Sub-categories:
Major | Minor | Courses
Western civilization has been a reliable means to understand
world cultures for many generations, but the rapidly changing
demography of the America and the world requires a more profound
awareness of cultural resources by thinkers of color. As seekers
after human truth, African Americanists/Africanists should
test traditional assumptions about race to help students make
more enlightened choices for themselves and their civilization.
The primary objective of an Africana Studies curriculum, regardless
of race or color, is education for positive and productive
citizenship. Through the study of such disciplines as history,
politics, economics, culture, literature, sociology, and psychology,
the Program aims to engender an appreciation of diversity and
emphasize the ways in which Africans, and people of African
descent in the Americas have constructed and interpreted their
own lives and cultures. Upon successful completion of the program
of study students (majors/minors) should have acquired the
following skills, knowledge, and/or abilities:
- conduct independent research on selected Africana
topics,
- conduct power analyses of a social/civil/institutional
milieu,
- write critical essays using secondary sources,
- communicate
orally and in writing the histories of African-descended
people,
- use technology to advance professional and personal
goals,
- recognize the major contributions African-descended peoples
made to the development of world civilizations, and
- understand the functionality of Africana Studies at academic
institutions.
Furthermore, Africana Studies faculty will strive to:
- provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding
of the Black experience in Africa, the United States, and
other areas of the Diaspora;
- foster research on African and African-American issues;
- provide conceptual frameworks to illuminate the causes
and effects of Africana people's subordination and their
struggle
for liberation;
- prepare students to think critically, to express themselves
creatively, to respect cultural diversity, and to make
independent and rational judgments;
- contribute to the elimination of racism and the creation
of a more equitable society by offering new knowledge
and research paradigms;
- encourage shared expertise with the community
and maintain a community service component that promotes
special classes, symposia, forums; and contributes to the
intellectual, cultural, and spiritual growth of the community;
- promote internships that allow students to integrate their
academic and practical knowledge; and
- reinforce the study of cultural ideals and provide a liberal
education in values and wisdom.
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