Africana Studies, B.A.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Program Overview

As an Africana studies major, you will study people of African descent from Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. You will explore multidisciplinary subjects within the Africana studies field, including history, literature, music, and socioeconomics. You may study African oral literature, Caribbean political systems, and Black theater. You can also pursue a degree in conjunction with the School of Education to become a social studies teacher or earn a B.A. degree through the Caribbean Studies program. You can also study abroad in Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Ghana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, or Trinidad and Tobago.

Africana Studies, B.A.

Where You'll Go

A bachelor’s degree in Africana studies provides the foundation for success in a variety of careers. You can pursue a job in academia, secondary education, the arts, politics, medicine, and state and municipal governmental agencies as well as international nonprofits and social justice organizations. You can also become an attorney, museum director, U.S. ambassador, or law enforcement professional.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Major Requirements (45–47 Credits)

  • Two courses chosen from Africana Studies 1001 through 1099.
  • Twelve credits chosen from one of these groups:
    • History and political science: 3100 through 3199
    • Literature, culture, and the arts: 3200 through 3299
    • Society and the economy: 3300 through 4399
  • At least two courses from groups other than the one chosen above.
  • One seminar or independent study course chosen from Africana Studies 4405 through 5404, or one writing-intensive course from another department or program.
  • Eighteen credits of advanced courses offered by any other single department or program plus any prerequisite of those courses.

The department chair, with the approval of the chair of the department’s undergraduate curriculum committee, may allow substitutions for one or more of these requirements consistent with the educational goals of the program.

Department Recommendation

Students should consult a department counselor for help in planning a course of study. Majors are advised to include a methods course among the 18 credits of advanced electives in another department or program offered for the completion of the major.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Identify and summarize the social, political, historical, and cultural experiences that shape and reflect the lives of people of African descent in the Americas, Africa, and Europe.
  • Recognize and explain the vernacular, popular, and creative arts as sites of self-definition, engagement with other cultural traditions, self-invention, and resistance.
  • Appraise the interconnections of race, gender, class, and nationality in the formation of notions of identities.
  • Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills through comparative and interdisciplinary inquiry and thought as well as interrogate the ideological, methodological, cultural, and social ways of looking the regions of the African diaspora and its members.
  • Utilize academic writing to demonstrate facility in disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods of research, independent thought, and critical analysis.
  • Apply their knowledge through internships and other engagements with community organizations.

Degree Maps

To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, Brooklyn College has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.

View degree maps for this major and others.

Contact

Contact the Africana Studies Department for information on academic advisers and office hours.

Or contact:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: adminqry@brooklyn.cuny.edu

To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:

Virtual Admissions Counselor Appointments

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the Africana studies B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

  • Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Science
  • Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute
  • College Board
  • Columbia University
  • Fashion Institute of Technology
  • Museum of Contemporary African Diasporic Art
  • New York Administration of Children’s Services
  • New York City Department of Education
  • The New York Public Library
  • New York University
  • Pace University
  • SolarKal
  • St. John’s University

Learn More

Student Resources

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Magner Career Center
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