African American Studies

Program Overview

The African American Studies Program was established in the late 1960s. The African American Studies Program is designed for students with professional interest in a comprehensive understanding of African American or African diaspora culture needed for work in their target community and to equip educators with knowledge of and sensitivity to the teaching of African, African American, and cultures in the African diaspora.

Program Objectives

1. To provide a comprehensive knowledge of concepts and theories related to African American and African diaspora cultures.
2. Prepare graduates for diverse professions in education, research, government and civic services that require an understanding of people of African descent to work in targeted communities.
3. Equip educators with knowledge and sensitivity to the teaching of African, African American, and African diaspora cultures.
4. Prepare students for opportunities in continuing or advanced studies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students pursuing the Master of Arts Degrees in African American Studies will:

1. Demonstrate mastery of principles related to the lived black experience from multiple positions and their implications on society.
2. Apply theoretical knowledge of Afrocentricity, Afrocentric historiography, and the history of African people nationally and globally to construct a research-based thesis or non-thesis project.
3. Identify and communicate effectively in written and oral formats issues related to African Americans and people of African descent.
4. Advocate the values of African, African American people and African diaspora cultures.
5. Conduct systematic analysis of the convergence of gender, class, and racial bias through the application of historical and contemporary knowledge of African Americans and people of African descent.