About Us

The Africana Studies Department , founded in 1970, was an outgrowth of the Africana Research Institute established in 1969.

Since its inception, the department’s mission has been twofold: first, to offer a multidisciplinary curriculum devoted to in-depth study of Blacks in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Secondly, our goal is to serve as a bridge between Brooklyn College and the diasporan community of New York through research, sponsored programs, and as community representatives.

 The wide range of courses offered in the department focus on the histories, cultures, politics, and societies of Africa and its diaspora. Students have many options: they may choose a course of study from among the department’s two majors and three minors or take classes to supplement their major in another subject. Africana Studies classes draw students from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds with a range of academic, intellectual, and political viewpoints. The multidisciplinary nature of Africana Studies exposes students to the theoretical approaches and basic content of many of the traditional liberal arts disciplines, such as history, literature, political science, sociology, economics and others.

Students who have majored in Africana Studies or taken a concentration of courses in the field are well equipped for the twenty-first century workplace or for graduate study at universities and professional schools seeking broad intellectual preparations. Businesses, financial organizations, and such urban employers as schools, hospitals, and the media also seek graduates with broad knowledge who are sensitive to the multicultural realities of contemporary life.