About the Program
Utica University's Africana Studies program is interdisciplinary and devoted to critical and systematic examination of the historical, political, economic, social, and cultural experiences of African Americans, Africans, and African-descendant peoples throughout the world. It is a program built on the four pillars of North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, and Latin America. Students will critically analyze the impact of Africa and the African diasporas on humanity from multiple points of view through scholarship and real-world experiences, including study abroad.Africana Major Learning Goals
- Students will gain a clear understanding of the impact of the African diasporas on humanity.
- Students will learn how to critically analyze relevant scholarship and incorporate real world experiences into their understanding.
- Students will synthesize their learning in a capstone project which contributes to the field.
Academic Requirements
Major Course Requirements (12 credits):
HIS 135 – Introduction to The African Diasporic Experience (3) DHIS 235 – Methods and Key Themes in African American History Since Reconstruction (3) or
SOC 342 – Urban Sociology (3) (Methods) or SOC 312-Social Science Research Methods (3)
SOC 367 – Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality (3) or GOV 373 – African Politics (3)
ENG 392 – African American Literature (3)
Major-related Language Requirements (6 credits):
SPA 101 – Beginning Spanish I (3)SPA 102 – Beginning Spanish II (3)
Or
FRE 101 – Beginning French I (3)
FRE 102 – Beginning French II (3)
Or
ARB 101 – Beginning Arabic I (3)
ARB 102 – Beginning Arabic II (3)
Africana Electives:
Majors must choose a total of 18 credits beyond what is listed above, drawing from a minimum of three different disciplinary prefixes. Four of the six electives must be at the intermediary and upper levels, i.e., 300 or 400, and at least one elective must be writing intensive.Anthropology
ANT 205 – Human Beings in Evolutionary Perspective (3)
ANT 243 – Caribbean Peoples and Cultures (3)
ANT 283 – Urban Anthropology (3)
ANT 323 – Archaeology of North America and the Caribbean (3)
ANT 397 – Inside Globalization (3)
Communications and Media
CMM 325 – Intercultural Communication (3)
Criminal Justice
CRJ 426 – Race Ethnicity and Criminal (In)Justice (3)
English
ENG 393 – LatinX Literature (3)
Communications and Media
FLM 303 – Black Cinema (3)
FLM 324 – Race, Ethnicity, and Film (3)
History
HIS 123 – Race, Class, and Gender in Early America (3)
HIS 305 – Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
HIS 312 – American Immigration and Migration (3)
HIS 323 – Civil Rights and African American Nationalism (3)
HIS 324 – Resistance, Race, and Labor (3)
HIS 334 – History of Colonial Africa (3)
HIS 335 – History of Modern South Africa (3)
HIS 365 – African American Urban Politics, Economy, and Policy in Historical Perspective (3)
HIS 366 – Black Leadership, Organization, and Movements in Historical Perspective (3)
HIS 380 – North Africa, Islam, and the Middle East in Historical Perspective (3)
HIS 388 – African International Relations in Historical Perspective (3)
HIS 395 – Black Women, Gender, and Black Transnationalism (3)
HIS 465 – Race, Crime, and Punishment in Historical Perspective (3)
HIS 480 – Race and Racism in Public Health and Medicine (3)
HIS 355 – Afro-Latin American Invisibility and Centrality (3)
HIS-358 – Afro-Latin American History Through Film (3)
LIT 358 – World Literature in English (3)
Music
MUS 130 – Beginning African Drumming (1)
MUS 325 – History of Contemporary Music—Jazz (3)
MUS 326 – History of Contemporary Music—Hip Hop (3)
Philosophy
PHI 355 – African American Political Philosophy (3)
Political Science
POL/SOC 235 – Civil Rights, Public Policy, and Social Change (3)
POL 347 – Race, Gender, and the Law (3)
POL 374 – Latin American Politics (3)
Sociology
SOC 252 – Race and Ethnicity (3)
Foreign Languages
SPA 300 – Topics in Spanish and Latin American Cultures and Literature (3)
SPA 311 – Spanish and Latin American Film (3)
SPA 348 – Latin American Cultures and Civilizations (3)
Theatre
THE 310 – The Black Experience in August Wilson’s Cycle Plays (3)
THE 320 – Theatre for Social Justice (3)
THE 365 – Black Feminisms on Stage (3)
THE 457 – Theatres of the African Diaspora (3)