Discover African American Studies

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Read article: Candice Jenkins, professor and head of African American Studies selected as fellow for The Big Ten Academic Alliance
Candice Jenkins, professor and head of African American Studies selected as fellow for The Big Ten Academic Alliance
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Big Ten Academic Alliance recently announced the 2024-25 fellows for its Academic Leadership Program and...
Read article: Professor emeritus of African American studies donates papers to Archives
Professor emeritus of African American studies donates papers to Archives
The faculty and personal papers of Gerald McWorter, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor emeritus of African American studies and of information sciences, show the arc of a freedom narrative, from his ancestors’ founding of New Philadelphia, Illinois — the first U.S....
Read article: Congratulations Dr. Bobby J Smith II for being promoted to associate professor
Congratulations Dr. Bobby J Smith II for being promoted to associate professor
We here at the department of African American Studies are proud to relay that professor Bobby Smith has moved up the ranks from professor to associate professor!  Please click on the link to see the acknowledgement from the College of LAS.
Dr. Bobby Smith II

Professor Bobby Smith named as a Helen Corley Petit scholar

The College of LAS has honored 15 professors with named scholar and professorship positions in recognition of their contributions to research and education at the University of Illinois.

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Dr. Irvin Hunt

Professor Irvin Hunt named as a Conrad Humanities scholar

Six professors from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been named Conrad Humanities Scholars and Clayton and Thelma Kirkpatrick Professors.

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Dr. John Meyers

The University News Bureau recognizes Professor John Meyers for his new book "Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music"

In his new book, “Same Old Song: The Enduring Past in Popular Music,” John Paul Meyers, an ethnomusicologist and a professor of African American studies, looks at what he calls “historical consciousness in popular music” — a sense in popular music culture that the past is worth remembering, celebrating and replaying.

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AFRO Spring '24 Awards Ceremony

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Last spring, the department of African American Studies hosted its annual awards celebration. The department honored its graduating majors and minors; awarded the Diane Pinderhughes Graduate Research Travel prize; and recognized faculty excellence in research, teaching, and engagement. 

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Fall '24 Open House

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The department of African American Studies hosted it's annual fall Open House where we welcomed AFRO's major and minor students to the new academic year, as well as engaged in good food and conversation.

Thank you to all that came out!

Slave labor

AFRO 101: Black America, 1619-Present

Sociohistorical survey of African American experiences from the West African background to North America, from the 17th century to the present.

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Man playing saxophone

AFRO 132: African American Music

Survey of African American music, from its origins to the present with a focus on understanding details of musical performance and the ways in which music interacts with its social and political context. Examines genres such as spirituals, the blues, jazz, R&B, soul, and hip-hop.

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Colorful records

AFRO 228: Hip Hop Music: History and Culture

A study of hip-hop from its beginnings in the post-industrial South Bronx of the 1970s to the global present. By focusing on the work of specific artists and movements, we will compare and contrast the production and consumption of hip-hop with other forms of popular music (including jazz, rock, disco, and pop).

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Freedom protest

AFRO 276: African American History Since 1877

This course surveys the African American sociohistorical experience from 1877 to the present. This course examines the interaction between African American's community-building efforts and post-slavery systems of anti-black racial oppression.

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Angela Davis

AFRO 415: Africana Feminisms

Explores readings and research from the perspective of feminists throughout the African diaspora, with a focus on Black feminist thought emanating from the United States.

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Bible study

AFRO 495: Spec Topics African American Studies

Food, Clothing, and Buildings: Everyday Religion in the United States This course examines religion as a lived experience beyond places of worship. Turning our attention to material and sensory culture, this course takes up “lived religion” as a theoretical approach toward interpreting religious worlds.

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Fist

AFRO 597: Problems in African-American Studies

This course examines the multiple streams, sites, and positionalities of contestation, rethinking, and renewed knowledge production that have contributed to the theory, methodology, praxis, politics, and poetics associated with the “decolonizing generations.”

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Writing seminar

AFRO 495: Senior Thesis Seminar

This course is designed for senior-level African American Studies Majors and Minors who have completed the required prerequisites. The course provides an opportunity for students to integrate substantive knowledge, theoretical perspectives, and research approaches learned in the various courses. During the semester, students will complete a final thesis project that thoroughly examines a significant topic in the study of African Americans.

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Alumni Queen Reese-Class of 2022

Alumni Spotlight: Queen Reese, Class of 2022

Why African American Studies (AFRO)? In high school I felt I had a lack of knowledge pertaining my own history as I identify as African American, I also found that I enjoyed many of the Afro classes because I found a passion for researching about lack of health benefits for specifically for the African American community. This is why I choose to major in African American studies.    How has being an AFRO major or minor benefited you? Are you working in your field? I have learned so much about myself and my community in my classes. I have learned...

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