African and African American Studies
Division VI Chair: M. Mendel-Reyes
Program Chair: Andrew Baskin
Faculty: A. Baskin, L. Leek, J. Pimienta-Bey, and A. Turley
https://www.berea.edu/afr/
The major in African and African American Studies provides students with an academically holistic understanding of the cultural contributions and historical struggles of peoples of predominantly African descent within U.S., Western, and World History. The interdisciplinary approach of African and African American Studies provides students with the opportunities to engage in critical thinking across the spectrum of various disciplines—history, literature, music, psychology, political science, economics, sociology, and women’s and gender studies. Students majoring in African and African American Studies are encouraged to critique the world from the perspectives and world views of Africana (“Black”) peoples, thereby learning to better evaluate the impact Africana peoples have had upon countless aspects of the human experience.
The African and African American Studies major teaches students how to:
- identify, study, and clarify contributions of African peoples to human history;
- analyze and describe/express the various conditions that have impacted and influenced both the individual and collective development of African peoples; and
- identify solutions, as well as actions, which free all peoples from any socialized notions of inherent inferiority predicated on the basis of their African ancestry.
Note that offerings for cross-listed courses should be checked against the cross-listed program’s offerings.