What is African Studies?

The Department of African Studies was established to offer the masters of arts degree in 1953. In 1969, the unit was placed in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. offering both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in African Studies. Howard University was the first university in the United States to offer a Ph.D. in African Studies. In 1988, the Howard University Board of Trustees approved the recommendation of the African Studies with both graduate and undergraduate programs. Since 1991 both programs have been fully functioning as components of the Department of African Studies at Howard University...The Department decided that the best approach to the study of the African continent can be better accomplished by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. Indeed, such an approach also requires a specialized knowledge of the history, culture, and other aspects of life on the continent. As for its students, the Department emphasizes overseas training and experiences, particularly at the Ph.D level, and doctoral dissertation based on field research or the use of primary sources. [taken from http://www.founders.howard.edu/african/]

Until recently, the African Studies Undergraduate Program at HU was the only African Studies Undergraduate Program in the United States. Recently, there have been major attempts to develop African Studies at Historically White Institutions, though most have a deep admiration for the program at Howard. Many students who both major and minor in African Studies believe that the department surpasses its intended goals. Though we focus primarily on colonial and post-colonial Africa, in order to have a better understanding of contemporary Africa, we are forced to do research and studies on pre-colonial Africa and also the African Diaspora.

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Department of African Studies