Program Requirements and Opportunities
The information listed below is a direct excerpt from the 2013-14 Course Catalog.
Published annually, the Course Catalog sets out the requirements of the academic programs--the majors, minors, and concentrations. Each Bryn Mawr student must declare her major before the end of her sophomore year. Students may also declare a minor or a concentration, but neither is required for the A.B. degree. Students must comply with the requirements published in the Course Catalog at the time when they declare the major, minor and/or concentration.
The Course Catalog also sets out the College requirements. Students must comply with the College requirements published at the time they enter Bryn Mawr College.
2012-13 Catalog
2011-12 Catalog
2010-11 Catalog
2009-10 Catalog
The Africana Studies Program brings a global outlook to the study of Africa its Diasporas. Drawing on analytical perspectives from anthropology, economics, history, literary studies, political science and sociology, the program focuses on peoples of African descent within the context of increasing globalization and dramatic social, economic and political changes.
Bryn Mawr's Africana Studies Program participates in a U.S. Department of Education-supported consortium with Haverford College, Swarthmore Colleges, and the University of Pennsylvania. Through this consortium, Bryn Mawr students have the opportunity to take a broad range of courses by enrolling in courses offered by all participating institutions. 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.
Students are encouraged to begin their work in the Africana Studies Program by taking "Introduction to African Civilizations" (HIST B102). This required 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:
- One-semester interdisciplinary course Bryn Mawr HIST B102: Introduction to African Civilizations (ICPR 101 at Haverford).
- Five additional semester courses from an approved list of courses in Africana studies.
- 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 prototypical 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, exploring 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.
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.
# # #