Overview

This is done using an interdisciplinary approach whereby students engage in critical thinking across the spectrum of various disciplines such as:

• history,

• literature,

• music,

• psychology,

• environmental studies,

• women’s studies,

• peace and social justice etc.

A major component of our mission is to teach and encourage students how to critique the world from the perspective and world view of Africana (“Black”) peoples. This allows for greater clarity in properly assessing the impact Africana peoples have had upon countless aspects of the collective human experience.

The African and African American Studies program of Berea College teaches students how to:

• identify, study, and clarify African contributions to human history;

• analyze and describe/express the various conditions that have impacted upon and influenced both the individual and collective development of African peoples; and

• identify solutions as well as actions, which free all peoples from any socialized notions of inherent inferiority predicated on the basis of their African ancestry.

Why Study African and African American Studies?

African and African American Studies is multidisciplinary. It focuses globally on:

• the life,

• culture and

• social organization of persons of African descent in Africa, North America, Latin America, Caribbean, etc.

Thus, anywhere peoples of the African Diaspora find themselves. Courses in African and African American Studies will engage students as they seek to learn about society in general and the experiences of the African Diaspora in particular.