About
We study the cultures of Africa and its diaspora from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Our course offerings focus on African societies as well as on African-descended communities of the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, and other African diaspora communities around the world. The faculty of African American and African Studies are all specialists of Africana scholarship but trained in a variety of fields, among these literature, history, sociology, political studies, and anthropology. Our courses are mostly interdisciplinary and designed to integrate scholarship on race, gender, and class. Several of our courses are cross-listed with other units. We offer courses that fulfill the general education requirement as well as the intensive writing requirement.
How You Will Learn
Geared towards both the scholarly and the working world, we aim to produce graduates who are ready for advanced graduate study in the humanities or social sciences. We also aim to produce professionals who can work in a variety of fields that require an understanding of the history and cultures of African and African-descended peoples. This major can be used in a broad array of fields, including education; law; health professions; marketing; journalism; and the arts. We encourage our majors to pursue internships, where they can apply their scholarly knowledge to a particular career. Flexibility is a key characteristic of our program.
Declare a major or minor in African American & African Studies
Programs
Congratulations Class of 2021!
Our heartfelt congratulations to the very special class of 2021! Help us celebrate their achievements by following us on social media and posting your own message of congratulations.
John Keene
Welcome to the Department of African American and African Studies at Rutgers University-Newark.
Our department, which was founded in 1970 as a result of student activism, is one of the oldest departments of African American and African Studies in the nation. We are committed to cultivating and bringing together a diverse community of students, scholars and artists interested in better understanding the experiences and contributions of people of African descent throughout the world.
John Keene
Chair, Department of African American and African Studies
Course Spotlight
Special Topics: Black Religions with Prof. Wendell Marsh
Taking a comparative religions approach, this writing-intensive course explores diverse African and African Diasporic religious expressions.
Course Spotlight
Racism and US Government w/Prof. Jones
This course investigates how the United States government has created and maintained our racial world.
Syllabus Archive
Review our course syllabi
If you're trying to decide which course is best for you, check out the syllabi already on our website.
Alumni Spotlight
Donita Judge
"I am blessed to have had professors at Rutgers-Newark who believed in and supported me, and to have had the chance to work with communities across the country as a civil rights lawyer on important issues that I’m passionate about"
Contact
175 University Avenue
323 Conklin Hall
Newark, NJ 07102
United States
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Faculty
Salamishah Tillet
Henry Rutgers Professor of African American Studies & Creative Writing; Director of Express Newark
Bernie Lombardi
Postdoctoral Associate
Melissa M. Valle, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Belinda Edmondson
Distinguished Professor and Chair of English