The Department of African American Studies offers both an Undergraduate Major and an Undergraduate Certificate that expand and deepen a students understanding of race in the United States and in the world. Students who pursue and fulfill all requirements for the Major are awarded a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies. Alternatively, the Certificate in African American Studies is equivalent to an academic ‘minor’ in African American Studies. Undergraduate students in both programs select from the same course offerings.

The Curriculum

The curriculum requirements in the Undergraduate Program in African American Studies reflects the complex interplay between political, economic, and cultural forces that shape our understanding of the historic achievements and struggles of African-descended people in this country and their relation to others around the world. The Course of Study is directed in three distinct subfields; African American Culture and Life; Race and Public Policy; and Global Race and Ethnicity. We offer a Junior Seminar, Senior Colloquium, and Study abroad opportunities for our majors, and an array of course, public events and lecture series which are open to all students.

Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) for the Department of African American Studies.