The field of Africana Studies examines the history and culture of people of African descent including Black people in the US and across the diaspora.
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 consists of 9 courses (36 semester hours) of coursework. Students in the major are required to complete the following program of study:
| AST 101 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 4 |
| AST 202 | Introduction to Black Popular Culture | 4 |
| AND | ||
| AST 350 | Independent Study | 4 |
| OR | ||
| AST 355 | Senior Thesis | 4 |
| OR | ||
| AST 365 | Intimate Family Violence | 4 |
| OR | ||
| AST 370 | Internship | 0 |
| OR | ||
| AST 375 | Behind the Veil: Simmons Oral History Project | 4 |
| OR | ||
| CRGCS 355 | Critical Race, Gender and Cultural Studies Capstone Project | 0 |
| AST 101 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 4 |
| AST 170 | Introduction to 21st Century Global Literature | 4 |
| AST 175 | African American Fiction | 0 |
| AST 202 | Introduction to Black Popular Culture | 4 |
| AST 210 | Black Women, Gender, and Feminism(s) | 4 |
| AST 232 | Race, Gender & Health | 4 |
| AST 240 | Black Intellectuals and Entrepreneurs | 4 |
| AST 245 | Tweeting Into the Future: Race, Technology & Social Media | 4 |
| AST 249 | Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender in Comparative Settings | 4 |
| AST 274 | Literature of the Jazz Age | 4 |
| AST 275 | The Black Freedom Movement: From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter | 4 |
| AST 307 | Black History at the Movies | 4 |
| AST 313 | The Black Struggle for Schooling in the The United States | 4 |
| AST 317 | Toni Morrison Seminar | 4 |
| AST 350 | Independent Study | 4 |
| AST 355 | Senior Thesis | 4 |
| AST 365 | Intimate Family Violence | 4 |
| AST 370 | Internship | 0 |
| AST 375 | Behind the Veil: Simmons Oral History Project | 4 |
| ART 251 | African Art: 3000 BC to the Present | 4 |
| ART 255 | African American Art | 4 |
| COMM 268 | Human Rights in South Africa | 4 |
| CRGCS 101 | Identity and Power | 4 |
| CRGCS 102 | Introduction to Migration Studies | 4 |
| CRGCS 355 | Critical Race, Gender and Cultural Studies Capstone Project | 0 |
| FREN 235 | The Francophone Caribbean: Literature and Culture | 4 |
| FREN 265 | Francophone Short Stories | 4 |
| HIST 118 | Topics in Latin American History | 4 |
| HIST 210 | African American Experience | 4 |
| HIST 211 | Medicine and the African American Experience | 4 |
| HIST 213 | Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History | 4 |
| HIST 214 | African Diaspora | 4 |
| HIST 217 | Caribbean History | 4 |
| HIST 240 | The Atlantic World 1500-1800 | 4 |
| LTWR 230 | Postcolonial Film | 4 |
| LTWR 235 | Identity and Race in 19th Century American Literature | 4 |
| LTWR 274 | Literature of the Jazz Age | 4 |
| LTWR 327 | Psychoanalysis, Race and Sexuality | 4 |
| POLS 215 | The Politics of Exclusion | 4 |
| POLS 226 | State and Local Politics | 4 |
| POLS 228 | The War on Drugs | 3 |
| POLS 234 | African American Political Theory | 4 |
| POLS 242 | Colonial & Postcolonial Politics of Africa | 4 |
| SOCI 300 | Special Topics: Race Theory | 4 |
| SOCI 344 | Sociology of Poetry & Prose | 4 |
| SOCI 347 | Antiracism and Social Justice | 4 |
| SOCI 348 | Re-envisioning the Third World | 4 |
| AST 101 | Introduction to Africana Studies | 4 |
| AST 102 | Black Culture in U.S. Society | 4 |
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.
So you know that Simmons is a great place to be, you've learned about our programs, maybe even come for a visit...now you're ready to apply! Let's get started.
Learn about the history of Africana Studies, the work of its students and recent graduates, and explore oral histories of Black alums from the 1970s and 1980s.
50 Years of Africana Studies
