Welcome to the Department of African American Studies!

We are excited to announce the 2022-2023 Conceptual Learning concept:

The Department of African American Studies at Georgetown University provides a vital and innovative interdisciplinary course of research, study, and learning. African American Studies examines the experiences and contributions of people of the African diaspora in the United States and globally. By studying the intellectual, historical, cultural, economic, political, religious, literary, scientific, and social ideas, institutions, movements and practices of African Americans, the department provides the tools to theorize solutions to social issues rooted in longstanding and persistent racial divides. We seek to apply those theories to bridge the gap between the classroom and community, particularly the diverse communities of Washington DC and beyond. The African American studies curriculum promotes the faculty’s cultural competencies, critical faculties, and historical sensibilities and equips students for educational and career success. 

The department offers both a major and minor in African American Studies, and encourages students to engage in advanced level research projects away from Georgetown University. African American Studies’ fundamental investment in theory and practice also supports Georgetown’s ongoing process of imagining the future of the university. Many colleges and universities established African American Studies majors in the late-twentieth century. Today, African American Studies still offers important insights into the future of university education because the organization of the inter-discipline trains and requires students to integrate knowledge from different fields of study in order to solve problems. The integrative aspect of the inter-discipline teaches students how to apply what they know in unfamiliar contexts. In addition, African American Studies has always drawn from the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. The incorporation of the arts alongside the humanities and sciences prepares students to think imaginatively and innovatively as well as critically, qualitatively, and quantitatively.