The Africana Studies Department is interdisciplinary in scope and addresses itself to the experiences of persons of African descent throughout the world. It is designed to explore African civilizations and their influences on other parts of the "Black Diaspora." Issues within the global black communities in Africa, the United States, the Caribbean and elsewhere will be examined from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The formation and evolution of the Africana Studies Department are grounded in fundamental assessments that evolved from its founding in 1968 and intersect with the mission of Stony Brook University to provide comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education of the highest quality. The Department of Africana Studies provides a disciplined intellectual environment to study the histories, literatures, political systems, cultures, arts, and social theories of Africa and the African Diaspora.

The Department of Africana Studies offers a course of studies leading to both a Bachelor's (B.A.) degree and a Master's (M.A.) degree. Because of this field's interdisciplinary focus, students majoring in Africana Studies will be exposed to the critical contributions of scholars representing a variety of theoretical approaches and intellectual perspectives, with the objective of enhancing the student's knowledge and understanding of this important field, and at the same time encouraging higher level thinking and the ability to critically evaluate ideas and information.

Students of Africana Studies are prepared to meet the need for academic inquiry at the undergraduate and graduate level into the global historical, political, cultural, literary, and sociological perspectives of people of African heritage. The course of studies in Africana Studies will broaden the scope of academic offerings within the SUNY system and, specifically at Stony Brook University. A degree from the Department of Africana Studies will prepare undergraduate majors and minors for admission into graduate and professional schools. Additionally, it will enhance the professional development of graduate students in careers in a range of professions where knowledge of the Black experience is increasingly useful, such as law, management, medicine, public health, public service, social welfare, museum curator studies, and education.