African & African Diaspora Studies

Page Contents:01.Major or Minor02.Concentration03.Additional Resources

Explore African and African Diaspora Studies

We offer subjects on the history, culture and structure of societies of African descent throughout the world. In this interdisciplinary field, you can earn a major, minor, or concentration.

The sculpture “Drifting Continents” by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui. Made from aluminum bottle caps and copper wire. Courtesy of Eva Blue, Flickr License CC.

Earning a major or minor

This field is designed for students interested in the contributions, cultures and experiences of peoples of African descent on the African continent and across the Diaspora. Our program emphasizes the importance of Africa and people of African descent in the world’s cultural, economic, and social developments, and provides a balance between language, humanistic, historical, and contemporary study.

All of Africa falls within the geographical scope of the field. Students may concentrate on a particular region or on any of the broad groupings of African cultures, regions or language groups. Equally, students choosing to focus on the African diaspora may concentrate on African American studies or on any group of African-descended populations in the Americas or elsewhere — be it in the US, in the Caribbean, or anywhere else in the Americas and beyond. Students focusing on either principal area (Africa or the African diaspora) must also take at least one subject which deals with the other area or with interactions between them.

Major

Visit the Registrar’s page on the African and African Diaspora Studies Interdisciplinary Major to learn about requirements and current subject offerings.

To declare or change your major, visit How to Apply.

Minor

Visit the Registrar’s page on the African and African Diaspora Studies Interdisciplinary Minor to learn about requirements and current subject offerings.

To declare or change your minor, visit How to Apply.

Earning a concentration

The African and African Diaspora Studies concentration offers a variety of subjects on the history, culture, and structure of societies of African descent throughout the world, with special emphasis on those of the United States and the Caribbean.

“I originally came to MIT wanting to see if there were ways to do good with engineering. I found that maybe my way to enter into that would be in part understanding my cultural identity, and seeing what I could do from there.”
Stacy Godfreey-Igwe ’22
Mechanical engineering major and African and African Diaspora Studies major

Additional resources

For more information, contact the major advisor Professor Danielle Wood or the SHASS academic administrator.

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