African and African American Studies
Division VI Chair: M. Mendel-Reyes
Program Chair: Andrew Baskin
Faculty: A. Baskin, L. Leek, and J.V. Pimienta-Bey
The major in African and African American Studies provides students with an academically holistic understanding of the cultural contributions and historical struggles of peoples of predominant African descent within U.S., Western, and World History. The interdisciplinary approach of African and African American Studies provides students with the opportunity to engage in critical thinking across the spectrum of various disciplines—history, literature, music, psychology, environmental studies, women’s and gender studies, etc. Majors are encouraged to critique the world from the perspective and world view of Africana (“Black”) peoples, thereby learning to better evaluate the impact Africana peoples have had upon countless aspects of the human experience.
The African and African American Studies major teaches students how to:
- identify, study, and clarify African contributions to human history;
- analyze and describe/express the various conditions that have impacted and influenced both the individual and collective development of African peoples; and
- identify solutions, as well as actions, which free all peoples from any socialized notions of inherent inferiority predicated on the basis of their African ancestry.