Newly Approved African Studies Program Requirements
The Africana Studies Department is multidisciplinary, with some of its faculty holding joint appointments in
other departments. The department’s offerings thus range across the traditional disciplines of art history,
history, literature, musicology, philosophy, religion, and sociology. These disciplines are integrated by certain
themes that underscore the uniqueness of the department. First, subject matter focuses on African people and
cultures and peoples of African descent in the New World. Second, the department’s courses offer a nonEurocentric and non-racial approach to the investigations, interpretations and understanding of the experiences
of African peoples and of the wider world. Third, departmental courses broaden the scope and range of
traditional disciplines and offer a corrective to those disciplines in which the knowledge of the presence, roles,
cultural contributions and experiences of African people and their descendants have been omitted or neglected.
The department attracts students of all ethnic backgrounds. Both minority and non-minority students benefit
from exposure to academic materials and perspectives not otherwise available to them.
All the department’s courses satisfy Harpur College writing requirements. A single, double or crossdisciplinary major (BA program) and minor in Africana Studies are available.
Requirements for Africana Studies Major
For the major, 11 courses (44 credits) must be taken in the department from department faculty only. These
courses should be in the 100-400-levels reflecting academic growth, progressive competence, and a course
distribution that reflects the African and African Diaspora focus of the department. Of these, students should
take:
A. Two generalist introductory courses:
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AFST 101 Introduction to Africana Studies, or
AFST 180E Introduction to African Religion, or
AFST 180D Art of the African World, or
AFST 180R Music of Africa, Caribbean & Latin America
B. (i) One disciplinary introductory permanent course:
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AFST 273 Introduction to African Literature, or
AFST 214 HIP-HOP, or
AFST 212 African Intellectual Traditions, or
AFST 283A Introduction to African History, or
AFST 283F Islamic Cultures in Africa
(ii) One special topics introductory course:
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AFST 200 Introduction to African Cinema, or
AFST 235 Muslim Peoples, or
AFST 280D Youth, Popular Culture in North Africa or
AFST 281G African & Western Religions, or
AFST 281K Afro-Brazilian & Caribbean Religions, or
AFST 284C Black Nationalism
C. (i) AFRICA: Select two topic courses. Prerequisite: Students must have taken relevant 100- or 200level Africana Studies courses.
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AFST 317 African Women & Feminism
AFST 373 The African Novel
AFST 377 West African History, 16th-20th Centuries
AFST 389F African Metaphysics
AFST 380A Music Traditions of Africa
AFST 380N Encountering the Orient
AFST 381B African Kinship
AFST 381M African Cultural Traditions
AFST 386F Issues in Feminine Writings & Film
(ii) AFRICA DIASPORA: Select two topics courses. Prerequisite: Students must have taken relevant
100- or 200-level Africana Studies courses.
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AFST 375 Muslim Social History to the 19th Century
AFST 380B Global Africa in the Long 1960s
AFST 380C Introduction to Arabic Civilization & Culture
AFST 380R Muslim, Jews, Christian in Islamic Spain
AFST 384H Global Black Movements
AFST 385E African American Heritage in Poetry & Jazz
AFST 386A Making of the African Diaspora
AFST 381A Oral Histories & African Diaspora
D. AFST 490 Senior Seminar, and any two advanced 400-level courses.
E. At least seven of the eleven Africana courses should be in the 300-400 levels and these should follow the
Distribution Requirement.
General Requirement:
Students must earn a grade of C or above in courses fulfilling the major requirement. No courses fulfilling the
major requirement may be taken Pass/Fail. Only one independent study course may be counted in fulfillment
of the requirements for the major and this must be by an Africana Studies faculty. Students must take 4 of 8
courses at Binghamton University for the major. Students may take cross-listed courses of non-Africana
Studies faculty but only as electives. When appropriate, students can petition to have a different course count
as fulfilling requirements for courses in Group A or B.
Departmental Honors Program
Exceptional students majoring in Africana Studies are considered for admission to the honors program upon
the successful completion of six semesters or 96 credit hours (including at least 32 in Africana Studies).
The honors program consists of two courses taken in the senior year: AFST 497, Advanced Independent
Study/Honors Research, and AFST 499, Honors Thesis. Honors in Africana Studies are awarded to students
who receive at least a B+ grade in Advanced Independent Study/Honors Research and at least an A– in Honors
Thesis.
Students who wish to enroll in the honors program must have a cumulative and major/program 3.5 grade point
average, must be recommended to the program by a faculty who will take responsibility for directing that
student’s honor’s thesis, and must be granted permission to participate in the program by the department
chairperson.
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Interested students should apply in the spring semester of the junior year to the undergraduate studies director
who solicits a sample of the student’s written work in Africana Studies courses and two letters of
recommendation from appropriate faculty. Upon acceptance, a Change of Major, Degree or Specialization
form is submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
Requirements for Africana Studies Minor
The minor in Africana Studies is designed to give students with majors in other fields a chance to have a
supplementary discipline and focus that may combine their academic interests as well as future professional
concerns. Students develop their programs with the advice of departmental faculty. Students may, for example,
take a history, PPL, sociology, literature, music, women studies, or religion concentration with the supervision
of the Africana Studies faculty.
A minimum of six courses (24 credits) is required, including:
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any one Africana Studies course at the 100-level.
any two courses at the 200-level course
any two courses at the 300 upper-level
any one course at the 400 upper-level courses.
Students must earn a grade of C or above in courses fulfilling the minor requirement. No courses fulfilling the
minors requirement may be taken Pass/Fail. Students must take 3 of 6 courses at Binghamton University for
the major.
Africana Studies (Undergraduate) Courses
These are the courses that count for the Major and Minor
AFST 101 INTRODUCTION TO AFRICANA STUDIES
A broad survey of some of the major themes in African, African American, and other African diasporic
experiences over a period of several hundred years. It centers on systems, movements and ideas that have
transcended national, continental and oceanic boundaries—including slavery and emancipation, politics and
religion, culture and identity, colonialism and nationalism. Overall, the course is an introduction to the making
of the modern world, from the standpoint of black experiences globally.
AFST 180E INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN RELIGION
The course examines the origin, nature, and phenomenon of African religion, and why contemporary
generations continue to adhere to the religious beliefs and practices bequeathed to them by their ancestors. It
explores the cosmologies and conceptions of God, gods, ancestors, elders, as well as the ritual processes of
Ancient Egypt-Nubia, the Yoruba, and the Akan.
AFST 180D ART OF THE AFRICAN WORLD
A survey of some of the key concepts in art and aesthetics in the African and African Diaspora, focusing on
certain art works and art forms. It attends to three basic questions: How was art conceived of historically? How
was it conceived of in different African cultures and in the diaspora? And what are the critical aesthetic
concepts and responses that are relevant in art appreciation in these regions of the world. It also examines the
dispersal and deployment of African symbols and ideas in the works of artists around the world.
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AFST 180R MUSIC OF AFRICA, CARIBBEAN & LATIN AMERICA
An introduction to the study of world music through an examination of both traditional and popular music
styles from different music cultures within Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas, with emphasis on the
specific social and cultural backgrounds that have generated and sustained them. Topics include the influences
between traditional and popular music, the social status and training of musicians and performers crossculturally, the world music business, and musical exchanges between musicians from diverse cultural
backgrounds.
AFST 188B AFRICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE
This ensemble focuses on various styles of traditional music from the African continent and the Diaspora
including Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti. Emphasis is on rhythmic development, as well as notation, and ensemble
cohesiveness. It explores both drumming and melodic instruments such as the xylophone and Mbira, as well as
singing. No prior musical experience is necessary.
AFST 212 AFRICAN INTELLECTUAL TRADITIONS
Introduction to key ideas in African intellectual and philosophical traditions, centered on conceptions of
person, society, community, knowledge, art, gender relations and spirituality. Readings will vary from year to
year at the discretion of instructor and are determined in advance.
AFST 214 HIP-HOP
Focuses on the oral communication, public presentation and public performance modes of this urban
expressive culture, ranging from rhyme composition, rap, spoken word poetry, freestyling, singing and comedy
routines. It analyzes hip-hop trends and aesthetics, and studies the assumptions, visions and social ideologies
underlying this cultural phenomenon.
AFST 235 (also HIST 235) MUSLIM PEOPLES
Cross-disciplinary survey of Muslim people from seventh to 20th century. Part I introduces Islam as a
religious, ethical, legal, social, political and economic system. Part II surveys Muslim people and communities
in Central Asia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South
America, Sudan, Swahili-speaking East Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Topics
include ethnicity, gender, relations with the West, legal and social reforms, internal Muslim/non-Muslim
relations and Muslim perceptions of the future.
AFST 273 (also ENG 391) INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN LITERATURE
Introduction to the major forms of literary activity on the African continent. Begins with an examination of the
oral literature, then moves to a study of modern African creative writing through readings of some published
fiction, drama and poetry, paying close attention to the ways in which the writers relate to the oral traditions.
AFST 280D YOUTH, POPULAR CULTURE IN NORTH AFRICA
This course introduces students to recent North African and Arabic youth culture, with a focus on their
responses and participations in the modern popular culture. It explores the ways in which young North
Africans and Arabs use, and are influenced by global popular culture. It also explores their attitudes, interests,
aspirations, and creative and cultural expressions in film, television, print, and music.
AFST 280F INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN CINEMA
This course offers a basic view of the development of the art of the film in Africa. We shall examine the
history of the form on the continent, then explore its major themes and concerns with showings of several
videos from various parts of Africa to ensure adequate coverage of the continent.
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AFST 282 (also ENG 282) AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE 1920 TO PRESENT
Introduces African American literature of the period through poetry, the novel, short story and drama in the
context of social, political and literary developments. Topics include the Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright
and the Naturalists, the Black Arts Movement, black women writers.
AFST 281G AFRICAN & WESTERN RELIGIONS
The course introduces students to the tenants of Ancestor worship, Christianity, and Islam, and how
Christianity and Islam were introduced to Africa. Students explore conceptions of God and gods, ancestors,
and spirit alightment; basic Christian and Islamic beliefs, and transformation of African societies by
Christianity and Islam.
AFST 281K AFRO-BRAZILIAN & CARIBBEAN RELIGIONS
Africans in the New World lost all symbolic forms of their religious expressions, yet, African religions
survived to play critical roles in the spiritual development of descendants of Africans in the New World. How
was that possible? The course examines the hermeneutical ways New World Africans and their descendants
socially, culturally, and religiously contextualized their milieu to maintain their African heritage. The course
focuses on the origin of African Diaspora religions, Candomble, Santeria, Voodoo, and Rastafari, and how
these religions survived to this day.
AFST 283A INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN HISTORY
African social, political and economic history from the Pharaonic period to the mid-20th century. Social,
political and economic organization; religion and philosophy; education; women's roles and achievements;
inter-African and international relations; slavery; internal and external migrations; resistance to European rule;
nationalism; liberation movements; effects of European rule; problems of independence and postindependence; African peoples' contributions to civilization.
AFST 283F ISLAMIC CULTURES IN AFRICA
Introduction to Islamic cultural productions in North, West, East and South Africa from the advent of Islam to
modern times. Focuses on literature, music, architecture and films in studying the syncretism of Islam and
indigenous African religions and/or cultures, and in highlighting the unifying cultural influences of the
religion. Attends also to factors and issues of artistic production.
AFST 284C BLACK NATIONALISM IN THE UNITED STATES
This course traces the evolution of black nationalism from the era of the United States revolution to the 1960s.
Though a persistent theme in the African American experience, black nationalism has tended to become
especially influential at certain historical junctures, most notably the 1850s, the 1920s, and the 1960s. The
course is centered on these junctions, called black nationalist moments, and is organized around the core issues
of race, nationality, class, and gender.
AFST 317 AFRICAN WOMEN AND FEMINISM
An interdisciplinary approach to issues of importance to African women, drawing extensively from a range of
theoretical writings, literary and/or filmic works to study the political, social and economic roles of women.
Paying close attention to culture, it examines the impact of colonialism, nationalism, dictatorship and military
rule on women’s autonomy, agency and rights within and outside the family.
AFST 373 THE AFRICAN NOVEL
Exploration of the development of the novel in Africa. Formal growth of the genre from the oral narrative
traditions of the continent, through its attachment to European forms, to its present achievement in blending
various traditions in the articulation of key issues – such as colonialism and post-colonialism, social and
political crisis, and the role of women – in contemporary African society.
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AFST 375 (also HIST 375) MUSLIM SOCIAL HISTORY TO THE 19th CENTURY
Survey of evolution and development of selected Asian (Middle Eastern) and African Muslim societies from
seventh to 19th century. Social structure institutions and concepts of Muslim societies. Prerequisites: at least
sophomore standing. Recommended prerequisites: completion of basic course in history, sociology or
anthropology.
AFST 377 (also HIST 377) WEST AFRICAN HISTORY, 16th-20th CENTURIES
Course divided into two parts. Part I, survey of West African history, deals with social-political organization;
trade; religion; kingdoms/empires/states; interstate and interregional relations; relations with Asia, Europe and
Americas. Part II focuses on Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, and deals with servility/slavery; ethnic relations;
education; women's activities; colonial impact; government; post-independence relations with selected Eastern
and Western states and organizations.
AFST 380B GLOBAL AFRICA IN THE LONG 1960s
The decade of the 1960s, along with the years before and after, were among the most tumultuous and epochmaking of the modern era. Indeed, the long 1960s marked something of a turning point, and its impact remains
very much with us in ways large and small. This course focuses on the long 1960s in the black world – mainly
Africa and the Americas – through an examination of various themes. Notable among those are decolonization
and desegregation, the rise of new political and social movements, the emergence of novel cultural and artistic
form, and the renaissance in feminism.
AFST 380C INTRODUCTION TO ARABIC CIVILIZATION & CULTURE
This course gives an overview of the Civilization and Culture of the Arab people. Topics to be covered include
the origins of the Arabs; pre-Islamic Arab society; Arab-Islamic society and the Islamic Empire; Arab culture
and its contribution to world culture; Baghdad and Cordoba; Some causes of decadence and fall of the ArabIslamic Empire; Western Infiltration and Colonialism; “Independence” and the creation of Nation-States. It
also discusses modern post-colonial concerns and problems and challenges in the wake of neo colonialism and
globalism.
AFST 380N ENCOUNTERING THE ORIENT
For centuries, Europe looked at the Arab-Islamic lands as a place of romance and exotic beings, a fascination
that was mixed with fear and resentment that led to the demonization of both space and people. The course
focuses on how Western travelers perceived the observed societies and people of North Africa and how they
passed their perceptions to their countrymen.
AFST 380R MUSLIM, JEWS, CHRISTIANS IN ISLAMIC SPAIN
When the world spoke Arabic, Cordoba was the most splendid city on the continent with magnificent buildings
and a material prosperity unequaled elsewhere. The course examines the culture and civilization of Al Andalus,
the most civilized, tolerant and materially advanced area of Western Europe from the eight century until about
1200 AD. It also examines how the ethnic and religious groups – the Muwallads, Mozarabes and the Jews –
formed prosperous and erudite communities.
AFST 381A ORAL HISTORIES & AFRICAN DIASPORA
Course looks at the Black Experience in terms of oral histories provided by people who lived and worked
during the 1940s through the 1960s; fighting for workers rights, human rights and diasporic workings of
society and its views at the times. We will listen to recorded interviews, televised documentaries and readings
from citizens who strove to achieve equality and peace through movements associated with the Black
Movements during the early 1960s and beyond.
AFST 381B AFRICAN KINGSHIP
As living ancestors, kings and queens were/are seen as socio-political and spiritual leaders entrusted with
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sacred traditions. The course explores the origin and development of divine kingship and systems of
succession among selected African kingdoms and states. It looks at ways in which Western civilization
rendered belief in divine kingship ineffective as political institutions through European policies of assimilation
and direct / indirect rule undermine traditional authority.
AFST 381M AFRICAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS
Course examines African culture traditions through select representative African ethnic groups. It focuses on
psychosocial and developmental ritual practices – gestation, naming, puberty, marriage, eldership, funerary,
and medico-magical rites – undergirding life cycles. The course looks at the viability of some of these cultural
practices such as female genital mutilation (clitoridectomy), scarifications, and killing and harvesting of albino
bones for magico-medical rituals, as peoples attempt to re-order their lives in a rapidly changing world.
AFST 384H GLOBAL BLACK MOVEMENTS
This course examines black movements globally over a three-decade period, from the end of World War II to
the mid-1970s. Major themes include the impact of World War II and the Cold War on global Africa and on
black movements, decolonization in Africa and the Caribbean, the challenges of independence, guerrilla
warfare and national liberation in the African territories untouched by decolonization, apartheid in South
Africa, Civil Rights in the United States, and Black Power in North America, South Africa, Brazil, and the
Caribbean.
AFST 385E AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE IN POETY & JAZZ
Jazz music and poetry are two forms of artistic expression that have developed side by side in the movement
of African American culture from the oral tradition. Following this parallel development through the crucial
stages of African American history, the course examines the ways the two art forms have responded to
successive social and political contexts; and some modes of interaction between the music and the poetry,
especially in the phenomenon of “jazz poetry.”
AFST 386A MAKING THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
The seminar focuses on the central question of the identity of descendants of Africa ? Is this identity
dependent on where these individuals live today or where they originated? Do they have a national or a global
identity? Is it static or dynamic? What are the forces within and without these communities that shape this
identity? Gender? Economics? Culture? We will also assess the ways in which scholars and other writers have
formulated theories of the African Diaspora.
AFST 386F ISSUES IN FEMININE WRITINGS & FILMS
Common themes found in the writings and cinema by women in North Africa include the questioning of
tradition, recovery of identity, re-description of stereotypes and resistance to further “servitude / colonization”.
The themes raise questions that lead to the examination of Maghribi artistic and literary production such as
poems, essays, fiction and cinema. The course examines relations of the female self and other that are
expressed in formal properties as well as in the subject and contents of written and cinematic texts.
AFST 389F AFRICAN METAPHYSICS
Looks critically at the African view of the universe and the principles that help shape the metaphysical and
mundane worlds. Far from dualism, African conception of the universe also reflects their view of a holistic
personality. Thus, students are introduced to the intellectual debate on race and society, politics, religion,
metaphysics and the ultimate meaning of existence. Prerequisite: AFST 280E, Intro. to African Religions, or
any 100- or 200-level Africana Studies course.
AFST 397 INDEPENDENT STUDY
Meets special needs and interests of advanced students on tutorial or seminar basis. It can only be taught by
Africana faculty. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
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AFST 481E AFRICAN FEMINISM
Explores the development of feminist discourses in Africa with respect to problems in contemporary African
social, political, and cultural life. Some of the key concerns center on the manipulation of tradition, family
relations, cultural values, and the role of the law. The course examines how some of the compelling issues
have engaged African women scholars as they battled the gender discrimination of the postcolonial state as
well as of African men.
AFST 482B IDEOLOGIES OF BLACK CREATIVITY
Seminar explores the underlying ideologies informing and regulating forms of creative expression in diverse
regions of Africa and or the African Diaspora.
AFST 483E AUTOBIOGRAPHIES – AFRICAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN
The two basic objectives of this course are (1) to understand the logic and nature of autobiographical
statements – why do people write autobiographies, and to what extent are these autobiographies accurate
accounts of their lives? And (2) to understand the peculiar nature of autobiographies produced in black
societies with histories of racial or colonial domination. What do they have in common with standard Western
autobiographies, and what are the noticeable differences between them?
AFST 490 SENIOR SEMINAR
Advanced general survey and analysis of critical problems in Africana studies. Prerequisites: senior standing.
AFST 491 TEACHING PRACTICUM
Independent study through teaching in particular Africana studies course. Course instructor directs students in
preparation of syllabi, other course materials, devising and reading examinations; lecturing and/or leading
discussion; academic counseling. May be repeated for a total of no more than eight credits. Credit may not be
earned in conjunction with course in which student is currently enrolled. Does not satisfy major or Harpur
Distribution requirements. Prerequisites: consent of instructor. Pass/Fail only.
AFST 495 INTERNSHIP PROJECT
Internship project under guidance of faculty member, in an institution, agency or program. Written analytical
term report of project work required. Prerequisites: prior arrangement with and consent of chosen instructor.
Four credits of internship may be counted toward major.
AFST 497 ADVANCED INDEPENDENT STUDY
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
AFST 499 HONORS THESIS
Honors essay for seniors, under supervision of faculty member. Prerequisites: approval must be given by
director of undergraduate studies and the faculty member concerned.
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