African and African-American Studies
The Department of African and African-American Studies reflects the human experience where Africa meets Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and indeed the entire world. Our Department will introduce you to histories, cultures and societies in Africa and its Diasporas, with due attention to the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our degrees, with opportunities for fieldwork in Africa or the African Diaspora, encourage students to engage in independent study to maximize their academic and research potential, and prepare for careers in these geographic, cultural, and policy areas.
Get to know AAAS
Core Faculty
Professors within the department are globally recognized leaders in African & African-American Studies and their respective fields, and they effectively incorporate this groundbreaking knowledge and scholarship into their teaching practices.
Exciting Courses Lead to Discovery & Career Pathways
Through scholarship, teaching, campus/community service, and public programs, AAAS promotes critical thinking and creative problem-solving, while expanding our understanding of citizenship in a multi-racial global society.
Few courses have prerequisites, so AAAS can be an easy minor or second major!
Few courses have prerequisites, so AAAS can be an easy minor or second major!
Languages
AAAS, in collaboration with KASC, regularly offers Arabic, Kiswahili, Wolof, Yorùbá, and Haitian Creole as the featured languages of the African and African Diasporic Language program.
AAAS offers a minor and a certificate in African & African Diasporic Language as part of its degree pathways.
AAAS offers a minor and a certificate in African & African Diasporic Language as part of its degree pathways.
AAAS Course Catalog
Pursuing a major or a minor in AAAS equips you with a promising future brimming with opportunities. During your academic journey in AAAS, you will have the ability to study abroad, participate in intensive faculty research projects, conduct your own research, establish a diverse network of mentors and colleagues, and gain practical experience that will enhance your marketable skills and facilitate your successful career path.
Upcoming AAAS and AAAS Related Events
AAAS Allied Research and Resource Centers
Langston Hughes Center
The Langston Hughes Center (LHC) is an academic research and educational center that is building upon the legacy and creative and intellectual insight of African American author, poet, playwright, folklorist and social critic, Langston Hughes.
Kansas African Studies Center
As one of ten National Resource Centers for African Studies in the nation, the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC) is committed to the study and advancement of the African continent, its peoples, languages, and cultures.
Institute of Haitian Studies
The Institute of Haitian Studies (IHS) celebrates Haiti’s importance in the Americas as the first Black republic, as well as its historical, geopolitical, and cultural connections to the United States.
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Quick Links to Get Involved
- AAAS Graduate Student Ambassador
- Africana Club
- African and Caribbean Student Association
- African Drum Ensemble at KU
- Black Creatives Collective
- Black Student Union
- East African Student Organization
- Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group
- KU Black Alumni Network
- Muslim Student Association
- University of Kansas Nigerian Student Association