Department Curriculum
Department Overview
The Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) equips students with the skills to understand how Africa and its diasporas are distinct worlds, yet bound by history and in constant conversation. The DAAAS major takes both African and diasporic worlds seriously, exploring the diversity of African and African-descended experiences while tracing the connections that link them. Our courses examine how African and African-descended peoples helped build the modern world and how they will shape what comes next - from global politics and artificial intelligence to cultural and artistic innovation. Students learn to think rigorously about the evolving meanings of identity, power, freedom, creativity, innovation, and social responsibility in an interconnected world. Graduates of DAAAS pursue careers in law and public policy, the arts, media, business, medicine, education, science and technology, and public service.
What does a DAAAS Major or Minor offer students?
Our program gives students a grounding in the histories, societies, and intellectual traditions of African and African-descended peoples, alongside sustained engagement across three interconnected domains: culture and the arts; science, technology, and society; and ethical, social, and political thought.
Culture and the arts: Students examine literature, music, visual art, film, and other cultural forms while pursuing original creative projects that treat artistic practice as a way of generating knowledge and insight.
Science, technology, and society: Students explore how African and African diasporic communities have driven scientific and technological innovation while engaging ethical debates about artificial intelligence, health, environmental justice, data, labor, and inequality.
Ethical, social, and political thought: Students tackle pressing social, cultural, scientific, and political questions related to Africa and its diasporas. Through applied research projects conducted in partnership with African and African diasporic communities, they connect critical inquiry to public engagement beyond the classroom.
What is the structure of our major and minor?
Both are designed as intellectual journeys that move students from foundational learning to specialized expertise and original contribution. Students begin with the core texts, ideas, and histories of Africa and its diasporas, then develop comparative breadth, thematic depth, and practical experience through Community Engaged Learning classes. Majors culminate their work in research for a senior capstone project addressing a question of intellectual and public significance.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of our major or minor, students will be able to:
- Analyze African and African diasporic worlds using key theories and methods in Black Studies and related fields.
- Evaluate how power, inequality, and identity shape Black life across historical and global contexts.
- Understand and produce art and culture as forms of knowledge through critical engagement with creative expression.
- Examine how science, technology, and global systems are shaped by social and political forces.
- Conduct original, community-engaged research with African and African diasporic communities.
- Produce original creative work and communicate ideas across academic and public audiences.