African American Studies

What is African American Studies?

The African American Studies Certificate provides students with a comprehensive study of the African American, African, and Caribbean experience across disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this program reinforces other courses in the humanities and social sciences including History, Music, Literature, Art, Communication, Sociology, and Anthropology. Students develop critical thinking and analysis skills, and they learn to value social equality, democracy, and humanitarianism.

The objectives of the African American Studies Certificate also include developing and maintaining a strong tradition of study and research that serves communities at local, state, national, and international levels in the arts as well as within a broad social context. The outcomes of this certificate program will produce scholars and citizens who are equipped to think critically. Students will also be able to engage with the issues confronting Africa and African Americans in the context of increasingly diverse local and global cultures upon completion of the program.