Contact Us
Battelle Tompkins , Room T-23 on a map
Critical RGC Studies 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8144 United StatesWhy Major in African American and African Diaspora Studies?
The African American and African Diaspora Studies program offers a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum that provides students with an understanding of the historical and contemporary realities of African-descended peoples in the United States and across the diaspora. Students explore Black social movements and race politics, racial ideologies and critical race theory, and the distinctive artistic, literary, cultural practices of African peoples worldwide.
Why Minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies?
A minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies will add depth to your major and program of studies. Six of the eighteen credits in a minor in AFAM may be cross-counted towards another major or minor. Consult your advisor and course catalog before declaring/registering.
Plan Out Your Degree
Sample 4-year plan for the BA in African American and African Diaspora Studies.
Semester One
AUx1
Complex Problem
Written Communication and Information Literacy I (W1)
Quantitative Literacy I (Q1)
Habits of Mind
Semester Two
AUx2
Habits of Mind
Written Communication and Information Literacy I
Semester Three
AFAM-200 African Americans in the Diaspora
HIST-208 African-American History: to 1877 and/or LIT-225 African Literature
Habits of Mind
Semester Four
HIST-209 African-American History: 1877 to Present and/or LIT-235 African-American Literature
Habits of Mind
Semester Five
Study Abroad and/or internship
Semester Six
CRGC-360 W2
Semester Seven
Quantitative Literacy II (Q2)
Semester Eight
CRGC-460 Capstone
Announcements
Cheick Hamala Diabate
From Mali to Mississippi: The History of the Kora Playing in Africa and Beyond...
November 22, 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m. | Katzen 123
Washington may be chock-a-block with lobbyists and consultants, but only one of them rocks the n’goni. He’s hobnobbed with American string and Blues legends—from Bela Fleck to Corey Harris—and along the way reunited his beloved instrument with its long-lost grandchild, America’s banjo. “The music we griots play is not just about making nice sounds for dancing, it’s about giving a lesson to people about their lives." crgc@american.edu
Mary Ellen Curtin’s book, She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan’s Life and Legacy in Black Politics, a biography of the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in September 2024.
Denia Brielle Smith, an AFAM minor, has won the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service. Created by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and other collaborators, this scholarship combines up to $50,000 in financial aid, travel opportunities, and mentorship to support the next generation of leaders.
Mali Collins, AFAM faculty member, won a 2023 ACLS Fellowship for her book manuscript Scrap Theory: Reproductive Injustice in the Contemporary Black Feminist Imagination (Forthcoming, Ohio State University Press)
Statement in Solidarity with Anti-Racist Efforts from CRGC
The faculty of the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies join with protesters across the world to denounce police brutality and systemic anti-Black violence.
