The vibrant African studies program at St. Lawrence offers students the opportunity to gain a rich understanding of the diversity of the world’s second largest continent, as well as a capacity to examine Africa through different disciplines. Students are immersed in a distinctive cross-cultural perspective through which to study contemporary and historical issues on the African continent and through the experience of people of African descent throughout the world.
In addition to the African studies minor, the African studies program offers a multidisciplinary curriculum leading to combined majors with anthropology, government, economics and history. The breadth of African Studies courses that are regularly offered allow students to study complex issues from a wide range of perspectives, including public health, language, education, conservation biology, economics, environmental studies, anthropology, film, literature, history, performance and communication studies, global studies, economics, and sociology. Courses in Swahili are taught every semester by visiting Kenyan scholars.
St. Lawrence’s long standing and well-respected Kenya Semester program provides students the opportunity to study abroad in Kenya and to have internship placements throughout East Africa, Students studying off-campus in Bordeaux encounter a Francophone African culture through travel to Senegal. Summer courses bring African studies alive as students travel to countries like Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, and Ethiopia.
A background in African studies helps prepare students for graduate work across the disciplines and in this interdisciplinary field. Students build critical skills and knowledge for careers in government, international development and business, public health, or for work in the Peace Corps and other service opportunities. Due to the focus on cross-cultural multidisciplinary work, the African studies program supports students in developing skills to understand challenging issues which are useful in almost any professional position and location.
African studies offers combined majors with anthropology, economics, government and history. Each combined major consists of five African studies courses plus requirements from cooperating departments.
St. Lawrence offers a number of semester based and summer courses throughout the African continent. For over 40 years, the university has maintained a vibrant semester long program in Kenya and in recent years has offered summer courses in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Senegal. Students who participate in the France program also have an opportunity to visit Senegal to study the connections between the two countries. Students from other universities are welcome to apply for these programs.
Every year, Laurentians headed for summer internships in Washington D.C. pack their best business attire, prepare to navigate the Metro system, and tap their networks to find temporary housing in our nation’s capital city. Many of these students got their first taste of living and working in D.C. while on a SLU Connect networking trip earlier in the year.
Starting in the fall of 2023, St. Lawrence students will have a unique opportunity to explore and impact real-world foreign policy issues while working alongside career diplomats.
