Requirements

Requirements for the Major

I. Introductory Courses: Two-semester sequence (preferably to be taken before the junior year):

AFRS BC 3004x          Introduction to Africana Studies: Africa Past, Present and Future

AFRS BC 3006y          Introduction to Africana Studies: The African Diaspora

II. Language: Each student must demonstrate proficiency in any of the languages of Africa or the diaspora (in addition to English) by completing at least the fourth semester of that language, or its equivalent. This requirement is not in addition to the general foreign language requirement.

III. Harlem: Each student will take a course on Harlem, chosen from among the offerings at Barnard or Columbia.

IV. Electives: Each student will, with the approval of the program director, select five electives. Of these five, at least two must be on Africa and at least one must be on the African Diaspora. At least one course must be in the humanities, and one in the social sciences, and these courses can overlap with the courses on Africa and the African Diaspora.

V. One Semester Colloquium in Africana Studies: The Africana colloquium grounds students in key theories, methodologies or approaches in black diaspora studies. The course topic changes each semester; topics for Fall and Spring can be found on the online catalogue list of courses under:

AFRS BC 3110x            Colloquium
AFRS BC 3110y            Colloquium

VI. Senior Thesis: AFRS BC 3998x and AFRS 3999y Senior Seminar, a two-semester program of interdisciplinary research leading to the writing of the senior essay. In some cases, a senior seminar in one of the departments contributing to the program may be substituted for the first semester of the Senior Thesis.

Requirements for the Minor

Although the college requires students to declare the minor formally after they have completed course work for the minor, the Africana Studies program strongly encourages students to meet with the Africana Studies Director (or the minor advisor) to plan a course of study and fill out an "intent to minor" form.

The Africana minor consists of six courses to be distributed as follows:

1. AFRS BC 3004x Introduction to Africana Studies: Africa Past, Present and Future

2. AFRS BC 3006y Introduction to Africana Studies: The African Diaspora

3. One course on Harlem to be chosen from electives offered at Barnard / Columbia

4-6. Three electives chosen by students in consultation with the Director / minor advisor. One of these electives must be a colloquium in Africana Studies or an acceptable seminar.