Africana Studies

Department Chair: M. Keith Claybrook, Jr.

Department Office: Psychology Building (PSY), Room 306

Telephone / FAX: (562) 985‑4624 / (562) 985‑5599

Website: Africana Studies Department

Faculty: Eva Bohler, Keith Claybrook, Alice Nicholas, Khonsura Aaron Wilson

Undergraduate Advisor: M. Keith Claybrook, Jr.

Administrative Support Coordinator: Chimbuko Tembo

Students desiring information should contact the department office for referral or the faculty advisor.

College: College of Liberal Arts  

Courses: AFRS  

Career Possibilities

Social Scientist • Social Worker • Counselor • Teacher • Archivist • Journalist • Public Relations Consultant • Community Organizer • Recreation • Law • School Administrator • Linguist • Parole Officer • Probation Officer • Editor • Writer • Urban/Regional Planner • Public Policy Administrator • Foreign Policy Officer • Researcher (Some of these, and other careers, require additional education or experience. For more information, see Career Development Center website.)

Introduction

The Department of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach advances the critical and systematic study of African peoples-continental and diasporan-in historical and contemporary dimensions. Grounded in an Afrocentric and African-centered perspective and informed by interdisciplinary inquiry, the department examines lived experience, intellectual traditions, cultural formations, political struggle, and creative expression across global contexts. The department prepares students to communicate effectively, think critically, conduct research ethically, and engage diverse communities with intellectual rigor, cultural awareness, and social responsibility. 

Programs

• Africana Studies, B.A.

• Africana Studies Minor

• Africana Studies Certificate

Courses

Note: General Education Category A must be completed prior to taking any upper-division course except upper-division language courses where students meet formal prerequisites and/or competency equivalent for advanced study.

• AFRS 100A - Composition I
• AFRS 100B - Composition II
• AFRS 110 - Introduction to Africana Studies
• AFRS 111 - Black Poetics and the Spoken Word
• AFRS 119 - Introduction to Racial and Ethnic Studies
• AFRS 120 - African American History to 1865
• AFRS 121 - African American History Since 1865-Present
• AFRS 140 - Introduction to African American Literature
• AFRS 150 - Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
• AFRS 153 - Introduction to Black Men’s Studies
• AFRS 154 - Introduction to Africana Women’s Studies
• AFRS 155 - African American Music
• AFRS 160 - Introduction to Africana Arts
• AFRS 170A - Elementary Swahili
• AFRS 201 - History of Slavery
• AFRS 255 - Introduction to Hip Hop
• AFRS 310 - African American Male and Female Relationships
• AFRS 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States
• AFRS 325 - Africana Psychology
• AFRS 330 - Politics of the African American Community
• AFRS 332 - Civil Rights and the Law
• AFRS 335 - Economic Development in the African American Community
• AFRS 343A - African Literature
• AFRS 346 - Africana Theatre
• AFRS 353 - Religions of African Peoples
• AFRS 354 - African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement
• AFRS 400 - African American Social Thought
• AFRS 410 - The African American Family
• AFRS 415 - International Africana Children’s Literature
• AFRS 420 - African American Children in Public Schools
• AFRS 435 - Black Freedom Struggle, 1955-1975
• AFRS 440 - Black Los Angeles
• AFRS 445 - Africana Women’s Literary Tradition: Toni Morrison
• AFRS 454 - Africana Womanism: An Intellectual History
• AFRS 475 - Racism and Sexism: An Analytical Approach
• AFRS 490 - Selected Topics in Africana Studies
• AFRS 495 - Research Methods in Africana Studies
• AFRS 498 - Ancient Egyptian Ethical Thought
• AFRS 499 - Directed Studies
• AFRS 521 - Critical Perspectives in Africana Studies
• AFRS 525 - Black Student Movements
• AFRS 545 - Africana Women’s Literary Tradition: Zora Neale Hurston