The Independent Study requirement at Wooster provides an opportunity for students to pursue in depth a topic of their own choosing, with the one-on-one guidance of a faculty member. Africana Studies opens exciting avenues for student research in a wide variety of areas. For examples of Africana Studies Independent Study,

• Peter "Jake" Blasini '08 produced a creative Senior I.S. project, titled "From Bebop to the Hip-Hop Sample: The Evolution of a Tradition," which included a CD containing five examples of compositions he created using sampling techniques
• Andrew Garnett '08, a double major in Africana Studies/History, wrote "A Revealing and Remarkable Transformation: An In-Depth Analysis of the Complex Life and Evolution of Malcolm X," which incorporated a transcript of an interview he conducted at Columbia University with Professor Manning Marable, a leading authority on this topic
• Brendan Murphy '08 wrote "Cold War Superpower Rivalry in the Horn of Africa: How the Flood of Arts in the Region Resulted in Current Instabilities"
• Carly Kammer '07 wrote "Unfair and Unjust: Inconsistencies Between Black and White Women in Three Areas of Health Care"
• Jennifer Culver '07, a double major in Africana Studies/Communication Studies, explored "Shaggy Afros, Super-Curly Afros, Sky-High Afros, Mini-Afros....Ours and Ours Alone: The (De)colonizing of Black Hair; An Ideological Analysis of the Changing Perspectives on Black Hairstyle Choices as Portrayed in Essense Magazine Articles, 1970-2007."

For detailed information, please refer to our I.S. Handbook.

Learn more about Independent Study.