Program of Study: Guidelines for Majors and Minors

The Department of Africana Studies at San Francisco State is the first Black Studies Department established on a four-year college campus in the United States. The birth of Black Studies at SF State in 1968 was inspired by student-led opposition to Western intellectual hegemony and racist scholarship that characterized limitations found in traditional approaches to college education. In 2005, the Department changed its name to Africana Studies.

In an equitable world, every student would know about the unparalleled and unmatched contributions that Africana-identified people have made to human civilization. These contributions include

• the formulation of the first system of government for a territorial state;
• creation of the foundations of science, mathematics, and advanced technology;
• the first written script, the foundations of philosophy and psychology;
• the building of the great pyramids and such modern inventions as the first electric light filament, the cotton gin, the first gas mask, the double effect evaporator, and the first design of a three stage rocket capable of interstellar flight.

In Africana Studies, students are able to learn about, critique, and be inspired by the accomplishments of Africana-identified people who shaped and are shaping the moral conscience, artistic genius, scientific and technical achievements as well as political activism of their time.

The Department of Africana Studies continues in the vanguard of intellectual discourse pertaining to domestic and global freedom as well as development of Africana-identified people throughout the world. The maturation of the discipline has resulted in new and innovative alternatives to traditional paradigms of oppression and exclusion. In addition to learning aspects of human history that have been omitted and/or appropriated, students learn how to recognize and challenge intellectual hegemony and racist science. The discipline of Africana Studies not only provides students with the experience of challenging traditional Western orthodoxy, but also facilitates opportunities to explore new and alternative paradigms and theories. In Africana Studies, students acquire and develop an appreciation for the origins of knowledge, the philosophy of science, and the politics of knowing. Students develop a social character and personal outlook that gives them the ability to contribute to the well-being of themselves and humanity.

Curriculum in Africana Studies is designed to address the needs of the Africana-identified communities. That is, the community is situated as a classroom where lessons can be learned and taught. The discipline of Africana Studies prepares students to not only understand the world they live in but also to see where the world is wanting and to have the resources, skills as well as the desire to make it better.

Students majoring in Africana Studies are required to complete a 39-unit program consisting of core courses and electives that contain emphases in the areas of arts and humanities as well as behavioral and social sciences. Our majors engage courses that connect Africana Studies --as culturally-grounded, equity education-- to core concepts concerning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and environmental justice. Africana Studies is by definition interdisciplinary and our students engage community-grounded learning that provides work and service experience to better prepare graduates for careers and/or postgraduate education.

The core courses facilitate an appreciation of the historical developments and intellectual foundations of the discipline as well as the critical knowledge base, academic skills, and methodological techniques essential to the field of Africana Studies. The courses offered in the emphases provide opportunities for students to gain a deeper intellectual grasp of the field. For more, click "B.A. in Africana Studies" and "Minor in Africana Studies" to link to the SF State Bulletin, or keep reading to quickly see our core and elective degree requirements.

Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies (39 Units)

The Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies includes thirty units of core courses and nine units of elective courses from an areas of emphasis, for a total of 39 units.

The University Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) is satisfied in the Africana Studies major with the ETHS 300 GW "Writing in Ethnic Studies - GWAR" course. Double majors must check with Department chairs and faculty advisors concerning GWAR requirement for degree completion. The writing requirement units are not included in total units for the major.

Ask your advising faculty and the department chair about any possibility of substitutions or the status of transferred courses. Remember that community colleges do not offer "upper-division" courses, or courses numbered 300 and above.

Minor Program in Africana Studies (18 Units)

Download Change/Add Minor Form from Registrar (PDF)

Download AFRS Minor Advising Form (PDF)

Core Requirements: 9 Core Course Units + 9 Elective Units = 18 Total Units for Africana Studies Minor

Select one course from each category A, B, and C. Additional courses completed in categories B and C count as electives. Electives may be chosen from any Africana studies course. Seek advising from faculty and/or department chair.

Required Courses for Minors

Choose Three More Elective Courses (9 Units)

Electives: Select Nine Units in addition to Core for Major or Minor