Department Website
Program Description
The program in Africana Studies at New York University, part of the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis (SCA), is a multicontinental and interdisciplinary program devoted to scholarship on the histories, political and cultural movements, literatures, institutions, economies, and identities of Africans and the African Diaspora across the globe. Africa’s own overlapping modernities and the transnational migrations of its peoples—whether forced or voluntary—have complicated the meanings of “Black” and “African” identities and experiences, prompting us to rethink the geographical boundaries and conceptual paradigms surrounding the production of knowledge about Africa and its diasporic communities in the 21st century. Accordingly, the program is a site for cross-cultural teaching and research in the histories, cultures, economies, politics, and practices of African Diasporas in Africa, the Americas (North and South), the Caribbean, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East. Africana Studies offers programs leading to BA and MA degrees, as well as a suite of joint MA programs with Journalism, Economics, and Museum Studies.
Honors Program
Majors who have completed 48 credits of graded work in CAS and have a 3.65 GPA or higher (both overall and in the major) are encouraged to register for Senior Honors Seminar (SCA-UA 92) in the fall semester of their senior year. Upon successful completion of the seminar requirement, students will be eligible to register for Senior Honors Thesis (SCA-UA 93) in the spring. For more information on the honors program, please visit the department's Honors Program website.
Study Away in Ghana
NYU's study away center in Ghana offers a rare opportunity for undergraduates to study in Africa. A range of Africana studies courses has been developed and is offered at NYU Accra. The program maintains close relationships with the community programming and research activities of NYU's Institute of African-American Affairs and Africa House.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The Africana Studies major requires nine 4-credit courses (36 credits) completed with a grade of C or better (courses graded Pass/Fail do not count) as outlined below. Students who do not take a Cultures and Contexts course as the second introductory course for the major must still take CORE-UA 5xx as a graduation requirement.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
| EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing as Inquiry | 4 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| SCA-UA 101 | Social and Cultural Analysis 101 | 4 |
| 4 |
| Cultures & Contexts: Contemporary Latino Cultures | |
| Cultures & Contexts: The Black Atlantic | |
| Cultures & Contexts: Asian / Pacific / American Cultures | |
| Intersect: Race, Gender, & Sexuality in U.S. Hist | |
| Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies: The Politics of Indigeneity | |
| The City 2 | |
| 3 | 24 |
| SCA-UA 90 | Advanced Research Seminar | 4 |
| 48 |
| Total Credits | 128 |
Language and Linguistic Competency
The department strongly encourages its students to develop advanced skills in Swahili, Twi, Yoruba, and/or any of the indigenous languages spoken in Africa, or creole languages (e.g., Haitian Creole) spoken throughout the African Diaspora. This can be achieved by any of the following means: taking elective courses in sociolinguistics; studying these languages beyond the minimum level required by the College of Arts and Science; pursuing community-based internship fieldwork necessitating the development and use of specific language skills; or undertaking study or research away, especially at the NYU Accra site, in contexts entailing the exercise of key language or linguistic capabilities.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have developed:
- Critical thinking tools for the analysis of social, cultural, and political formations.
- Familiarity with theories for the study of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, space, and nation.
- Proficiency in written and oral communication.
- The ability to produce original research on topics relevant to the major using textual/literary, archival, ethnographic, and/or quantitative research methods.
- Engagement and familiarity with primary texts in Africana Studies.
Policies
Program Policies
Policy on Double Counting of Courses
Major
Majors may share (double count) two courses with a second major, with permission from the other department/program.
Minor
Minors may share (double count) one course with a major or a second minor, with permission from the other department/program.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.