Africana Studies Minor

The Minor in Africana Studies provides students with interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the historical and contemporary experiences of peoples of African heritage. Using themes such as culture, agency, struggle and justice, students will master multidisciplinary knowledge about Africa and the African diaspora, and will explore new ways of thinking about the cultures, philosophies, history and society of African peoples and their communities throughout the diaspora.

Students will

• Explain the core ideas (key concepts, theories and methodologies) of Africana Studies, especially as they relate to themes of justice.
• Acquire and hone their critical thinking skills as applied to problems around justice themes within Africana Studies and among people of color.
• Use high level written and oral communication skills to work effectively and collaboratively with others.
• Have a better understanding of themselves, and of their relationship(s) to the broader society, as a result of exposure to Africana Studies.

Career Paths

• Students minoring in Africana Studies learn about struggle, resistance, the legal and social issues historically confronting Africana communities, and institutional racism. Such knowledge helps them to become attorneys, police officers, firefighters, forensic psychologists and scientists capable of addressing urban needs and diverse clients.
• Minors use the knowledge they gain about Africana communities, cultural identity and racism to become effective social workers, public service managers and healthcare providers in an increasingly diverse society.
• Students interested in becoming teachers and administrators find the familiarity with the history and struggles of people of African descent helpful in facilitating effective learning—particularly in diverse classrooms.

Credits Required: 18 

Minor coordinator. Professor Teresa Booker (tbooker@jjay.cuny.edu), Department of Africana Studies

Minor advisor. Ms. Rulisa Galloway-Perry, Academic Advising Director and Senior Co-Curricular Administrator, Deputy Minor Coordinator, Department of Africana Studies (212.237.8701, rgalloway@jjay.cuny.edu)

Requirements. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minors or programs.

Additional information. The curriculum presented here applies to students who started the minor in September 2024 and after. If you declared the minor prior to that, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin 2023-2024. 

Part I: Required Courses

• AFR 140: Introduction to Africana Studies

Part 2: Electives
Select any five courses, at least one course must be at the 300-level.

Select ANY 5 courses taught by the Africana Studies Department (AFR course prefix) or those from ICJ, LIT, LLS, MUS or SOC listed below.  

The following list provides suggested groupings of courses for those students with particular interests, but does NOT include all possible course choices. Credit toward the Africana Studies Minor may be given for courses taken elsewhere at the College if they include substantial Africana content upon review of the course syllabus.  Please contact the Africana Studies Minor Coordinator for guidance.

For Students interested in Justice:

• AFR 123: Justice, the Individual & Struggle in African American Experience 
  OR
• AFR 125: Race & Ethnicity in America
• AFR 145: Introduction to Community Justice in Human Systems
• AFR 215: Police and Urban Communities
• AFR 220: Law and Justice in Africa

Please see complete list of electives. 

For Students interested in a focus on Humanities:

• AFR 132: Arts & Culture in the African Diaspora
• AFR 135: Africana Oral Traditions
• AFR 204: Religion, Terrorism and Violence in the Africana World
• AFR 223/LIT 223: African-American Literature
• AFR 230: African-American Theatre

Please see complete list of electives. 

For Students interested in a focus on Africa:

• AFR 150: Origins of Contemporary Africa
• AFR 210: Drugs and Crime in Africa
• AFR 220: Law and Justice in Africa
• AFR 225: Police and Law in Africa
• AFR 229: Restoring Justice: Making Peace and Resolving Conflict

Please see complete list of electives. 

For Students interested in Psychology and Identity:

• AFR 129/PSY 129: The Psychology of the African-American Experience
• AFR 245: Psychology of the African-American Family
• AFR 248: Men: Masculinities in the United States
• AFR 319 Self, Identity & Justice: Global Perspectives
• AFR 347/PSY 347: Psychology of Oppression

Credits required: 18. Please see the the Undergraduate Bulletin for a complete list of electives.