Academic Programs
Educational Objectives
The Department's multidisciplinary approach allows students to develop analytical skills particular to the arts, humanities and social sciences. As they encounter cross-regional and cross-cultural perspectives, students of Africana Studies are taught to perform their own comparative analyses of diverse groups that comprise the African Diaspora. Students learn of the connections between culture, race, gender, class, religion, nationality, and other categories of identity and experience. A variety of teaching and research methods allow students to expand their capacities as critical thinkers and scholars. Our students thus graduate with both a liberal arts background and a heightened appreciation for the diverse communities that make up America and the world.
Current Degree Options for Undergraduate Students
Africana Studies (AFST) degree options for Notre Dame undergraduates consist of a Major (30 credit hours of required coursework, including a 6 credit Senior Project/Thesis/Internship "capstone" experience) and an Interdisciplinary Minor (15 credit hours of required coursework). With both the major and minor there are opportunities for you to tailor your studies to a particular thematic foci of Africana Studies such as the African American experience, Africa studies, or a Diasporan Studies. The department provides a broad array of classes drawn from a variety of disciplines across the University. The approach to the major and minor is interdisciplinary with courses focusing on 3 core areas (literature, social sciences, and history) required to complete the degree. Majoring in Africana Studies provides a broad palette from which to study and apply knowledge.
Faculty and staff in the Africana Studies department are available to speak with you about the major, minor, and research/travel opportunities associated with your studies at any time. Please do not hesitate to call the office to schedule and informational appointment.
Future of the Africana Studies Department
The members of the Department's Advisory Committee are committed to the ongoing revision and expansion of the interdisciplinary curriculum that is the cornerstone of the department. This continual examination and improvement will provide our majors and minors with the best available opportunities to explore the historical evolution, social dynamics, political life, economic development, philosophy, theological and theoretical perspectives, literatures, arts, music, and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora. Through the ongoing creation of partnerships throughout the University and the hiring of additional faculty members the Department is committed to sustained and substantial growth.
Graduate Education
Although our Department awards neither master's nor doctoral degrees, it serves as an important resource for graduate and professional students throughout the University whose research deals, in whole or part, with African American, African, and African Diasporan Studies.
Africana Studies Mentoring Fellowship
This fellowship program, administered by both the Graduate School and the Department of Africana Studies, invites applications from graduate students at the University of Notre Dame in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and theological disciplines who have completed all degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation.
Research Initiatives
The Initiative for the Study of Religion and Culture in Africa and the African Diaspora is the research "arm" of our program. Its slate of projected activities (e.g., an annual lecture series, research annual, and visiting scholars program) will further enhance the intellectual climate for advanced research on a range of pivotal issues.