Africana Studies Minor

Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary field that centers African, African American, and Caribbean history, culture, and politics. Using the methodological tools and theories of the social sciences and humanities, Africana Studies examines the political, social, and economic organization of nations, communities, and people from Africa and the African Diaspora.

Like all the minors in the Sociology and Anthropology Department, the minor does not prepare students for employment in one particular job, but for many different types of work that emphasize or require strong: writing skills, analytical and critical thinking, research skills, reading comprehension, and oral communication. This minor complements any major degree in which students anticipate working in diverse environments and in which they serve the public.

Consisting of 15 credits, students enrolled in the Africana Studies minor must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in their courses that qualify for the minor.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate their ability to think critically about social, political, and economic issues pertinent to Africa and the African diaspora.
Access and comprehend scholarly and mainstream sources on Africa and the African diaspora.
Demonstrate understanding of the methodologies and skills used in the humanities and social sciences to study Africa and the African diaspora.
Define and provide examples of colonization, decolonization, Black liberation/power movements, and their legacies.
Explain, verbally and in writing, the concept of intersectionality and connect the experiences of people within the Africana Diaspora with race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality.
Adopt a transnational lens and demonstrate an awareness of social justice issues and initiatives involving people of African descent in the United States and around the world.

About Academic Minors

Farmingdale State College students are invited to enhance their studies with an "Academic Minor." A minor is a cluster of thematically related courses drawn from one or more departments. In addition to department based minors (e.g. computer programming & info systems), interdisciplinary minors are also available (e.g. legal studies).

Academic minors are approved by the College-Wide Curriculum Committee and the Provost. Students must make application for an academic minor through the department offering the minor in conjunction with the Registrar's Office Specific course work must be determined in consultation with a faculty member in the department offering the minor. A statement of successful completion of the academic minor will appear on the student's transcript at the time of graduation.

A minor is considered to be an optional supplement to a student's major program of study.
Completion of a minor is not a graduation requirement and is subject to the availability of the courses selected. However, if the requirements for a minor are not completed prior to certification of graduation in the major, it will be assumed that the minor has been dropped. Consequently, the student will only be certified for graduation in their primary major.
Only students in 4 year baccalaureate programs can apply for a minor.
A minor should consist of 15 to 21 credits.
At least 12 credits must be in courses at the 200 level or higher.
At least 9 credits must be residency credits.
Specific requirements for each minor are determined by the department granting the minor.
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in their minor. Some minors may require a higher GPA.
Students are prohibited from declaring a minor in the same discipline as their major (e.g. one cannot combine an applied math minor with an applied math major). Academic minors may not apply to all curricula.
Students are permitted to double-count courses.
Students are only permitted to take more than one minor with appropriate written approval of their department chair or curriculum Dean.

Admission to Farmingdale State College - State University of New York is based on the qualifications of the applicant without regard to age, sex, marital or military status, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.

Sociology and Anthropology | Dr. Angela Jones | | 934-420-6379

Fall 2026

Subject to revision

Core:	(6 Credits)
SOC 150 Introduction to Africana Studies OR
HIS 130 African American History to 1865 OR
HIS 131 African American History Since 1865	3
SOC 308 Black Political and Social Thought	3

Elective Courses:	(9 Credits)
ANT 211 Caribbean Cultures	3
ANT 300 Africanisms in the Americas	3
BUS 227 Grassroots Entrepreneurship Within Minority Communities	3
EGL 235 Caribbean Literature	3
EGL 309 African American Literature	3
HIS 280: Caribbean History	3
HIS 324 Roots of Black Americans	3
MLG 307 French and Francophone Fiction and Film	3
POL 374 Politics in Africa	3
SOC 253: Black Popular Culture	3
SOC 311: African American Leadership	3

Curriculum Summary

Total Required Credits: 15