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
arena.
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
A Life Dedicated to Advocating for Racial Justice and Equity
While her second-grade classmates were reading Judy Blume, Ashani Williams ’22 was reading Malcolm X’s autobiography. “From a very young age, I’ve been passionate about seeking racial justice and equity for Black people,” she said. Williams brought this passion to Franklin & Marshall College, where she was a government and American studies joint major with a minor in Africana studies.Read More »
‘My History Degree From F&M Provided the Foundation for Who I Am Today’
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.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 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.
March 12, 2021
Who Owns Culture? Historian Examines Art Restitution and Colonialism
The trove of Benin's opulent palace art can be found in museums across the globe. Everywhere, that is, except Benin. Art historian Marie-Cécile Zinsou is working to change that. Her Franklin...Who owns culture? Art historian Marie-Cécile Zinsou spoke to the F&M campus about repatriation of artworks taken by France from Benin during colonialism.