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Department of African and African-American Studies

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Why study African and African-American studies?

African and African-American studies reflects the human experience where Africa meets Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

The academic program focuses mainly on Africa and Afro-America, but due attention is paid to the Caribbean and Latin America. The program deepens the knowledge and enriches understanding of the history and culture of African peoples in Africa and the Americas as a necessary and desirable end in itself but also as a useful background for professionals whose careers may involve them in these geographical and cultural areas. Essentially interdisciplinary, the major gives students a basis for interpreting the historical and contemporary experiences of African peoples in Africa and the Americas, both broadly and in relation to a particular region, historical period, or cultural manifestation. The major, with its flexibility and opportunity for fieldwork, encourages students to engage in independent study, if possible in a Black community. Most courses are also open to nonmajors.
