Africana Studies

Students enrolled at The Graduate Center can pursue an Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) Concentration in Africana Studies. The study of the African Diaspora as it is manifested in social and cultural structures outside of the continent of Africa has emerged over the last decade and a half as one of the academic world’s most active interdisciplinary arenas. The primary goal of the concentration in Africana Studies is to produce scholars who are fully conversant with this diverse field, providing them with the analytic and research tools to navigate and articulate the Black experience while furthering the ongoing dialogue on race and identity.

New York City is an extremely important locus for primary sources. Its convergence of music, literature, art, politics, and history—along with its myriad ethnic tapestry—offers scholars the opportunity to analyze Black culture in a uniquely fertile context. A concentration in Africana Studies reflects and enhances the diversity of both subject matter and community found in CUNY at large.

Students must take the IDS core course, Introduction to Africana Studies, as well as four electives within the concentration’s course lists. No more than two of those four electives may be from the same discipline. Course offerings are from a broad spectrum of disciplines including Anthropology, Art, English, Film Studies, History, Music, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Welfare, and Women’s Studies.