Welcome to African American Studies

"Truth comes to one distilled, shaped in the sayings of the ancestors. Copy your fathers, your ancestors.  See their words endure in books. Open, read them, and copy them in order to know.  One who is taught becomes skilled."

The African American Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in African American Studies. This degree provides students with a comprehensive undergraduate degree program designed to foster the systematic understanding and examination of the experiences of people of African descent. The program offers students the opportunity to engage in intellectual work that will give them a strong foundation in the core ideas, concepts, and theories of the discipline of African American Studies.

African American Studies uses an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the history, culture, social and political thought, values, and conditions of people of African descent. A degree in African American Studies prepares students to be culturally knowledgeable, academically excellent, and socially responsible global citizens empowered to serve their communities and creatively meet the challenges of a rapidly changing global environment. The rigor and interdisciplinary nature of the department’s requirements prepare students for careers in law, education, criminal justice, international affairs, business, publishing and journalism, as well as graduate programs in African American Studies and various other liberal arts disciplines. The curriculum is structured so that students can pursue a double major in a reasonable amount of time.