A major in Africana Studies provides students with an Africa-centered perspective on the societies, history, politics, and culture of African descended people, focusing particularly on these issues as they apply in the United States.

Recent IS topics in Africana Studies have included an analysis of the life and ideological evolution of Malcolm X, inconsistencies faced by black and white women when receiving health care, and an examination of the colonial and post-colonial implications of black hairstyle choices as presented in a popular magazine with trends charted from the 1970s to the present day.

The Africana Studies department is based in Kauke Hall.