The consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College in 1988 established Clark Atlanta University. Once combined, the departments inherited a uniquely, prestigious legacy. The AWH Department faculty continues to advance the twin foci of applicable scholarship and intellectual rigor. Like Clark College, the AWH Department seeks to provide higher education that is accessible and conducive to student success in life. Like Atlanta University, we work to provide an academic experience of the highest quality and one consistent with the tradition of scholarship created by such world class scholars as W. E. B. Du Bois and C. Eric Lincoln. We welcome scholars of all levels to join us in continuing the departmental legacy.
The African American Studies degree program was established in its present form in 1968. The degree is designed for students with professional interest in a comprehensive understanding of African American, African or Diasporic culture needed for work in various communities and institutions. Graduates are equipped with knowledge of, and sensitivity to, the teaching of African and African American sociopolitical cultures. The AAS degree program provides focus and breadth through an interdisciplinary approach. Because of the long tradition of African and African American studies at Clark Atlanta University, pertinent courses are also offered in many departments, particularly English, Foreign Language, Political Science and Sociology.
Founded in 1982, the Africana Women's Studies degree program is the only graduate degree-granting women's studies program located in an Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and the only women's studies program in the United States or the world which offers the doctoral degree in Africana Women's Studies (a Humanities PhD concentration). The AWS degree program provides opportunities for the systematic analysis of the convergence of gender, class and racial bias. Building on the legacy of activist women such as Lugenia Burns Hope and Alma Williams, faculty and students focus on the comparative examination of the contributions, problems, strategies and concerns of Africana women. Analytical approaches that rigorously compare and contrast the lives of all women by class, age and color without regard to their geographic location are strongly encouraged. AWS is cross-cultural, international and interdisciplinary. Similar to many nontraditional programs and departments, AWS has a core faculty with faculty associates from additional CAU departments.
The History degree program serves as a center for historical study, providing a core base of knowledge of past events and fostering an atmosphere to examine the significance of those events on the human experience. With a commitment to academic excellence, to train historians and to enhance the historical knowledge of students in other disciplines, the department stresses the development of analytical skills and critical judgment. As an extension of the classroom instruction, students are encouraged to engage in practical applications of learning through service learning projects, internships, and study abroad. Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois served as a faculty member of History, Economics, Sociology, and Social Work at Atlanta University for a total of 23 years. During this time, he produced such works as Souls of Black Folk (1903), the Atlanta University Publications (1898-1914), Black Reconstruction (1935), Phylon Journal (1940) and Dusk of Dawn, the second of three autobiographies (1940). We undertake historical research, teaching, and service as a privilege and responsibility to be worthy bearers of this rich inheritance.
