Courses

Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary and multi-method curriculum anchored by Black epistemologies. The range of subject areas covered include slavery, colonization, local Richmond history, gender and sexuality, and a variety of research methods. This approach provides students with the theoretical and methodological facility at the heart of Africana Studies and courses from the African descendent perspective in a variety of academic and cultural areas. 

Spring 2025 Africana Studies Courses

AFST 201: The Rumors of War Seminar
MW 1:30 - 2:45 pm | Dr. Jillean McCommons
The Rumors of War Seminar explores how the history of peoples of African descent, predating the modern concept of race, continues to impact the culture and lives of those in the African diaspora. The class emphasizes the legacies of slavery and colonization, including the role of race and place worldwide and in the history of the University and greater Richmond area.

PLSC 379: Black Politics and Political Behavior 
TH 1:30-4:15pm | Dr. Ernest McGowen
This course will explore the historical and contemporary state of Black politics and political behavior. It will focus on the historical, social, and economic factors that shape political engagement within African American communities. Key themes will include the evolution of black political thought, African American and diasporic identity, the evolution of black political power with an emphasis on public opinion and political participation, activism and grassroots movements, and intersectionality. 
Prerequisites: Introduction to Africana Studies and/or Introduction to American Government

AFST 400: Research Seminar Capstone W.E.B. Dubois
M 3-5:30pm | Dr. Manuella Meyer
This research-based capstone course will allow students to synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired through coursework. Participating in a seminar led by a faculty member and collaborating with peers, students produce a research project grounded in the methodologies of Africana Studies. In sharing their capstone processes, content, and products throughout the semester, students develop and demonstrate knowledge and integration of skills, scholarship, and strategies of Africana studies interdisciplinarity, mixed-method research, and grounded, local/global, reflective practices. Students are encouraged to use their capstone project as part of employment portfolios and/or for graduate school application materials.
Prerequisites: AFST declared major or minor status, or permission of instructor.

Africana Studies

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  • AFST 101 Introduction to Africana Studies

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): IF-Power/Equity/Identity/Cult (IFPE)

    Description
    An interdisciplinary and thematic approach to the African diaspora throughout the Americas, including its motivations, dimensions, consequences, and the importance of its study. Beginning with the encounters between Africans and the Portuguese in the 15th century, this class will open up diverse paths of inquiry to understand the presence and implications of Africans in the New World.
  • AFST 201 The Rumors of War Seminar

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): AI-Historical Inquiry (AIHS), IF-Power/Equity/Identity/Cult (IFPE), American studies electives (AMER), CBL-Study Trips (CBST)

    Description
    The history of slavery and colonization with attention to the world before and after 1492. The course uses this approach to closely examine the history of the land of UR within a broader context of the 1492 moment, from the earliest days of the land being claimed by European settlers, to its purchase by free Black families, to its current owners - the University of Richmond.
  • AFST 301 Seminar in Africana Studies

    Units: 1

    Description
    Surveys multidisciplinary approaches to Africana Studies, with specific emphasis on the wide range of theories and methods employed by scholars in the field.

     

    Prerequisites

    AFST 101 or AFST 201

  • AFST 400 The W.E.B. Du Bois Senior Seminar

    Units: 1

    Description
    In depth study of the work and life of one major scholar in the field (such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Angela Davis, Walter Rodney, Sylvia Wynter, C.L.R. James, Kwame Nkrumah, etc.). Serves as the main research capstone of the major, providing a foundational, historical analysis of the development of Black Studies, along with key theories of the field.

     

    Prerequisites

    Declared major or minor status in Africana Studies, or permission of instructor.