Africana Studies, Minor

Tomlinson 243G
Phone: 216.368.2382
Joy Bostic, Program Director
joy.bostic@case.edu


Program Overview

The minor in Africana Studies provides students with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary academic program that focuses on 1) critical theories on race, 2) African and African diasporic history, culture and literature, and 3) the religious, political, and social dimensions of Black life. The program examines subject matter related to African contexts (both the historical study of such contexts and the study of current populations), as well as African diasporic cultures (including historic and contemporary migrations), with a focus on the African diasporic presence in the Americas. Thus, courses offered in the Africana studies minor address the experience of African Americans but also more broadly explore the global Black experience and its relationship to Black life in the Americas.

Undergraduate Policies

For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Program Faculty

Joy Bostic, PhD
(Union Theological Seminary)
Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies; Associate Dean for Enrichment and Academic Engagement, College of Arts and Sciences; Director, Africana Studies Program

Michele Tracy Berger, PhD
(University of Michigan)
Eric and Jane Nord Family Professor, Department of Religious Studies; Director, Baker-Nord Institute for the Humanities

Cassi Pittman-Claytor, PhD
(Harvard Unversity)
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Jonathan Sadowsky, PhD
(Johns Hopkins University)
Theodore J. Castele Professor of Medical History; Chair, Department of History

Noël M. Voltz, PhD
(The Ohio State University)
Climo Assistant Professor, Department of History

Program Requirements

Introductory Course:3
Introduction to Africana Studies
History Domain:3
Choose one of the following:
Introduction to Modern African History
History of Black Women in the U.S.
Advanced Readings in the History of Race
History of Medicine
Culture, Literature, and Religious Life Domain:3
Choose one of the following:
Topics in African-American Literature
The Francophone World
History of Rock and Roll
History of Jazz and American Popular Music
Introducing Africana Religions
The Lemonade Class: Religion, Race, Sex and Black Music
Social and Behavioral Sciences Domain:3
Choose one of the following:
Social Justice Issues in Latin America
Race and Ethnic Minorities in The United States
Capitalism, Cities, and Inequality
Racial Inequality and Mass Imprisonment in the US
Elective a3
Total Credit Hours15
a

Selected from one of the three Domains: History; Culture, Literature, and Religious Life; or Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Please note that no more than 6 credit hours may overlap between this minor and requirements for another minor.