Africana Studies
Examining the histories & cultures of people of African descent

» Africana Studies

African Studies LogoThe Africana Studies minor is designed to examine the histories, cultures, societies, literatures, and arts of people of African descent, and their contributions to world civilization.

The curriculum takes a transnational approach to the study of the Black experience and places it in a comparative context of Africa and the African Diaspora. The goal of the interdisciplinary curriculum is to provide a personalized education of distinction through a range of core and elective courses that allow students to determine areas of emphasis.

With faculty advisement, students will select a tailored course of study that introduces them to the key themes, concepts, intellectual traditions, and political movements of Africana Studies, laying a strong foundation for practical application and social engagement through the critical interrogation of race, geography, and power.

Africana Studies

 


What can you do with an Africana Studies minor?

An Africana Studies minor complements any Bachelor’s degree, not only disciplines pertaining to the study of individuals of African descent. Africana Studies is for anyone interested in the histories, literatures, aesthetics, spiritual, cultural, and political traditions of people of African descent. Students who take courses in Africana Studies will be equipped to productively analyze, critique, and deepen their understandings of important social justice issues to become stronger allies, activists, and agents of change. This interdisciplinary minor discipline teaches critical thinking and writing skills, as well as independent research which serve as assets to any career that will make you more marketable in the professional arena.

What careers does Africana Studies equip you for?

  • Medicine and Health
  • Visual Arts
  • Business
  • Publishing
  • Law and Criminal Justice
  • Science and Technology
  • Politics and Government
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Music
  • Journalism
  • Graduate Studies
  • Performing Arts and Entertainment
  • and others!
Imanni Wright
’24, Broadcast Journalism and Documentary Film Major; Africana Studies Minor
"Africana Studies has allowed me to connect with myself on a deeper level and allows others to be exposed to histories of those who are forgotten or unheard of."
Bernadine Perez Cortina
’24, English Major (Literature, Rhetoric, and Cultural Studies emphasis); Africana Studies and Ethnic Studies Minor
"As a Filipina immigrant, learning about Blackness in the Pacific gave me the language to begin uncovering the Philippines’ layered colonial histories and better understand the liberation struggle."

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Program Director

Mark HopsonMark C. Hopson serves as Professor in the School of Communication and the Director of Africana Studies. Dr. Hopson also serves as Senior Director of Ethnic Studies Programs.

Prior to joining Chapman, Dr. Hopson held a faculty position and served as Director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He also served on the university’s 2020 Taskforce on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence for the Office of the President.

Dr. Hopson has facilitated workshops and seminars for more than 5,000 youth and adult learners nationally, including Changing Lives Through Literature for Fairfax County Public Library. CLTL is a nationally recognized alternative sentencing program.

Learn more about Dr. Hopson!