BS in African Cultural Studies

The mission of the Department of African Cultural Studies is to research and teach the languages and expressive cultures of Africa and Africans around the world. Our faculty specialize in literature, music, film, critical applied linguistics, drama, diaspora studies, and new media. Our undergraduate program emphasizes the development and application of analytical, linguistic, and methodological tools that enable students to work effectively and imaginatively across regions, languages, cultural forms, methodologies, and disciplines. A student majoring in African Cultural Studies is prepared for careers across the globe.Undergraduates study one of six languages offered by the department—Arabic, Hausa, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba, and Zulu—and combine their language study with popular courses in the humanities, literature, and ethnic studies. The department offers a wide-range of course topics, including African literature and theater, contemporary cinema and music, Afro-Futurism, gender and sexuality, and internet and media studies.

Applicant must have high school record should demonstrate both rigor and breadth in the types of course work you pursue. A competitive academic record should show some of the most challenging advanced-level work offered at or through your school in as many areas as possible, while maintaining a strong GPA. The following chart shows the number of years that most admitted students studied in each subject area: English 4 years, Math 4 years, Social Science 3 years, Natural Science 3 years. Applicants are expected to achieve a high level of performance in the course work they pursue and an increasingly strong academic record. Academic GPAs between a 3.8 and a 4.0, and a class rank in the 85–97 percentile.