Africana Studies (AFST)

Africana Studies is the study of the interrelated histories, politics, and cultural products of Africa and the African Diaspora in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and elsewhere. As a field of inquiry, Africana Studies critically examines the intellectual traditions and experiences of Africans and diasporic communities from intra- and interdisciplinary perspectives. As such, Africana Studies includes African American, Caribbean, and African Studies. 

Africana Studies offers majors a multidisciplinary curriculum that examines the histories, narratives, intellectual traditions, music, art, politics, cultures, literatures, economies, social institutions, and identities of Africans and their descendants from the liberal arts perspective. It provides students with critical engagement with contemporary and historical concerns and self-expressions of African and African descended people. It also examines these experiences within the context of social relations with European, Euro-American, and other non-African communities. Africana Studies is a rich inter- and intra-disciplinary major.

Africana Studies majors will become competent writers through their engagement with the wide array of writing tasks required in our courses. Public speaking instruction will occur as a facet of the oral presentation assignments in many of our courses, but specifically required in our two core classes. Through the research skills acquired through our foundational classes, the classes that constitute the major, students will gain information literacy and will be required to demonstrate that literacy through completion of a thesis in their senior year.   

Resources

The Africana Studies major enjoys a co-curricular and curricular relationship with Bucknell’s Griot Institute for Africana Studies. The activities, programs, and projects of the Institute coalesce and interface with the objectives and goals of the major. Africana Studies majors and minors are encouraged to engage with the opportunities presented by the Institute’s programming. 

Africana Studies majors must complete nine courses from the following categories, including an independent study, the object of which is to complete a thesis, which will fulfill the Culminating Experience. Courses must be selected in consultation with a departmental adviser. 

Africana Studies Major Requirements  (9 courses)

AFST 199	Introduction to Africana Studies	1
AFST 250	Approaches to Africana Studies	1
One course in History (Africa, African American, or Caribbean)		1
Five courses in area specialties: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts; of these courses, two must be at the 200-level, and at least one course must be at the 300-level.		5
AFST 399	Independent Study	1

Courses in Area Specialties are distributed both divisionally and geographically. Students must take the following number of courses out of the approved list of Africana divisional courses: two in Social Sciences, two in Humanities, and one in the Arts. These courses must include the following geographic groupings: one course on Africa, one course on African America, and one course on either the Caribbean or Afro-Latin communities. Courses may count simultaneously for the division and region/spatial community requirements. (As such, a single course may fulfill both a Humanities and an Africa requirement.)

Students will fulfill the Culminating Experience by completion of a thesis in an area of Africana Studies. Students will register for an independent study in the fall of their senior year with their faculty adviser. The thesis topic must be confirmed in writing in consultation with the faculty adviser by the end of each student’s junior year. [See Honors Council website for consideration as an honors thesis; however, theses do not have to be submitted to the Honors Council to count as the Culminating Experience major requirement for Africana Studies.] For particular information about the process for pursuing an honors thesis, please see https://my.bucknell.edu/x56270.html  Faculty advisers will determine successful completion of the thesis/Culminating Experience requirement by submission of the grade for the independent study.

Africana Studies majors will become competent writers through their engagement with the wide array of writing tasks required in our courses. Public speaking instruction will occur as a facet of the oral presentation assignments in many of our courses, but specifically required in our two core classes. Through the research skills acquired through our foundational classes, the classes that constitute the major, students will gain information literacy and will be required to demonstrate that literacy through completion of a thesis in their senior year. 

Africana courses

Listing of Current Africana Courses:

Humanities

ENGL 213	Special Topics in American Literature 1	1
ENGL 217	Studies in Dramatic Literature 1	1
ENGL 219	Studies in Selected American Authors 1	1
ENGL 221	African-American Literature	1
ENGL 227	Caribbean Literature	1
ENGL 286	The Modern Novel 1	1
ENGL 290	Special Topics 1	1
ENGL 311	Seminar in Contemporary American Literature	1
ENGL 321	Seminar in African-American Literature	1
ENGL 327	Seminar in Caribbean Literature	1
CLAS 219	Ancient Egyptian Literature	1
FREN 236	Topics in Francophone Literature and Culture 1	1
FREN 330	Topics in Literature 1	1
FREN 336	Francophone Africa	1
FREN 395	Seminar in French Studies 1	1
HIST 218	African-Americans and the American Revolution	1
HIST 219	Antebellum America	1
HIST 223	Twentieth-century African-American History: Eyes on the Prize	1
HIST 290	Europe Imperialism and Colonialism	1
HIST 291	African History I	1
HIST 292	African History II	1
HIST 299	Topics in Non-western History 1	1
HIST 319	African-American History	1
HUMN 330	Studies in Autobiography 1	1
LING 210	Language and Race	1
RELI 234	Issues of Religion and Culture	1
WMST/RELI 248	Religions of the African Diaspora	1

Social Sciences

ANTH 229	Pilgrimage, Prayer, and Purity: The Anthropology of Religion	1
ANTH/IREL 235	Modern Africa	1
ANTH 329	Religions in Africa: Spirits, Saints, and Sufis	1
ECON 222	Economic Topics 1	1
ECON/WMST 224	African Political Economy	1
ECON 236	Unemployment and Poverty	1
ECON 266	Political Economy of Caribbean	1
ECON 270	South Africa: Social Entrepreneurship	1
FOUN 098	Foundation Seminar (South Africa: Apartheid & After)	1
POLS 211	Third World Politics	1
POLS 246	Race Ethnicity and American Politics	1
POLS 263	Race and Ethnicity in American Legal Thought	1
PSYC 233	Black Psychology	1
PSYC 373	Psychology of Race and Gender	1
SOCI 213	Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives	1
SOCI 243	Sociology of Race and Ethnicity	1
SOCI 280	Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African-American Thought	1
SOCI 290	Caribbean Society Music and Ritual	1
SOCI 310	The Sociology of Developing Societies	1
SOCI 433	Seminar in Law and Society	1
WMST 370	Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies 1	1

Arts: Art and Art History, Creative Writing, Music, Theatre and Dance

ARTH 241	Archaeology of Egypt	1
ENGL 210	Special Topics in Creative Writing 1	1
MUSC 248	Music and Culture: History of Jazz	1
MUSC 126	Introduction to Popular Music in the U.S.	1
MUSC 249	Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Music	1
MUSC 254	Music and Culture: Africa and the Diaspora	1
MUSC 256	Music and Culture: Popular Music	1
MUSC 257	Music and Culture: Jazz, Rock, and Race	1
MUSC 258	Music and Culture: Music in American Life	1
MUSC 352	Topics in Music: ca. 1800-1900	1

Major Courses Listed According to Area

African American

ENGL 213	Special Topics in American Literature 1	1
ENGL 219	Studies in Selected American Authors 1	1
ENGL 221	African-American Literature	1
ENGL 311	Seminar in Contemporary American Literature 1	1
ENGL 321	Seminar in African-American Literature	1
ECON 319/WMST 318	Economic History of Women in the United States	1
ECON 236	Unemployment and Poverty	1
ECON 320	Race, Economics and Inequality	1
HIST 218	African-Americans and the American Revolution	1
HIST 219	Antebellum America	1
HIST 223	Twentieth-century African-American History: Eyes on the Prize	1
HIST 319	African-American History	1
MUSC 248	Music and Culture: History of Jazz	1
MUSC 126	Introduction to Popular Music in the U.S.	1
POLS 246	Race Ethnicity and American Politics	1
POLS 371	Minority Politics	1
POLS 263	Race and Ethnicity in American Legal Thought	1
PSYC 233	Black Psychology	1
WMST 333	Black Feminism	1

Caribbean

ENGL 227	Caribbean Literature	1
ENGL 327	Seminar in Caribbean Literature	1
ECON 266	Political Economy of Caribbean	1
SOCI 280	Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African-American Thought	1
SOCI 290	Caribbean Society Music and Ritual	1

Africa

CLAS 219	Ancient Egyptian Literature	1
FREN 336	Francophone Africa	1
HIST 291	African History I	1
HIST 292	African History II	1
WMST/RELI 248	Religions of the African Diaspora	1
ANTH 235	Modern Africa	1
ANTH 329	Religions in Africa: Spirits, Saints, and Sufis	1
ECON/WMST 224	African Political Economy	1
ECON 235	African Economic Development	1
ECON 270	South Africa: Social Entrepreneurship	1
FOUN 098	Foundation Seminar (South Aftica: Apartheid & After)	1
ARTH 241	Archaeology of Egypt	1
MUSC 254	Music and Culture: Africa and the Diaspora	1

May be any of the three areas depending on semester's content (check with adviser)

ENGL 217	Studies in Dramatic Literature 1	1
ENGL 286	The Modern Novel 1	1
ENGL 290	Special Topics 1	1
FREN 236	Topics in Francophone Literature and Culture 1	1
FREN 330	Topics in Literature 1	1
FREN 395	Seminar in French Studies 1	1
HIST 290	Europe Imperialism and Colonialism	1
HIST 299	Topics in Non-western History 1	1
HUMN 330	Studies in Autobiography 1	1
LING 210	Language and Race	1
ECON 222	Economic Topics 1	1
POLS 211	Third World Politics	1
PSYC 373	Psychology of Race and Gender	1
SOCI 213	Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives	1
SOCI 243	Sociology of Race and Ethnicity	1
SOCI 310	The Sociology of Developing Societies	1
SOCI 433	Seminar in Law and Society	1
WMST 370	Special Topics in Women's and Gender Studies 1	1
ENGL 210	Special Topics in Creative Writing 1	1
MUSC 249	Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Music	1
MUSC 256	Music and Culture: Popular Music	1
MUSC 352	Topics in Music: ca. 1800-1900	1

1	When appropriate.

Students majoring in Africana Studies are strongly encouraged to spend a semester or a summer abroad, preferably in Africa or the Caribbean. Bucknell en France (when appropriate), Bucknell in Barbados, Bucknell in Ghana, Bucknell in the Caribbean, Bucknell in South Africa programs are particularly encouraged. In addition, the department strongly recommends that students take four semesters of a language spoken in the African Diaspora, e.g. Arabic, French, Spanish, or an African language.

African-American Studies Minor

The African-American experience is directly and inextricably embedded in the history and culture of the United States. As an interdisciplinary field, African-American Studies is concerned with the systematic investigation of the history, culture, political economy, literature, art, and languages of people of African descent in the United States and their contributions to the United States and to the world. The African-American Studies minor is a way of educating all students about black experiences and developing in them an understanding and appreciation of the life and history of peoples of African ancestry in the United States, and thus move toward a more comprehensive view of life and history in the United States generally.

By offering students opportunities to gain knowledge of this history and experience, an African-American Studies minor affirms black identity and heritage, fosters understanding, respect, and appreciation of diversity, and better prepares students for life in a multicultural society.

The interdisciplinary structure of the African-American Studies minor offers students directed toward the professions and graduate schools an opportunity to satisfy the increasingly rigorous expectations of admissions committees and prospective employers for a broad liberal arts perspective that complements specialized knowledge. African-American Studies provide a background for those considering careers in education, journalism, law, business management, public service, psychology, social work, and literature.

The interdepartmental minor in African-American Studies consists of five courses that must be taken in three different disciplines. A minimum of four courses must be selected from the following list. In consultation with the coordinators of the minor, students may count one course from either the African Studies or Caribbean Studies list.

ENGL 206	Early American National Literature	1
ENGL 209	Modern American Literature 1900-1950	1
ENGL 210	Special Topics in Creative Writing	1
ENGL 211	Southern Exposure	1
ENGL 213	Special Topics in American Literature	1
ENGL 217	Studies in Dramatic Literature	1
ENGL 219	Studies in Selected American Authors (The Novels of Toni Morrison)	1
ENGL 219	Studies in Selected American Authors (Art of Darkness)	1
ENGL 221	African-American Literature	1
ENGL 221	African-American Literature (Twenty-first-century African-American Novels)	1
ENGL 286	The Modern Novel	1
ENGL 306	US: Fever/Fantasy/Desire	1
ENGL 321	Seminar in African-American Literature	1
HIST 121	Introduction to African-American History I	1
HIST 122	Introduction to African-American History II	1
HIST 218	African-Americans and the American Revolution	1
HIST 219	Antebellum America	1
HIST 223	Twentieth-century African-American History: Eyes on the Prize	1
HIST 319	African-American History	1
LING 210	Language and Race	1
RELI 219	Contemporary Religion: Race, Gender, and Sexuality	1
SOCI 213	Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives	1
SOCI 280	Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African-American Thought	1

African Studies Minor

The interdepartmental African Studies minor gives an understanding of Africa’s rich heritage, diversity and role in the world today, and contributes an international focus to a liberal arts education. It consists of five courses chosen from the list below. Students must take at least three core courses, and they may choose any two other courses from the list below. If possible, at least one course should be related to the student’s major. In consultation with the coordinators of the minor, students may include an Africa-related course from the African-American or Caribbean Studies list. In general, there are no prerequisites for the courses on the African Studies minor list.

Core Courses:

ANTH/IREL 235/UNIV 200	Modern Africa	1
ANTH 329	Religions in Africa: Spirits, Saints, and Sufis	1
ECON 224	African Political Economy	1
ECON 235	African Economic Development	1
ECON/MGMT/PSYC 270	South Africa: Social Entrepreneurship	1
FOUN 098	Foundation Seminar (South Africa)	1
FREN 336	Francophone Africa	1
HIST 291	African History I	1
HIST 292	African History II	1

Other African Studies Courses:

ANTH 305	Womb to Tomb: Culture and the Life Course	1
GEOG 236	Third World Development	1
HIST 290	Europe Imperialism and Colonialism	1
SOCI 213	Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives	1
SOCI 310	The Sociology of Developing Societies	1

Courses taken in summer or in semester-long or year-long programs in Africa may count toward the minor.

Caribbean Studies Minor

The Caribbean Studies minor is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the Caribbean region that moves beyond stereotypes and exoticism. In the various courses offered, students are able to explore the complexities of the region’s economy and various economic organizations, its culture, society, geo-political significance, and literature.

The minor serves as an important supplement for those students who are studying international relations, sociology, anthropology, economics, literature, and politics, among other disciplines. Combining Caribbean Studies with a major in one of the aforementioned areas contributes not only to the broadening of the horizon of the student but provides a strong basis for pursuing graduate opportunities in such areas as development planning, development economics, international relations, sociology, anthropology, postcolonial literature, cultural studies, gender studies, and area studies. Other students may find that a background in Caribbean Studies is useful in seeking employment in the foreign service, AID agencies, in many international organizations, and in non-governmental organizations.

The interdepartmental minor in Caribbean Studies consists of five courses selected from the following list. No more than two courses may be taken in any one department.

ECON 266	Political Economy of Caribbean	1
ECON 301	Independent Study (Barbados Summer Program)	1
ENGL 227	Caribbean Literature	1
FREN 236	Topics in Francophone Literature and Culture (when relevant)	1
FREN 395	Seminar in French Studies	1
SOCI 213	Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives	1
SOCI 290	Caribbean Society Music and Ritual	1
SOCI 310	The Sociology of Developing Societies	1

1. To encourage students to explore and cross-pollinate the undeveloped and unimagined intersections between Africana Studies and the arts, humanities, social sciences, and other disciplines;
2. To provide innovative and unique opportunities for Bucknell’s students to engage with and to experience the intellectual and artistic endeavors and cultural products of the Africana world.

Faculty

Co-directors: Nina E. Banks, Carmen Gillespie

Coordinator: Linden F. Lewis (Caribbean Studies)

Co-coordinators: Michelle C. Johnson (African Studies), Leslie C. Patrick (African-American Studies), Geoffrey E. Schneider (African Studies), T. Joel Wade (African-American Studies)