About the Program

The African and African American Studies (AAAS) program is your gateway to understanding how African and African-descended peoples have shaped the contemporary world and are also shaping what comes next, from democracy to arts and culture, to science and technology. In the AAAS program, you will be equipped with the critical skills to think deeply about the evolving meanings of identity, power, freedom, creativity, innovation, and social responsibility in an interconnected world, ready for a variety of careers including law and public policy, the arts, media, business, medicine, education, science and technology, and public service, as well as graduate studies. Our students leave prepared not simply to understand the world, but to shape its future.

What You’ll Study

The curriculum provides a rigorous and engaging intellectual experience, designed to give you a deep and multifaceted understanding of the field. You will:

• Explore Diverse Perspectives: You'll engage with an interdisciplinary approach to analyze and understand the histories, societies, and intellectual traditions of African and African diasporic worlds using key theories and methods in Black Studies and other methodologies, alongside sustained engagement across three interconnected domains: culture and the arts; science, technology, and society; and ethical, social, and political thought.  Upon completion of our major or minor, you will be able to: 

  • Understand and produce art and culture as forms of knowledge through critical engagement with creative expression and/or 

  • Examine how science, technology, and global systems are shaped by social and political forces and/or.

  • Evaluate how power, inequality, and identity shape the lives of people of African descent across historical and global contexts.

• Tailor Your Courses: Choose one of our available subplan options to dig further into a particular area of interest. 

• Develop In-Demand Skills: The program focuses on building core academic and professional skills. You will receive hands-on research training and opportunities for community engaged-learning with African and African diasporic communities, all while honing your analytical and investigative abilities. You will also have the opportunity to produce original creative work and communicate ideas across academic and public audiences.

• Build a Foundation for Your Future: This major provides a robust intellectual foundation that prepares you for a wide range of graduate programs and professional careers in fields like history, political science, literature, law and public policy, education, international relations, the arts, media, business, medicine, science and technology, and public service.