Africana Studies Minor
Curricular Dean
- Christine Schiwietz, GU-Q
Africana Studies Steering Committee
- Rogaia Abusharaf, GU-Q
- Akintunde Akinade, GU-Q
- Clovis Bergère, NU-Q
- James Hodapp, NU-Q
- Phoebe Musandu, GU-Q
- Zachary Wright, NU-Q
The Africana Studies Minor is an interdisciplinary, joint minor program shared with Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). Africana Studies provides critical understanding of African cultures and societies both within the African continent and in global contexts. Although foregrounding continental perspectives, Africana studies also includes African diasporic studies, whether in an American, European, or Asian context.
The minor covers the length and breadth of Africa and its diaspora through a growing range of disciplines. Courses offered include: anthropology, history, literature, media and communication studies, political science, religious studies and theology. Students are therefore in a position to engage multiple subjects from a rich range of perspectives, explore varied methodologies and theoretical frameworks as well as interdisciplinary studies.
Requirements
- Six courses are required for the minor.
- For NU-Q students, at least one course at GU-Q; for GU-Q students, at least one course at NU-Q.
- One “core” course; all others can be “electives.” Core courses can also be taken as electives.
- Students can make a case for another course or independent study in Education City or elsewhere as a qualifying course. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Africana Studies Steering Committee.
- Successful completion of the minor requires that students receive a grade of C or higher in each qualifying course.
- Please refer to the list of courses currently recognized as Africana Studies at GU-Q and NU-Q. Note that courses may not be offered every semester. It is important to consult early with your academic advisor to plan a course of study.
Coursework
Core Courses
- GU HIST 111: Africa I, African History to 1800
- GU HIST 112: Africa II, African History after 1800
- GU GOVT 2806 African Political Thought
- NU ENG 242: African Literature
Elective Courses
GU-Q Elective Courses
- GU ANTH 284: African Americans in Films, Ethnography & Personal Narratives
- GU ANTH 330: Indian Ocean Ethnography
- GU ANTH 350: War and Peace in Darfur
- GU ANTH 354: Racial Justice in the African Diaspora
- GU ANTH 356: New Black Atlantic
- GU ANTH 360: War Ethnography and African Conflicts
- GU ARAB 320: Arab Film
- GU ARAB 356: Arab Women’s Autobiography
- GU CULP 226: Narratives of Genocide & Revolution in Post-Colonial Zanzibar
- GU CULP 227: Intro to Indian Ocean
- GU GOVT 2602: International Organizations
- GU GOVT 2609: Race in International Relations
- GU INAF 297: CULP on the Horn of Africa
- GU INAF 356: Gender Politics in African Cultures
- GU HIST 106: Atlantic World
- GU HIST 109: Islamic World
- GU HIST 264: History of Modern Egypt
- GU HIST 311: Africa the Politico-Economics of Independence
- GU HIST 317: Topics in African Women’s History
- GU HIST 488: W.E.B. DuBois Seminar
- GU THEO 171: Liberation Theologies in the U.S.
NU-Q Elective Courses
- NU ENG 387: Middle East and African Graphic Novels
- NU HIST 242: Medieval Muslim Empires
- NU HIST 387: Islam and the Shaping of African History
- NU MIT 398: Sport Globalization in Africa
- NU MIT 398: African Youth Media
- NU HIST 387: African Liberation Struggles
- NU REL 242: Sufisim
Africana Studies Minor Timeline
Capstone Project
Students will be required to complete one capstone project from the available options.