Frequently Asked Questions
Click HERE for a PDF document of "What Can I Do With A Black Studies Major? 150 Answers"
Why Minor or Major in Africana Studies?
Sankofa - Symbol of importance of learning from the past. More information
There are several reasons. There are 30 million people of African descent present in the United States and many more millions in Africa, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. They reformulated African culture in ways that profoundly impacted the societies of the New World. To understand the socio-cultural dynamics of this vast region, therefore, it is crucial that the Black Experience be a central component of any educational curriculum.
This is particularly true for the United States where in 1903, W.E.B. Dubois observed that the most pressing problem of the United States was the problem of the "Color Line." Despite the many positive changes that have taken place in the 20th century, problems related to race and ethnicity remain. Understanding and exploring the African American experience remains critical to our nation and your intellectual preparation.
What does Africana Studies have to do with my overall education and the "real world"?
Africana Studies is a multidisciplinary area of study. As such, it draws on the theory, methodology, and substantive content of your other courses. In fact, Africana Studies provides you with a concrete case study for applying what you have learned in abstract terms in your other courses. For example, notions of "stratification," the "intersection of gender and race," and "diaspora," become lived-experiences of real people in the world.
Africana Studies is taught from a global comparative and cross-cultural perspective. For this reason having a background in Africana Studies can make you more attractive in the marketplace where businesses are increasingly looking for people who appreciate the complexity of cultural diversity and racial dynamics in global contexts.
What can I do with an Africana Studies Minor or Major? Besides, how will it hep me find a job?
In short, anything you want to do. Africana Studies supplements any and all professions. In fact, Mae Jemison, a physician and the first African American woman to go into space, received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in chemical engineering and Afro-Ameriam studies. Africana Studies alumni have gone on to become lawyers, engineers, university professors, counselors, social workers, civil servants or psychologists.
A minor or concentration in Afrlcana Studies is comparable to minors and degrees in anthropology, English, geography, history, philosophy, sociology and several other fields of study. To engage in any kind of meaningful study of African or African American people in these traditional disciplines it is highly imperative that students have a strong background in Africana Studies.
Finally, job opportunities are increasing for students with broad backgrounds and intercultural and cross-cultural knowledge and experiences. Consequently, if you are a student in physical and life sciences, business and management, social sciences and education you can benefit from a concentrated study of the African or African Diaspora Experience.
