Think about:
State your topic in one sentence. This helps you identify keywords/phrases that describe your topic.
How many pages do you need to fulfill your assignment? Knowing how many pages you need to write helps pinpoint just how much information you will need.
How many and what kind of sources are required? Knowing how many and what type of sources you need helps you to choose a database and limit your results to only those types of sources you need whether it be scholarly journals, books, newspapers, and/or statistics.
Aldridge, D. (2010). African American studies. In K. Lomotey (Ed.), Encyclopedia of African American education (pp. 24-29). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412971966.n9
Aldridge, D. P. (2008). Black/Africana studies in the United States. In C. B. Davies (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, experiences, and culture (Vol. 1, pp. 195-198). ABC-CLIO.
Butler, K. D. (2006). African diaspora. In C. A. Palmer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 34-37). Macmillan Reference USA.
Karenga, M. (2005). Black studies. In M. K. Asante & A. Mazama (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Black studies (pp. 148-151). SAGE Reference.
Mars, P. (2013). African diaspora. In P. L. Mason (Ed.), Encyclopedia of race and racism (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 57-61). Macmillan Reference USA
Ngwainmbi, E. (2006). African American studies programs in North America and the teaching of Africa: Myth, reality, and reconstruction. In M. K. Asante & M. Karenga, Handbook of Black studies (pp. 225-242). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412982696.n15
Poe, D. Z. (2006). Black studies in the historically Black colleges and universities. In M. K. Asante & M. Karenga, Handbook of Black studies (pp. 204-224). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412982696.n14
Stewart, J. (2006). Social science and systematic inquiry in Africana studies: Challenges for the 21st century. In M. K. Asante & M. Karenga, Handbook of Black studies (pp. 379-401). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412982696.n27
Africana Studies at John Jay College is a multidisciplinary pursuit across geographic boundaries including a range of academic interests. Having a particular area and/or issue on which to focus will help to develop your research query and result in finding relevant resources for your assignment. Below are some suggestions of course related issues you may wish to explore. Some topics listed below are broad in nature, and therefore, may need to be narrowed.
Law and Justice
African Diaspora in the United States
African Diaspora in the Americas
African Diaspora in the Caribbean
Arts & Culture
Oral Traditions
Literature
Theater
Religion
Terrorism and Violence
Spoken Word Poetry and Performance
Caribbean Migrations to the United States
African-American Experience in America
Caribbean Literature and Culture
Music
Race and the Urban Community
Race & Ethnicity in America
Community-based Approaches to Justice
Institutional Racism
Africana Youth and Social Justice Struggles
Political Economy of Racism
Race and Science
Environmental Racism
Inequality and Wealth
Psychology of Oppression
Origins of Contemporary Africa
Drugs and Crime in Africa
Police and Law in Africa
Blacks in Latin America
African Politics
Psychology of the African-American Experience
Psychology of the African-American Family
Masculinities in the United States
Self, Identity & Justice