Africana Studies

Africana Studies Mission Statement

Africana Studies at Hofstra University is an interdisciplinary program in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS) that offers a broad spectrum of courses in the humanities and social sciences. An education in Africana Studies allows students to build problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and a strong sense of social responsibility.

The creation of Hofstra’s Africana Studies program in 1971 was part of a nationwide trend at colleges and universities, inspired by the American Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Black students—and indeed students of all races and ethnicities—demanded that the history and experiences of African and African American people become part of the academic curriculum. Originally known as the African Studies program, it was renamed Africana Studies to encompass a broader range of scholarship, research, teaching, and service areas.

Africana Studies courses are taught by faculty from a variety of disciplines, including History, Dance, Geography, Literature, Drama, Anthropology, Sociology, Education, LGBTQ+ Studies, Psychology, Writing Studies and Rhetoric, and Political Science. Students explore topics and methodologies from multiple perspectives.

Learning Goal #1: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the roles played and contributions made to human society by people of African descent throughout the African diaspora.

Objective #1: Students will learn about the social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural lives of people of African descent, both past and present.

Objective #2: Students will learn how to analyze and appreciate scholarship, art, dance, theater, film, literatures, and other cultural artifacts created by peoples of African descent.

Learning Goal #2: Students will discover American history through the experiences and global influence of African Americans.

Objective #1: Students will become aware of revolutionary struggles for freedom, liberation and justice for people of African descent among activists seeking social change through protest movements in the United States and around the world.

Objective #2: Students will learn about the intersections of “race,” gender, sex, class, and other identity traits and how they impact institutions, policy and practice.

Learning Goal #3: Students will gain critical analytical skills that challenge conventional views about racism, injustice, inequality, and other forms of discrimination to gain a deeper understanding of societal issues both domestically and globally.

Objective #1: Students will be reflective on issues of social justice to prepare them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for future professional and educational opportunities.

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Lippencott Named Director of Africana Studies Program

Veronica Akinyi Lippencott, PhD, adjunct associate professor of Global Studies and Geography and associate director of Hofstra University's Center for “Race,” Culture, and Social Justice, has been appointed the director of Hofstra University’s Africana Studies Program.

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