History of the Department of Africana Studies

The Department of Africana Studies was previously known as the Department of Afro-American Studies, which was created in January 1969. The department was part of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the College of Arts and Science, which became the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in 1977. The Afro-American Studies Department was created by President Collins in response to demands by an increasing black student population, led by the Black Student Alliance, for entry level courses in Afro-American studies. On January 31, 1969, President Collins bypassed normal University channels and formed an Afro-American Studies Department scheduled to offer courses in the fall of 1969. Previous to the formation of the Africana Studies Department courses had been offered during the 1960s in the Departments of English (Afro American Literature; Eng 583 was introduced in the Fall of 1966), History (History of the Negro in the United States, HY 254 was introduced in the fall of 1966) and Sociology (Minority Groups, Soc 150 was introduced in Fall of 1964). These courses would eventually form the basis for the interdisciplinary Afro-American Studies Department.

According to the 1969-1970 bulletin of the new department, "The Department of Afro-American Studies was designed...[to] supplement...the intellectual perspectives which have been characteristic of our nation's historically pro-white orientation. This would be accomplished through an investigation of vital disciplines such as political, historical, economic, socio-psychological and derived issues as they relate to the Black experience." According to the University's Final Budget request for 1970-71 the new department would concentrate specifically on "Urban Affairs and human development." Though the primary focus of the department was studying the black experience in the United States, from the start the department also included courses relating to African history and culture.

The new department developed rapidly. The 1970 University Bulletin listed thirty-four courses available to an undergraduate major in Afro-American Studies in the areas of historical issues, economic-political, socio-psychological, and cultural courses. Since the fall of 1972 the department has offered a Master of Arts degree.

In addition to its strictly academic course offerings, the African and Afro-American Studies Department served as a social support arena. It was and is the only department in which there are a substantial number of black professors providing students with needed role models in a predominantly white environment. The department serves as a home for mentors and those needing to be mentored.

In 1973 the Department of Afro-American Studies enlarged its mission to give equal emphasis to the interdisciplinary study of Africa. In recognition of this new emphasis the Afro-American Department changed its name to the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. In 1990 the department once again changed its name to Africana Studies in recognition of a new widening of its intellectual focus—namely the inclusion of courses documenting the whole African Diaspora.

The Master's Program is ranked number 2 in the nation. The Bachelor's Program is ranked number 6, according to the U.S. Department of Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.