Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
It is highly recommended that interested concentrators be familiar with the various disciplinary perspectives and geographical areas covered in the Africana Studies Department’s course offerings.
Concentrators of Africana Studies must complete eight (8) courses. Of these courses, the following Africana Studies courses are required:
| AFRI0090, Sec. 01 | Introduction to Africana Studies Fall ONLY |
| AFRI1360, Sec. 01 | Africana Studies: Knowledge, Texts, and Methodology Spring ONLY. Senior Capstone Seminar. |
In order to develop disciplinary and interdisciplinary competency, Africana Studies concentrators are also required to elect no less than six (6) courses from one or more of the following disciplines: the Arts, the Sciences, or the Humanities.
The Africana Studies Department strongly encourages foreign study in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, during the student’s junior year of concentration. Although the Africana Studies Department actively supports programs in South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Brazil, and the English-Speaking Caribbean, at least six (6) courses must be completed in the department at Brown.
Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of language competencies, in addition to English, which are spoken in Africa and the diaspora. Since no continental African language is currently offered at Brown, concentrators who study abroad and acquire certified competency in any African language are welcome to petition the department for competency credit.
Concentration Honors in Africana Studies
Africana Studies’ concentrators with outstanding records may be admitted to the department’s Honors Program. Prior to the end of the concentrator’s junior year and while working in consultation with a faculty advisor, the student must prepare a work plan. This plan, not to exceed three (3) typewritten pages, must be approved and signed by the faculty advisor who is to direct the Honor’s thesis. At the onset of the senior year, the Honor’s candidate is expected to have become familiar with the secondary works in the field. Secondary readings should be extensive and be incorporated into the work plan. The Honor’s candidate is also expected to complete a research paper of distinguished quality while enrolled in a 100-level seminar. Participation in Africana Studies senior-level capstone seminar (AFRI1360) is required.
For students completing graduation requirements by the end of Semester I (Fall), projects must be submitted by December 1st. For students completing graduation requirements by Semester II (Spring), the project should be submitted by April 20th. By the end of the fourth (44h) week of the concentrator’s seventh (7th) semester, a written proposal approved by the advisor and a secondary reader must be submitted to the concentration advisor. A progress report, prepared and signed by the student and countersigned by the faculty advisor must be presented to the concentration advisor.
Africana Studies Department Awards
The Africana Studies Department offers the following annual awards:
- The W.E.B. DuBois Award for Best Honor’s Thesis.
- The Anna Julia Cooper Award for Best Student.
- The George Houston Bass Award for Best Student in Rites and Reason Theatre.
- The Ida B. Wells Award for Best Student Who Combines Outstanding Scholarship and Activism.
- The Charles Nichols Award for Leadership.