Department ofAfrican American Studies

An interdisciplinary department, our faculty are trained in anthropology, education, English, history, philosophy, sociology and other disciplines spanning the humanities, behavioral health, and the social sciences. Course work in African American Studies provides students with the analytical and theoretical tools to understand how structures of racial difference and inequality create and work through the performance of gender and sexual identities, race, nation, ethnicity and class. Our research and teaching encompasses language and literature, history, religion and spirituality, critical race theory, popular culture, sports and the arts, politics, Black radicalism, health and medicine, education, the environment.

People

Department Head

Professor of Art Education, African American Studies, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Faculty

Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies
Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies
Brown-McCourtney Career Development Professorship
(814) 863-7660
Assistant Professor of African American Studies, History, and English
Assistant Professor of History, African American Studies, and African Studies
(814) 865-8719
Paterno Family Professor of American Literature and Professor of African American Studies and History
Visiting Associate Professor of African American Studies
Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and African American Studies
Director of Graduate Studies
(814) 865-9123
Professor of African American Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Interim Associate Vice Provost for Educational Equity
Senior Faculty Mentor, Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Assistant Professor of African American Studies
Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts
Professor of African American Studies
Professor of African American Studies and History
(814) 865-7114
Associate Professor of English and African American Studies
(814) 863-9584
Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African American Studies
(814) 865-5888
Associate Professor of African American Studies
(814) 863-2427
Associate Professor of Public Policy and African American Studies
(814) 865-5672
Assistant Professor of African American Studies, History, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
(814) 865-5005
Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies
(814) 865-6873

Emeritus Professors

Liberal Arts Research Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies
(814) 865-1618
Professor of African American Studies and African American History
Professor of African American Studies and Modern U.S. History

Affiliate Faculty

Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies
(814) 865-6398
Professor of Art Education and African American Studies
(814) 863-7314
Harold and Inge Marcus Industrial and Manufacturing Career Development Associate Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, of Computer Science and Engineering, and of African American Studies
Director of THiCC Lab
Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, English, and African American Studies
(814) 865-1676
Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, African Studies, and African American Studies
Melvin and Rosalind Jacobs Endowed Fellow in the Humanities
Associate Professor Education (Counselor Education) and African American Studies
Professor of Geography and African American Studies
Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute
(814) 865-3433
Professor of Biobehavioral Health and African American Studies
(814) 863-8184
Professor of Education (LLED), African American Studies, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
(814) 867-2734
Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and African American Studies
(814) 865-1985

Staff

Administrative Support Coordinator
Administrative Coordinator
Administrative Assistant
Student Services Assistant
Events coordinator

Graduate Students

Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - Communication Arts and Sciences and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Dual PhD candidate in English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - Art Education and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - Political Science and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Dual-title PhD candidate in History and African American Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate- History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Recent Graduates

Graduating Class: December 2015
Major: Economics
Minor: African American Studies
Graduating Class: December 2016
Major: Health Policy and Administration
Minor: African American Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Majors: Criminology and African American Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Major: Advertising and Public Relations with a concentration in Advertising
Minor: African American Studies
Ph.D. English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2017
Major: Legal Studies, Government Service, Public Policy Option
Minor: African American Studies
Graduating Class: May 2017
Major: Business Management with a focus in Human Resources
Minor: African American Studies
Graduating Class: May 2017
Majors: African American Studies, English, Philosophy, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Ph.D. – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Major: African American Studies, Asian Studies, Comparative Literature, Global and International Studies
Minor: English, Korean
Ph.D. – History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate-Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: December 2015
Major: African American Studies
Minor: Communications Art and Sciences
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. – Art Education and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May, 2016
Major: African American Studies
Minor: Sociology
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Minor: African American Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Major: Public Relations
Minor: African American Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D.– English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Major: Secondary Social Studies Education
Minors: African American Studies, History
Graduating Class: May 2017
Majors: Broadcast Journalism
Minors: African American Studies, Business L.A.
Ph.D. Candidate - English and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Majors: Art History, Global and International Studies, and History
Minors: African American Studies, Latin American Studies
Ph.D. Student – History and African American and Diaspora Studies
Graduating Class: May 2016
Majors: African American Studies and Criminology
Minor: Sociology
Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies
Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Academic Advisor

Undergraduate Advisor for African American Studies
(814) 865-5588