The month of February is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of black Americans and remembering important events and people in the history of the African diaspora. The university has been putting on events to celebrate Black History Month with the theme of “Break the 28”, which refers to the vision of intertwining African American history with the American experience beyond the 28 days of February. Be sure to check out some of their interesting upcoming events: http://www.bucknell.edu/x74161.xml.
What better way to deepen our understanding and infuse black American culture into our daily lives than exploring the major and minors of Africana studies? The recently created major focuses on the study of interrelated histories, narratives, intellectual traditions, music, art, politics, economies, and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and elsewhere. The major allows you to explore and become completely submerged in the undeveloped blending of Africana Studies with the arts, humanities, social sciences and many other disciplines. The diverse courses available give students the opportunity to study the contemporary and historical concerns of Africans and people of African descent from intra and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Majoring in Africana Studies will prepare you well for your future after Bucknell. The courses emphasize public speaking, research, scholarly analysis, and writing, which are some crucial skills employers look for. Being an Africana major gives you the opportunity to take numerous courses discussing diversity and inclusion. The 9 requirements consist of one course in history and a selection of 5 related courses in social sciences, humanities, and the arts. The core courses include Intro to Africana Studies and Approaches to Africa Studies. The Bucknell website provides the detailed major and minor requirements: http://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/collegeofartsandsciencescurricula/areasofstudy/africanastudies.
Students also have 3 minors to choose from: African studies, African American studies, and Caribbean studies. Along with the required courses, the university strongly encourages students to study abroad, especially in Africa or the Caribbean. They also highly recommended taking 4 semesters of a language spoken in the African Diaspora, including French, Spanish, Arabic, or an African language.Â
Since the major is new, the university is still searching for a permanent program chair. Professor Carmen Gillespie, the current program’s chair, explained that majoring in Africana Studies “provides a rich basis for students to learn about the interactions between African people and their descendants and those in the West.” In the future, the university plans to have an Africana Studies residential college.
The Africana major and minors create an exciting new opportunity for all Bucknell students and they allow us to be educated in serious issues facing our global society. So, “break the 28” and look into majoring in Africana Studies to broaden your perspectives and break out of the Bucknell Bubble!