credit Hours
AAS240 AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1940 3 Credit Hours
AAS241 AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE SINCE 1940 3 Credit Hours
AAS300 BLACK THOUGHT: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CONSCIOUSNESS AND LIBERATION 3 Credit Hours
AAS305 MOTHER AFRICA 3 Credit Hours
AAS306 AFRICA TO 1800 3 Credit Hours
AAS321 THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY 3 Credit Hours
AAS322 AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY 3 Credit Hours
AAS326 BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT 3 Credit Hours
AAS333 AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 3 Credit Hours
AAS334 RACE, CLASS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY IN MEDIA 3 Credit Hours
AAS337 AFRICA SINCE 1800 3 Credit Hours
AAS351 SOCIOLOGY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY 3 Credit Hours
AAS357 BLACKS IN TECHNOLOGY: INNOVATING THE FUTURE 3 Credit Hours
AAS360 AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
AAS361 RACE AND PROGRESS 3 Credit Hours
AAS366 AFRICAN AMERICAN ART 3 Credit Hours
AAS373 "SAVING" AFRICA 3 Credit Hours
AAS380 ART OF AFRICA 3 Credit Hours
AAS389 TOPICS IN AFRICANA STUDIES 1 - 3 Credit Hours
AAS421 DRAMA FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 3 Credit Hours
AAS425 RACE, ETHNICITY, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE 3 Credit Hours
AAS488 INTERNSHIP 1 - 6 Credit Hours
AAS495 SPECIAL PROJECT 1 - 3 Credit Hours
AAS499 INDEPENDENT STUDY 3 - 9 Credit Hours
Choose two from the following that have not been used to satisfy any of the above requirements
All College Electives (54 credit hours)
Total Credit Hours 120