Africana Studies

As an Africana studies major, you’ll have the chance to explore the centrality of Africa and the African Diaspora to the modern world and previous eras in the fields of literature, history, philosophy, international relations, cultural studies, music, and the visual arts.

Requirements

Major requirements

A major in Africana studies requires at least 10 Africana studies (ASRC) courses with a grade of C or better, distributed as follows:    

  • Introduction to Africana studies
  • Three courses, each of which falls under one of the following categories (at the 2000 level or above):  African, African-American, Caribbean or other diaspora studies
  • Four courses: To generate a more specific focus, choose up to two topics that fall within the African diaspora from the following: history, literature, politics, popular culture, race and inequality, or gender and sexuality and take two courses in each of the chosen topics (at the 3000 level or above)
  • Two seminar courses (at the 4000 level or above)

Minor requirements

A minor concentration in Africana studies requires at least five Africana studies (ASRC) courses with a grade of C or better distributed as follows:    

  • Introduction to Africana studies
  • Three courses, each of which falls under one of the following categories (at the 2000 level or above): African, African-American, and Caribbean, or other diaspora studies
  • One course on history, literature, politics, popular culture, race and inequality, or gender and sexuality within the African diaspora (at the 3000 level or above)

Sample classes

  • Black Queer Studies
  • Africa, Humanitarianism, and Postcolonial Sensibilities
  • Women in Hip Hop
  • The African Diaspora: Theories and Texts

Outcomes

All information below is based on the 2014-2018 First-Destination Post-Graduate Survey. Lists are not exhaustive, rather they are a sampling of the data. 
"Other" includes time off, travel, volunteer experiences, and/or preparing for graduate school.
If you would like to more information, please email as_careers@cornell.edu

Approximately 3/4 of 2014-2018 Africana Studies graduates reported being Employed 

67% of the Class of 2014-2018 Africana Studies graduates completed the survey. n = 12

Below, you will find:

  • Top Employment Sectors
  • Where Graduates Work
  • Top Graduate Fields
  • Where Graduates Study

Top Employment Sectors

  • Other Nonprofit Organization
  • Communications/Media
  • Law
  • Technology
  • Education

Where 2014-2018 Africana Studies Graduates Work

Employer Job Titles
Cascade AIDS Project Community Engagement Intern
Comcast/NBCUniversal Ad Sales Associate
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Special Advisor to the Board Chair
GoButler Operations Associate
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Physician Office Assistant
Mills & Edwards, LLP Paralegal
Oracle Corporation Associate Sales Representative
Project Holeta Research Assistant
Teach for America Teacher

Top Graduate Fields Pursued

  • Africana Studies

Graduate Degrees Pursued

  • MA

Where 2014-2018 Africana Studies Graduates Study

  • Syracuse University