The African American Studies program seeks to advance critical knowledge and educate students about continental and diasporic African and African American cultures using an interdisciplinary perspective. As an academic program committed to excellence, we provide knowledge and instruction from an African-Centered perspective to help students understand the historical, cultural, political, and economic experiences of Africans and African descendants of the diaspora.

It was approved as a degree-granting program by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in 2000. At that time, UAB's program was the only one of its kind in the Southeastern United States. It remains one of only two degree-granting African American Studies programs in the state of Alabama. Its location in Alabama, which holds a significant place in American history, underscores the importance of its presence in and contribution to the university as students are exposed to the history, culture, experiences, and sociopolitical structures of Africa and the African diaspora, often for the first time.

The program offers a major and minor in African American Studies, and students may choose from one of three areas of interest:

• Global Public Health and Social Justice
• Historical Investigation and Social Awareness
• History and Culture of Afro-Caribbean and Latino People

Program faculty are committed to providing excellent undergraduate education for our majors and students who enroll in our courses. Required and elective courses are consistently offered both on campus and online. The required internship promotes service learning and community engagement.

Over the past 20 years, the African American Studies program has established itself as being committed to producing scholars and citizens who are equipped to engage the world and create positive change effectively, critically, and actively.

Graduates of the program today reflect the remarkable opportunities completing a B.A. in African American Studies can afford. Program graduates have gone on to excel in careers in many fields, including social and behavioral sciences, medicine, education, and engineering.