20 BEST VALUE SMALL COLLEGES FOR AN AFRICAN STUDIES DEGREE

Although some of the other schools on this list do highlight the importance of research, Davidson might be alone in its particular focus on research methodology. A required class on this somewhat dry topic helps students develop often overlooked skills in areas like computational economics. And at this top college for an African studies degree, those skills definitely won't go to waste. That's because every Africana Studies major at Davidson must complete a "substantial senior thesis," in which program members spend an entire year developing a proposal and exploring their chosen topic. To supplement this highly focused study, Davidson has implemented a "breadth requirement" that ensures each student receive a balanced education that covers the African American, African, and African Diaspora experiences.

Unlike most majors and minors at the college, Franklin and Marshall's top African studies program arose directly in response to student demand. As such, it's not too surprising that the curriculum gives majors an unusual degree of latitude in designing their coursework. Of the nine required classes, five are electives, and students can pick these courses from 11 other departments across campus. The only mandate is that their choices "primarily address issues surrounding Africa and the African Diaspora." This interdisciplinary academic approach extends to the school's extracurricular programming, which in the past has featured lectures on a wide variety of topics, from Haiti to gentrification.

Rather than limiting its focus either to African American culture or the African Diaspora, Bowdoin maintains balance by providing concentrations in both topics. The department draws liberally from other subjects to build its curriculum, meaning that certain anthropology, sociology, music, and even French classes are eligible for credit. And like many of the other top small colleges with African studies programs, Bowdoin provides a challenging Honors Thesis option for qualifying students. Through this project, majors can explore deeply interdisciplinary subjects. Examples include the collaboration of the Black Panther Party and the Gay Liberation Front and the relationship between the Birmingham bombing and the music of Nina Simone and John Coltrane.

Every Africana Studies student at Barnard College in New York City takes at least one course about Harlem, the Big Apple borough home to some of black America's greatest cultural achievements. Classes like Gay Harlem and James Baldwin's Harlem highlight this hyper-local focus that makes Barnard one of the best small colleges for African American studies majors who have a strong interest in the Harlem Renaissance. Even so, the school's Africana Studies program still maintains a global perspective. The curriculum includes required core coursework in the broader African experience as well as a mandatory four-semester sequence in a language of Africa or the African diaspora.

Founded by abolitionists in 1855, Bates College has a long history of grappling with the problem of race in America. The school's affordable African American studies program takes a nuanced approach to this subject by offering "intersecting" African American and American Cultural Studies degrees. That means students pursuing an African American Studies degree can expect to receive a broader view of the American ethnic experience alongside more traditional subjects like the Civil Rights Movement and Black Feminism. Cross-departmental courses such as Blood, Genes and American Culture and Race, Cultural Pluralism, and Equality in American Education highlight Bates's broad perspective.

Lafayette's Africana Studies major is hard work; the school encourages students to take on a second major, engage in original field research, and study abroad. But to those in search of a rigorous academic experience, Lafayette quickly emerges as a top college for an African studies degree. Research is a central part of Lafayette's program, and many of the courses provide opportunities for students to conduct independent study projects. The school also challenges majors to address topics head on - and face-to-face, when possible. For example, in one "community-based learning and research seminar," undergrads work with local non-profits and transitional housing shelters to study issues that disproportionately affect black women in Easton.

Lake Forest College is home to one of the newest and best African American studies programs in the country - particularly for those with a specific interest in black American culture. Lake Forest's African American Studies major provides a deep dive into African American art, including literature, music, and film, and covers important figures ranging from Spike Lee to W.E.B. Du Bois. Students can also explore modern problems like racism in the criminal justice system in courses such as Black Metropolis and Race and Criminal Justice. Lake Forest's major is quite new - the school introduced it only this year - but the range of coursework and tight focus make it a great fit for many students.

Formerly known as African American Studies, Mount Holyoke's Africana Studies major has expanded beyond the borders of the American continent to include all people of African descent. To that end, every Africana Studies major receives exposure to the real-world African Diaspora through Community-Based Learning courses like Black Migrations and History of Global Inequality. These classes bring majors into contact with local elementary school students, African immigrants, and other members of the African Diaspora as a part of their learning. But of all the top small colleges with African studies programs, Mount Holyoke is one of the few to offer an extra "perk." That is, in addition to its in-house degree, the college offers a separate "Five-School" African Studies major in conjunction with its partner universities in the Massachusetts Five College Consortium.

The Claremont Colleges is a consortium of five Southern California colleges that have pooled their academic resources together offer a variety of intercollegiate degrees. These shared programs, which include Africana Studies, are available to students at any one of the colleges. And it's easy to see the benefits of this cooperative learning arrangement. In particular, the Africana Studies major offers more concentrations (three in all) and more unique classes than most of the other programs on this African studies college degrees ranking. One such specialty course explores cultural and spiritual connections to the moon in southeastern African America and even incorporates one-on-one interviews at a local nonprofit that aids pregnant black women.

Smith's top Africana Studies program offers five different concentrations: history, literature/cultural studies, social science, black women's studies, and Diaspora studies. The latter subject is a particularly important one for the degree; the only elective requirement is at least one course about the African Diaspora. Undergrads at this top college for an African studies degree also have access to an impressive number of interdisciplinary courses from through departments, from Queer Black Studies to Urban Economics. Smith's Africana Studies department expects all majors to study abroad, and in the past students have visited South Africa, Ghana, and Mali.