UNIVERSITY CATALOG: 2024-2025

Program: Africana Studies, B.A.

African-American Urban Education Option

Program Description

The Africana Studies (AFRS) major is a multidisciplinary academic major (45 units) designed for students who want to gain an understanding of the history, psychology, sociology, literature, culture and education of African-Americans and other Africans in the diaspora and the continent. The three specific options within the major enable students to concentrate their efforts on certain aspects of this broad subject. These options are intended to enhance students’ preparation for both graduate school and employment. By carefully selecting General Education courses in consultation with an AFRS advisor, students majoring in AFRS also have the opportunity to complete a second major. For example, a double major in AFRS and Urban Studies and Planning can be completed with the selection of Option III (below) plus the core course requirements in Urban Studies and Planning. Consult an advisor for other possible combinations within the major.

Credential Information

Africana Studies majors interested in teaching social studies at the middle school or high school level may combine their major program with the Single Subject Social Science Subject Matter Program in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (CSBS) to meet requirements for entering a Single Subject Credential program. View Social Science Subject Matter Program for Secondary School Teachers (.pdf) for more information. See also the disclosure statement regarding Programs Leading to Licensure and Credentialing.

Program Requirements

The Africana Studies major consists of two components: the completion of the core requirements (21 units) and the completion of one of three specific options (24 units). For each of the options, there are specific lower and upper division core courses and electives that are relevant to that concentration. All students who major in Africana Studies must select one of the three options, each of which is designed to prepare students for graduate study or for a career of their choice.

1. Core Requirements for All Options (21 units)

2. Required Courses for African-American Urban Education (18 units)

AFRS 350 Advanced Writing (3)

AFRS 391 Psychological Foundations of Education (Elementary) (3)
or AFRS 392 Sociological Foundations of Education (Elementary) (3)

AFRS 397 Urban Education and Policy in Africa and the African Diaspora (3)

AFRS 417 Equity and Diversity in Schools (3)

AFRS 420 The Black Child (3)
or AFRS 421 Strategies for Black Child Development (3)

AFRS 498 Proseminar in Pan African Studies (3)

3. Electives (6 units)

Select two courses from the following:

AFRS 300 Contemporary Issues in the African-American Community (3)
AFRS 324 The Black Woman in Contemporary Times (3)
AFRS 325 The Black Man in Contemporary Times (3)
AFRS 395 Bilingualism in the African-American Community (3)
AFRS 488 Sustainability and Environmental Justice in the African and African Diaspora Communities (3)

4. Languages (Optional)

All students majoring in Africana Studies are encouraged to take foreign languages (French, Portuguese, Spanish or Swahili recommended).

5. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.

12 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: AFRS 271 satisfies C3 American History, Institutions and Ideals; AFRS 201 and AFRS 220 or AFRS 221 satisfy D1 Social Sciences; and AFRS 100 satisfies 3 units of F Comparative Cultural Studies.

If taken, AFRS 245 satisfies C2 Humanities; and AFRS 300, AFRS 324 or AFRS 325 satisfies 3 units of upper division F Comparative Cultural Studies.

Total Units in the Major/Option: 45

General Education Units: 36

Additional Units: 39

Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120

Contact

Department of Africana Studies
Chair: Marquita Gammage
Santa Susana Hall (SN) 324
(818) 677-3311
africanastudies@csun.edu

Program Learning Outcomes

Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an ability to evaluate and analyze the political, social-historical and cultural perspectives of African and African Diaspora communities.
  2. Demonstrate through written and oral communication the ability to critically analyze the cultural, political and historical contexts of African and African Diaspora experiences.
  3. Demonstrate culturally appropriate skills in research design and methodology used to examine the various dynamics of African and African Diaspora communities.
  4. Demonstrate applicable knowledge of requisite skills in Africana Studies through civic and community engagement.
  5. Demonstrate cultural competencies in the development of creative writing, the production of creative works, and/or critical analysis of work by African and Diaspora communities.