About Africana Studies

Our Program and Courses

Africana Studies has the honor of being the first program at F&M created due to student demand and interest. Because it is the first of its kind, you will have the opportunity to not only shape your own education, but the future of the department itself. 

You can major or minor in Africana Studies. You will study the beginnings of life in Africa, the Diaspora and its regions of origin, and the myriad contributions of Africans and Black Americans from throughout history. You’ll enjoy an intricately blended education, as numerous other F&M programs contribute to Africana Studies, including American studies, anthropology, economics, English, French, government, history, music, religious studies and sociology. 

By the time you graduate, you will be able to demonstrate: 

  • A firm knowledge of the African Diaspora and its effects on people and cultures today.
  • Understanding of the experiences, struggles, achievements, and triumphs of Africans and Black Americans.
  • A grasp of race and systemic oppression throughout history.
  • Awareness of the ways in which modern day culture is shaped and informed by the past.
  • Critical and analytical thinking and the ability to communicate observations and discoveries through the printed and spoken word.
  • The ability to collaborate effectively in a manner that translates to the professional arena.

Wondering what Africana Studies courses are like? Explore our course catalog to see the depth and breadth of classes available to you.

Our Faculty & Staff

Meet the accomplished and inspiring people who make up a close-knit community where each professor and staff member get to know you as an individual.

Douglas A Anthony

Professor of History, Program Chair of Africana Studies

Africana Studies

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Tim Bechtel

Director of F&M Science Outreach & Senior Teaching Professor of Geosciences

Africana Studies

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Patrick S Bernard

Associate Professor of English

Africana Studies; Comparative Literary Studies; International Studies

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Giovanna Faleschini Lerner

Professor of Italian, Program Chair of Comparative Literary Studies

Africana Studies; Comparative Literary Studies; Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

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Nadra Hebouche

Associate Professor of Francophone Studies and French, Department Chair of French, Francophone Studies

Africana Studies

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Amanda D Kemp

Visiting Scholar of Africana Studies

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Tami L Lantz

Academic Department Coordinator

Africana Studies; Judaic Studies; Religious Studies

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Mark R Villegas

Associate Professor of American Studies

Africana Studies; Latin American Studies

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Eiman O Zein-Elabdin

Professor of Economics

Africana Studies

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Learning Outside the Classroom

The subject matter of your studies will take you all over the world, so it’s only fitting that you expand your learning horizons as well. With F&M’s many research and study-abroad opportunities, you’ll have plenty of chances to take what you’ve learned and apply it to the world around you.

Research & Independent Study Opportunities

Every student at F&M has extraordinary opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led research. You’re encouraged to dive more deeply into subjects you’re passionate about, proposing and completing research to present your work in a professional manner. Your research topic may be inspired by a particular course, a conversation with a professor, or a personal interest. Recent research projects have included studies on the evolution of hip-hop, pop culture, gender issues on the African continent, and reverse colonization.
Explore research at F&M

Honors in Africana Studies

Completing research or an independent study could also lead you to earn honors in Africana Studies. To be considered for honors, you must first complete two semesters of an independent study and be sponsored by a professor. Once these steps are complete, you will write a thesis based on your research, present it to faculty and students, and complete any requested edits.

Off-Campus Study & Internship Opportunities

To continue learning about the rich history of Africa, students frequently choose to study abroad or engage in community projects. Our students have visited South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Morocco, Senegal, and Ethiopia, and worked on internships at Urban League of Lancaster, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Smithsonian Institute.
Explore off-campus study at F&M

Douglas A Anthony

Professor of History, Program Chair of Africana Studies

Africana Studies

Contact »

Tim Bechtel

Director of F&M Science Outreach & Senior Teaching Professor of Geosciences

Africana Studies

Contact »

Patrick S Bernard

Associate Professor of English

Africana Studies; Comparative Literary Studies; International Studies

Contact »

Giovanna Faleschini Lerner

Professor of Italian, Program Chair of Comparative Literary Studies

Africana Studies; Comparative Literary Studies; Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Contact »

Nadra Hebouche

Associate Professor of Francophone Studies and French, Department Chair of French, Francophone Studies

Africana Studies

Contact »

Amanda D Kemp

Visiting Scholar of Africana Studies

Contact »

Tami L Lantz

Academic Department Coordinator

Africana Studies; Judaic Studies; Religious Studies

Contact »

Mark R Villegas

Associate Professor of American Studies

Africana Studies; Latin American Studies

Contact »

Eiman O Zein-Elabdin

Professor of Economics

Africana Studies

Contact »

Success Beyond F&M

Once you complete your degree, you might wonder what’s next. The intellectual and analytical activities that make up the work of Africana Studies — including interpreting, analyzing, collaborating with others, and critical thought — help you develop useful and productive skills valuable for entering graduate school or beginning your chosen career. 

Graduate School

Our distinctive liberal arts education prepares graduates of Africana Studies to pursue advanced degrees. Many are enrolled in master’s and Ph.D. programs in a variety of disciplines, including history and African American studies. 

Career Paths

Africana studies graduates are fully prepared to enter a vast array of industries, including education, research, public administration and government. They hold positions such as: 

  • Grant Writer
  • Historian
  • Professor

Alumni Spotlight

“I want to see liberation in my lifetime. I want to see an eradication of discriminatory practices, and I want it for everybody, not just myself.”

Shakya Cherry-Donaldson ’09 credits her F&M education with giving her the resources to succeed even when faced with challenges. Through her work as a political organizer, she’s working to make sure the same opportunities to thrive are available to everyone. “I want to see liberation in my lifetime. I want to see an eradication of discriminatory practices, and I want it for everybody, not just myself,” she said. Cherry-Donaldson, who studied economics and Africana studies at F&M, is the founder and executive director of 1000 Women Strong, an organization that supports Black women and their allies on electoral matters, education campaigns and advocacy issues.
Read More »

Alumni Spotlight

“Never shy away from the hard 'why' questions.”

It was at F&M as a history major and Africana studies minor that Hilary Green ’99 began honing her interests in the intersections of race, class, and gender in African American history, the American Civil War, Reconstruction, Civil War memory, the U.S. South, 19th-century America, and the Black Atlantic. "The wonderful faculty, courses, and peers in the F&M History Department inspired me to never shy away from the hard 'why' questions and to creatively find socially aware answers to them both in the corporate world and academia," said Green. Green published her first book, "Educational Reconstruction: African American Schools in the Urban South, 1865-1890," in April 2016 (Fordham University Press), and is currently working on a second manuscript examining how everyday African Americans remembered and commemorated the Civil War.
Read More »

Related Fields of Study

History

Embark on an enriching journey through time, exploring a vast range of geographic regions, topical themes, and time periods. By studying history at F&M, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of history and historical processes, and develop keen insight into how they have shaped the present and will influence the future.

Social Justice (Certificate)

This certificate synthesizes critical perspectives on the social systems and structures through which dynamics of power and inequality are created, maintained, contested, and transformed. At the intersections of race, gender, socioeconomic class, and sexuality, you will have the opportunity to meaningfully engage with historical and contemporary issues germane to struggles for equity and justice between and across social identity groups.

Sociology

One field of study engages in all sorts of questions about people, institutions, and social structures: sociology. How does power operate in society? How do politics shape our lives? How and why have family relationships changed over time? As a student of sociology, you will explore these interactions to better understand how they shape the world and cultures that we live in.

Our Students & Alumni in the Spotlight

March 8, 2024

Curiosity Leads Kalida Gawon '23 to Taiwan Teaching Fellowship

"I was impressed by Taiwan's commitment to keeping its indigenous languages and culture alive. It felt like a warm embrace of diversity," says Kalida Gawon '23, a Fulbright English teaching fellow.

October 16, 2023

’09 Alum Shares Passion for Political Organizing

Shakya Cherry-Donaldson '09 returns to campus to discuss her career in political organizing with students at Thursday's Common Hour during F&M's second annual Inclusion Week.

March 21, 2023

In the Crosstalk—Race, Racism and Pain

In her Africana studies research, Franklin & Marshall senior Amira Henry's paper, "Black Bodies in Pain," explores the media's sensationalism of Black bodies in various states before a camera. Her work is "to find out how these things reflect a lasting legacy of racial dehumanization and the way that the media markets Black bodies in pain."