Africana Studies

Minor
18 Credit Hours

This program is offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences/Global Languages, Cultures and Societies Department. It is available at the St. Louis main campus and at the Ghana campus.

For information on the general requirements for a minor, see Minor under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

Program Description

The minor in Africana studies offers students an interdisciplinary perspective on the historic and contemporary experiences of African and African-descended peoples worldwide. Its broad liberal arts curriculum integrates the arts, social-cultural, and political-economic study of African peoples and examines the centrality of "Africa" in understanding the contemporary world. Unique to the Africana studies minor at Webster University is the opportunity to study abroad at the Accra, Ghana campus, where students may experience firsthand many of the social-cultural and political-economic issues introduced in the classroom.

Program Goals and Learning Objectives

• Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the contributions Africa and peoples of African descent have made to the arts, sciences and humanities.
• Students will develop the ability to think, write and speak analytically by learning to critically analyze mainstream cultural norms and values from an African centered perspective. 
• Students will gain a greater appreciation for ethnic and cultural diversity by studying the global dimension of the African experience.
• Students will learn the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge creation.
• Through experiential learning, by engaging students in various site visits and excursions outside of the classroom, students will learn firsthand about many of the social institutions and cultural forms they are studying.

Required Courses

• AFCS 1000 Introduction to Africana Studies (3 hours)
• AFCS 1500 Survey of African History* (3 hours)
• AFCS 2500 African Diaspora Experiences (3 hours)
  or ANSO 2200 Peoples and Cultures: African Diaspora (3 hours)
• AFCS 2700 Origins and Development of Pan-Africanism* (3 hours)

Elective Courses

6 hours from the following list of approved courses:

• AFCS 2200 Globalization and Contemporary Africa (3 hours)
• AFCS 3000 Topics in Africana Studies (3 hours)
• AFCS 3200 African Women and Development* (3 hours)
• ANSO 2015 Issues in Society and Culture: Introduction to African American Studies (3 hours)
• HIST 2050 Topics in African History (3 hours)
• HIST 2320 African-American History (3 hours)
• POLT 3400 Comparative Politics: African Area Studies (3 hours)
• PHIL 2580 African American Philosophy (3 hours)
• PHIL 3420 Philosophy of Race and Ethnicity (3 hours)
• RELG 3211 African Christianities (3 hours) 

*Courses marked with * are only available at the Webster Accra, Ghana campus. Completion of the minor requires a minimum of 6 credit hours for the minor completed at the Webster Accra, Ghana campus.