Africana Studies
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
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Wondering what Africana Studies courses are like? Explore our course catalog to see the depth and breadth of classes available to you.
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
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, Franklin & Marshall College offers students a hands-on education that emphasizes close relationships with faculty. Students flourish in a supportive community that treats them as an individual, and their successes continue long after F&M. The College is a national leader in launching students and alumni to opportunities where they make a difference in the community and the world.
January 24, 2023
'My History Degree From F&M Provided the Foundation for Who I Am Today'
Hilary Green '99, the James B. Duke Professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College, Kicks off 2023 Common Hour. As soon as she stepped on campus as a first-year student in 1995, Hilary Green '99...Hilary Green '99, Professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College, shares how her F&M degree in history led her to success in higher education.