“Lawrence has a wonderful hill in it, with a university on top and the first time I ran away from home, I ran up the hill and looked across the world: Kansas wheat fields and the Kaw River, and I wanted to go some place, too. I got a whipping for it.”

— Langston Hughes

from unpublished notes for his autobiography,
The Big Sea, c. 1940. (Courtesy of Jake Dorman)

Our department will introduce you to African and African-American histories, cultures and societies in general. Although Africa and Afro-America are the major areas of study, due attention is paid to the Caribbean and Latin America. Our interdisciplinary degrees, with an opportunity for fieldwork in Africa or in the African Diaspora, also encourage students to engage in independent study to maximize their academic and research potential.

In addition to academic interests, our program will prove useful for professionals whose careers take them to these geographic and cultural areas.

For student scholarships, faculty research, lecture series, teaching awards, service awards, and overall improvement, the Department encourages and welcomes donations. Please, use this link to donate to the African & African-American Studies Department.

 

 


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.