AAS 498 is required for the major.

Through the course of study, readings, and lectures, majors have applied their AAS knowledge into developing independent writing and research assignments, leading to the senior thesis. In AAS, the thesis is the culminating research informed by a student’s subfield and a subject of inquiry of the student’s choosing. 

In the Colloquium, majors workshop their thesis for clarity and improvement and also practice becoming conversant about their research by contextualizing their work alongside pertinent contemporary issues and news stories. Workshopping the theses of each student as a group, guided by a member of the core faculty, gives all concentrators a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the field of African American Studies.

The format of the Colloquium is a gesture towards modeling the sort of fruitful exchanges and convened conversations that African American Studies majors can bring with them as they leave the University to enter new workplaces, campuses, and neighborhoods in which race continues to be a salient and unequal force. AAS majors graduate from Princeton as people who can not only manage differences but can live with differences as a value in their lives. AAS majors leave Princeton with a common commitment to social change.

Professor Ruha Benjamin will serve as the Faculty Adviser for the 2025-2026 Senior Colloquium.

Additional Details

1. $300/term stipend
2. $500 in senior thesis research funding (please visit SAFE for details)
3. One to two student presentations per session

Senior Colloquium Schedule