Bryn Mawr College

The Africana Studies Program brings a global outlook to the study of Africa and the African diaspora. Drawing on analyti- cal perspectives from anthropology, history, literary studies, political science and sociol- ogy, the program focuses on African people and African cultures w

Consortium of Universities

Bryn Mawr’s Africana Studies Program participates in a U.S. Department of Education-supported consortium with Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges and the University of Pennsylvania. Through this consortium, Bryn Mawr students have opportunity to take a broad range of courses beyond those offered in our program by enrolling in courses offered by the three other participating institutions.

Study Abroad

Also, Bryn Mawr’s Africana Studies Program sponsors a study-abroad semester at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and participates in other study-abroad programs offered by its consortium partners in Zimbabwe, Ghana and Senegal.

The Academic Program

Students are encouraged to begin their work in the Africana Studies Program by taking Introduction to Africana Studies (GNST 101). This introductory-level course, which provides students with a common intellectual experience as well as the foundation for subsequent courses in Africana Studies, should be completed by the end of the student’s junior year.

Minor Requirements: The requirements for a minor in Africana Studies are the following:

1. 1. One-semester interdisciplinary course Bryn Mawr GNST 101: Introduction to Africana Studies (ICPR 101 at Hav- erford).
2. 2. Six semester courses from an approved list of courses in Africana studies.
3. 3. A senior thesis or seminar-length essay in an area of Africana studies. Students are encouraged to organize their course work along one of several proto- typical routes. Such model programs might feature:
   • Regional or area studies; for example, focusing on blacks in Latin America, the English-speaking Caribbean or North America.
   • Thematic emphases; for example, ex- ploring class politics, ethnic conflicts and/or economic development in West and East Africa.
   • Comparative emphases; for example, problems of development, governance, public health or family and gender.
4. 4. The final requirement for the Africana studies minor is a senior thesis or its equivalent. If the department in which the student is majoring requires a thesis, she can satisfy the Africana studies requirement by writing on a topic that is approved by her department and the Africana Studies Program coordinator. If the major department does not require a thesis, an equivalent written exercise—that is, a seminar-length essay—is required. The essay may be written within the framework of a particular course or as an independent study project. The topic must be approved by both the instructor in question and the Africana Studies Program coordinator.