Why choose
Africana Studies?

The College of Humanities has been a fantastic place for me to learn about different human experiences throughout history.

Aja Haymore | Africana Studies, Pre-Business

An innovative and student-centered degree program in the heart of the Southwest

Africana Studies Major

The Department of Africana Studies introduces students to fundamental issues and concepts in the Africana experience in the United States, Africa, South America and the Caribbean, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Explore topics related to history, philosophy, politics, religion, culture, society, literature, and the arts, with worldclass faculty members in a tightknit community. Students choose from one of three emphases: African American History, Culture & Aesthetics; Comparative Global African Diaspora; or Performance, Media & Digital Africana Studies.

Choose From 3 Emphases:

  • African American History, Culture, and Aesthetics
  • Performance, Media, and Digital Africana Studies
  • Comparative Global African Diaspora

Africana Studies Minor

We offer two minors: a minor in Africana studies and a minor in hip-hop culture. Course requirements can be completed on campus or on one of our study abroad programs!

Online Degree

Join a program that embraces new technologies and serves as a leader in digital learning. You’ll study under faculty from diverse academic backgrounds, resulting in a rich and exciting interdisciplinary classroom dynamic.

Double Major

Combining your interests is possible at Arizona. For the same tuition AND same amount of time, you can get a versatile education to make yourself stand out. Our Africana Studies degree pairs well with many disciplines across campus.

Andrea Garcia Brown

Realizing how Black history connects to today’s social issues encourages me to look at others’ history too in order to better understand what social issues matter to them.

Chloe Horton

Spanish Minor

We offer two minors: a minor in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese. Course requirements can be completed on campus or on one of our study abroad programs!

Online Degree

Complete your entire Bachelor of Arts in Spanish degree fully online! We offer 15 week and 7.5 week courses options with modules that are released every Monday morning.

Double Major

Combining your interests is possible at Arizona. For the same tuition AND same amount of time, you can get a versatile education to make yourself stand out. Our Spanish degree pairs well with many disciplines across campus.

The Spanish as a Heritage Language Program taught me how to be a more inclusive and diverse human being.

Ernesto Cabrera | Spanish & Portuguese, Communication, Psychology

Minor in

Hip-Hop Culture

The Minor in Hip-Hop Cultures provides students with a solid introduction and broad understanding of the origins and developing of the forms of expression that make up hip-hop cultures throughout the world: hip-hop dance, rap music, graffiti/tagging, fashion, business, and film. The Minor introduces students to the main themes represented in hip-hop cultures: appropriation and defense of spaces, mixing of different cultures, migrations, multilingualism, race, class, gender, religions, sexuality, nationality, politics and the economy, and the search for identity.

Meet students who have chosen Africana Studies

Want to learn more about our Africana Studies programs?

Karina M. Rodríguez
Recruitment Director

Want to learn more about our Africana Studies programs?

A degree in Africana Studies not only provides a dynamic and stimulating education, but also a path to a fulfilling career. Get in touch with Karina, and she can help match the best plan for you.

 

STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

Study abroad programs allow students to gain a cross-disciplinary exposure to the arts, history, business, health, cultures, politics, and development of the visited country in line with the interdisciplinary thrust of the Department of Africana Studies. The main objective of offering study abroad programs is not only to expand students’ diversity competency but also to broaden their life experiences as they observe, participate and get immersed in some of the cornerstones of contemporary Africana experiences.

Global Africana Studies Experience

This trip offers students the unique opportunity to spend 9 days in Paris, France, where they experience key course material come alive!

Center for Digital Humanities

The UA College of Humanities’ Center for Digital Humanities exists at the intersection of advanced computational technology and the world’s most enduring questions about the human condition. Projects apply technologies like data visualization, digital storytelling, 360-degree immersive video, digital mapping, and virtual and augmented reality to subjects including traditional African dances, Buddhist temples and rituals, ancient writing and languages, and religious expression in social media.

Certificate in Caribbean Studies

This program provides students with a solid introduction and broad understanding of the Caribbean region’s cultures, history, languages, literatures, institutions, peoples, and traditions. It was specifically designed for students and professionals who are interested in the Caribbean region and who wish to combine their main area of specialization with a solid background in the new and changing international landscape.

Scholarships

Our department offers or sponsors several scholarships around an array of criteria to enable more opportunities and more experiences to be available to our students.

Clubs

Want to practice your Spanish or Portuguese? Help local organizations? Participate in cultural events? Have fun and find a community? The Department of Spanish and Portuguese has numerous clubs, including El Cotorreo, Club Bilingüe and Bate Papo.

Critical Service-Learning Program

The program integrates experiential learning opportunities for students in the department focused on social entrepreneurship, leadership, and communitybased projects and outreach, so they integrate theory and practice, connect more effectively with the Tucson region, and build specific knowledge, skills, and abilities for life after graduation.

Scholarships
Each year scholarships are awarded to deserving students enrolled in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. Scholarships are available for everything from tuition to travel abroad. One such opportunity for students is the Professor José Promis Excellence in Study Abroad Award, which is available for students going to Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries, such as on the Arizona in Alcalá de Henares trip. Study Spanish while enjoying the world!

Career Possibilities & Alumni Stories

Our majors have gone on to exciting careers around the world in a wide variety of industries. See what you can do with your degree.

Melissa Pitts

Melissa Pitts
B.A. Spanish 2007
B.A. Latin American Studies 2007
Account Director | FCB NEW YORK

“Having a background in humanities allows me to have a more profound connection with my clients and their constituencies. With demographics becoming much more diverse, having a degree in Spanish gave me the background and platform to provide sound client advice when marketing to the Latino community through TV, print, digital and radio communication channels.”

Timothy Tiutan

Timothy Tiutan
B.A. Spanish 2012
B.S. Health Sciences 2012
M.D. Medicine 2016

Resident Physician | NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL

“Pursuing degrees in both physiology and Spanish linguistics allows me to have a deeper connection with my patients today. Living in New York City as a physician, it is crucial for me to be able to communicate with people from all backgrounds – particularly the Latino community.”

Beatriz Jimenez-Villanueva

Beatriz Jimenez-Villanueva
M.A. Spanish 2009
Ph.D. Spanish 2015
CEO | GUADABROAD

“Thanks to my education in the Humanities I have reached more than 15 years of experience in international and Study Abroad education in Spain, Chile and the USA.”

Want to learn more about Africana Studies?