AFS-400 Africana Studies Capstone Course

Prerequisite: AFS-100
The Africana Studies capstone course prepares students for the major’s culminating exercise, a formal thesis, or a project. Working with the professor and in collaboration with their colleagues in the class, students will produce a research project grounded in Africana Studies methodology, representing an original contribution to the field. Throughout the semester, students will examine and work through the challenges of producing original research. Research topics will draw from disciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies, theories, and concepts in the humanities and social sciences. The capstone research topics will cover broadly defined themes in Africana Studies such as the effects of Atlantic slavery on the United States, the Americas, Africa, and Europe; the Black freedom struggle in the United States; women, gender, and sexuality in Black America, the African diaspora, and Africa; colonialism and independence in Africa and the Caribbean. Students will be encouraged to critically explore research topics from courses they have taken in Africana Studies and related disciplines as topics for their capstone research projects. 4 credits