Africana Studies Requirements | 2025-2026 Academic Catalog | SIU

Students who wish to enroll in Africana Studies as their sole or primary major will be expected to fulfill the general requirements of the College of Liberal Arts. Students who wish to enroll in Africana Studies as an added major and who are primarily enrolled in a college at SIU Carbondale other than the College of Liberal Arts must fulfill their college’s general requirements. Only Africana Studies courses completed with at least a C will fulfill the major requirement.

Africana Studies courses do not require prerequisites.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Africana Studies Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements			Credit Hours
University Core Curriculum Requirements				39
College of Liberal Arts Academic Requirements				14
Requirements for the Major				30
Historical US Perspectives (3 Credits Required), Select one of the following: AFR 311A: Black American History to 1865 AFR 311B: Black American History since 1865 AFR 360: Race and History in the United States			3
Contemporary US Perspectives (3 Credits Required), Select one of the following: AFR 109: Intro to Black America AFR 209: Critical Issues in the Black American Experiences AFR 215: Black American Experience in a Pluralistic Society AFR 375: Topics in Africana Aesthetics			3
Non-US Perspectives (3 Credits Required), Select one of the following: AFR 135: The Third World: The African Model AFR 225: Social Change in Africa AFR 310A: Peoples and Cultures of Africa AFR 314A: History of Africa to 1800 AFR 314B: Africa Since 1800 AFR 320: Leaders of the Black World			3
Electives (AFR 400-level)			12
Electives (Anything AFR)			9
Electives				37
Total				120

Africana Studies Minor

A minor in Africana Studies consists of a minimum of 18 credit hours, which are to be selected from Africana Studies course offerings and organized according to each individual student’s field of interest. Africana Studies AFR 311A and AFR 311B are required for the minor.

Africana Studies courses do not require prerequisites.

Cultural Competency Minor

The multidisciplinary minor in Cultural Competency enhances the perspectives of students working within culturally diverse communities on a national, international, and global scale. Students completing this minor will be better prepared to thrive and be successful in a diverse workplace. The minor is beneficial to students whose career path requires them to be effective professionals, such as teachers, nurses, social workers, journalists as well as technicians, engineers, and scientists. Area focus, such as East Asia, the Middle East, South America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as LGBTQ+ and disabilities, is an integral part of the minor.

The minor requires 18 credit hours of coursework and independent study. Within these 18 credit hours, credit hours must be taken outside the student’s primary discipline. The student must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at SIUC.

Students who wish to enroll in this minor must consult with the Director of the School of Africana and Multicultural Studies.

Cultural Competency Minor Requirements

Degree Requirements			Credit Hours
Core Requirements: ANTH 470A, AFR 499, AFR 499B				9
Elective Courses: AFR 495, AFR 360 or HIST 361, AFR 472, ANTH 202, ANTH 204, ANTH 240D, CMST 201, CMST 241, CMST 301I, CMST 441, CMST 448, CCJ 203, CCJ 340, PSYC 223, PSYC 233, PSYC 334, SOC 215, SOC 435, SOC 437, SOC 455, WGSS 426, WGSS 489 1				9
Total				18

¹ Other relevant courses as approved by the Director of the School of Africana and Multicultural Studies.