Introduction
and General Overview
The African Studies
Center at Penn is an interdisciplinary program that offers undergraduate
students an opportunity to explore the historic and cultural diversity
of sub-Saharan African peoples.
The major and
minor courses of study provide an understanding of the dynamics of the
continent's social, political and economic systems and insights into the
profound impact of African societies on many countries in Europe, the Near
East, and particularly North and South America and the Caribbean.
African
Studies' course offerings are included in the Departments of Anthropology,
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Comparative Literature, Economics, English,
Folklore and Folklife, History, History of Art, History and Sociology of
Science, International Studies & Business, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy,
Political Science, Religious Studies, Romance Languages, Sociology, and
Women's Studies, as well as the Schools of Education, Social Work, Nursing,
Wharton, and the Penn Language Center.
Scholarly
activities of Africanists on the Penn campus are coordinated by Penn faculty
associated with the African Studies Center. The program also includes visiting
scholars and interested academics throughout the Philadelphia area. The
Center works to keep the Penn community abreast of current research, events,
and scholarship, and maintains a large network of Africanists who exchange
information on courses and activities. 