Enrollment for new Africana Studies minor set for fall 2020

Students have pushed for an Africana studies minor in past years, but have not been successful until the approval of the minor this year

Jerrica Newkirk is the first student from Chapman University to graduate with a self-designed Africana Studies minor. Photo courtesy of Jerrica Newkirk

After two years of efforts, an African Studies minor was approved during Black History month by the Senate Executive Board Feb. 9.

“It’s so awesome,” Ramya Sinha, a sophomore business administration major and president of Black Student Union (BSU), said about the new minor. “Especially in spite of everything that has been going on these past two weeks and all that mess. When I got the email that it was approved, it was awesome, especially during Black History Month.”

Quaylan Allen, a professor in the Attallah College of Educational Studies and interim director of the Africana Studies minor, shared a similar sentiment.

“This feels like my greatest career accomplishment today,” Allen said. “Working with others to bring Africana Studies minor to Chapman considering the current political climate both on campus and in our country it brings me so much joy and happiness to know that this is now part of our institution.”

Although Allen, students, faculty and staff have been pushing for the minor since 2018, there have been students in the past who have tried to get it approved before.

The process for creating a minor is lengthy, according to Allen.

“The process started first by ensuring this is something that students wanted,” Allen said. “This was definitely student driven.”

After checking in with students, Allen worked with them, faculty and staff who were interested in helping create the minor. In order to develop a minor for Chapman, Allen had to meet with directors of African or Africana studies programs at other universities, review curriculum at Chapman that could be used for the minor, identify gaps and topics not offered and work with other Chapman minors – like the LatinX minor – as a guide to organize the minor among many other things.

Africana Studies is part of the standard curriculum of most universities, Allen said. The University of Southern California offers a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and Ethnicity (African American Studies), the University of California, Irvine offers a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies, and California State University, Fullerton offers a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies, with an option in African American Studies. asa“In fact, we are the only university within our region that doesn’t have the program. We are behind,” Allen said.

The minor will add to the diversity of the programs offered at the university and will join other minor programs like Women’s Studies and LGBTQ Studies, categorized by Chapman as interdisciplinary minors. The Africana Studies minor will contribute to “improving overall campus racial climate for our students and provide a program that will allow students who are interested in not only exploring the histories and contributions of African peoples, but also interested in careers or related to exploring and dealing with issues related to the African diaspora,” according to Allen.

When speaking about the Feb. 4 incident involving Dayton Cole Kingery, who used racist and homophobic slurs on campus and was subsequently arrested, Allen said the minor would help, but it would not prevent similar issues. Students of all races are encouraged to add an Africana Studies minor.

“We designed the minor with that specifically in mind,” Allen said. “That this minor was not just designed for black students. It was designed for all students and was designed to be interdisciplinary and draw upon multiple disciplines to drive the interest for people around the politics, culture, art, history and religion related to African diaspora.”

Before the minor was approved, Jacky Dang, a senior screenwriting and peace studies double major and Student Government Diversity Affairs Chair, and Jerrica Newkirk, a 2019 alumna, self-designed an Africana studies minor.

“Jerrica Newkirk is actually the first person to graduate with the African Studies minor from Chapman University,” Allen said.

There is a wide variety of courses being offered, such as the history of Africa, African politics, sociology of race, black feminism, religious studies, literature, art and languages, including Arabic.

Students will be able to enroll in the Africana Studies minor beginning fall 2020.