Undergraduate Programs

Why Choose African Studies?  

African studies is not only a way to understand Africa, it is a way to expand your understanding of the world and its histories. Our program focuses on the study and analysis of sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the wider African diaspora. An African studies minor enriches your understanding of the social, economic, cultural, historical, linguistic, geopolitical, ecological, and biomedical factors that shape African societies.

hist-melissa-graboyes-class

Minor in African Studies

Interested in exploring Africa’s diversity and and analyzing the issues of contemporary life on the continent? In interdisciplinary courses taught by professors from a wide range of departments, you can study the geopolitical factors that shape African societies while learning Swahili, Arabic, Portuguese, or French—or travel back in time to discover ancient Egypt and West African kingdoms.

Minor Requirements 


Learn an African Language

Develop your skills in an African language spoken by millions of people around the globe. Students in the African Studies program can take three years of Arabic or Swahili language courses and earn credits toward their minor.

African Languages


Students at a clinic in Accra

Get Real-World Experience

Deepen your understanding of African societies by studying in another part of the world, develop vital job skills in a global internship, or share your passion for African studies by raising community awareness of African culture.

Experiential Learning

An archway in Ghana

What You Can Do with an African Studies Degree

An African studies minor can prepare you to work in many fields. Learn about possible careers and hear from alumni.

Explore Careers


Advising and Academic Support

Schedule an appointment with an advisor and get your questions answered.

Departmental Advising and Support

Scholarships and Awards

Learn about ways to apply for funding to support your studies.

Explore Scholarships and Awards


Events

Department of History Fall Get-Together

Sep

29

Department of History Fall Get-Together

Sep 29 McKenzie Hall
20th Annual Rennard Strickland Lecture: "The Vanishing Indian Property Rights: How Federal Courts are Stripping Indians of the Rights to Their Own Lands" Featuring Bryan Newland

Sep

30

20th Annual Rennard Strickland Lecture: "The Vanishing Indian Property Rights: How Federal Courts are Stripping Indians of the Rights to Their Own Lands" Featuring Bryan Newland

Sep 30
HIST and IRES Welcome Back Barbecue

Oct

1

HIST and IRES Welcome Back Barbecue

Oct 1 Wayne Morris Family Farm Picnic Shelter
We Hold These Truths: 250 Years of the American Experiment at Home and Abroad

Oct

6

We Hold These Truths: 250 Years of the American Experiment at Home and Abroad

Oct 6 Ford Alumni Center
Online: Freeman Internship Fellowship Info Session

Oct

7

Online: Freeman Internship Fellowship Info Session

Oct 7
Winter and Spring Study Abroad in Italy Info Session

Oct

7

Winter and Spring Study Abroad in Italy Info Session

Oct 7 Straub Hall
Creative Writing Reading Series Presents: Melissa Range

Oct

7

Creative Writing Reading Series Presents: Melissa Range

Oct 7 Knight Library
Eugene History Pub Lecture Series: "Empires, Revolutions and City-States: West Africa in the Medieval Period"

Oct

12

Eugene History Pub Lecture Series: "Empires, Revolutions and City-States: West Africa in the Medieval Period"

Oct 12 Whirled Pies
Latinx Studies Fall Social

Oct

13

Latinx Studies Fall Social

Oct 13 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Writer and Poet Saeed Jones

Oct

13

Writer and Poet Saeed Jones

Oct 13 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)