Information for First Year Students

Coordinator/Dept. Chair: Prof. Eloise Brezault

The African studies program enables students to engage in a diverse interdisciplinary study of the African continent and its peoples, including their extensive interaction with many other peoples and regions around the globe. African Studies offers 1) combined majors with anthropology, economics, government or history and 2) an interdisciplinary minor. Requirements for the combined majors vary slightly according to departments, but each demands five African studies courses, of which four are electives that may be chosen from various courses offered in several departments either on campus or through St. Lawrence’s off-campus programs. Students must select these courses from a range of disciplines in order to get exposure to diverse issues and approaches. Apart from our well-known semester and summer programs in Kenya, additional opportunities for off-campus study have been offered in Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda in recent years.

Courses offered usually offered in the Fall that are appropriate for first-year students, subject to the availability of seats, are:

  • AFS 100/SWAH 101: Elementary Kiswahili with Lab (LANG)
  • AFS 101/HIST 108: Intro to African Studies (HU)
  • AFS 103/SWAH 102: Intermediate Kiswahili with Lab (LANG)
  • AFS 106/ARAB 101: Elementary Arabic I w/Lab (LANG)
  • AFS 108/ARAB 103: Intermediate Arabic I with Lab (LANG)
  • AFS/ANTH 225: Peoples and Cultures of Africa (SS/DIV13)
  • AFS/GOVT 230: African Politics (SS)
  • AFS 3001/FR 3001: SPTP: Francophone Africa (also cross listed with English)