African American Studies

African American Studies is an academic discipline that examines the experiences of people of African descent in the United States. The field encompasses a wide range of topics, including history, politics, sociology, and culture. African American Studies scholars often focus on the ways in which Black people have resisted oppression and fought for social change.

African American Studies programs began to emerge in the late 1960s, as Black scholars and students demanded that colleges and universities offer courses that would focus specifically on the Black experience in America. Today, African American Studies is offered at many colleges and universities across the country, and its scholars contribute to our understanding of the African American experience in a variety of ways.