Events
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Sep25
55th Anniversary Symposium @ 5:00 pm - @ 1:00 pm Pyle Center 702 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706
Department Newsletter
Read interviews with alumni, learn more about student research, receive media recommendations, and more.
News
Professor Shashko recieves the L&S Academic Staff Teaching Excellence Award
Last month, Professor Alexander Shashko was awarded the L&S Academic Staff Teaching Excellence Award. Selected by the Dean of L&S, Eric Wilcots, and a selection committee, this award recognizes excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate …
Dr. Carl Grant awarded the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship
Professor Carl Grant, former Chair of the Department of African American Studies and professor of Curriculum and Instruction, has been awarded the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship. This award recognizes outstanding efforts in teaching and service. …
Dr. Clark-Pujara discusses Black Midwesterners before the Great Migration on PBS Wisconsin
This week, Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara appeared on PBS Wisconsin’s “Why Race Matters” segment in an episode on the history of Black Midwesterners before the Great Migration. “If you wanted to understand wealth gaps among African …
Introducing the first research lab in the Department of African American Studies
The SoulFolk Collective W.E.B. Du Bois famously asked the question of the Black community: “How does it feel to be a problem?” Drawing inspiration from W.E.B. Du Bois’s seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, …
Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson on marrying theory with practice
Dr. Andrene Wright-Johnson joined the Department of African American Studies as an Anna Julia Cooper Postdoctoral Fellow in the fall of 2023 after completing an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University. Now …
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Committed to bringing academic research to the broadest possible audience, the Department of African American Studies at UW–Madison believes the deepest understanding of the complex reality of race in America requires a truly interdisciplinary approach. Within and beyond the walls of the university, our studies draw on history, literature, the social sciences, and the arts.
Approved by the Board of Regents in 1970, the Department of African American Studies (formerly Afro-American Studies) is an outgrowth of the student concern for relevance in higher education which was so dramatically evidenced on many college campuses during the late 1960s. Today, the department offers a wide variety of courses leading to both undergraduate and graduate degrees and is one of the most successful programs in the country.











The Department of African American Studies’ first undergraduate and graduate lab, the SoulFolk Collective, engages in multidisciplinary research that prioritizes Black-affirming methodologies that amplify the voices, stories, and lived realities of Black communities. SoCo is committed to rigorous, disciplined study, ensuring high standards of intellectual and personal integrity while communicating our findings accessibly. This dual mission ensures that the knowledge generated is meaningful and impactful, especially for the communities they serve. Central to their research practice is thick description (Ryle, 1971)—providing rich, nuanced accounts that give color and depth to the lives, struggles, and joys of those with whom we co-create knowledge. SoCo hopes to destablize estabished racial categories, and reimagine new ways of being and connecting.
People
Our award-winning faculty and staff have a breadth of expertise in the arts, humanities, and the social sciences that make their approach to research and education dynamic.
History
The Department of African American Studies offered its first classes during the fall of 1970. Since then, the Department has educated thousands of students about the history, culture and literature of Black people in America.
Resources
Our department believes the deepest understanding of race in America requires an interdisciplinary approach to research; we collaborate closely with other departments on campus to bring students an integrative education.
Programs
We offer B.A., B.S., and M.A. programs, a Ph.D. minor, an African American Studies Certificate, and opportunities to engage in community work and public humanities research.
Courses
Our department offers courses in the interdisciplinary study of African American, African diaspora and African history, society, and culture. Learn which courses are currently being offered here.
Donate
The department expresses immense gratitude to those who support and aid fundraising efforts.

Our colleague and friend, Nina Liamba, passed away unexpectedly on April 26, 2024.
Nina was kind, quiet, and generous. She was a devoted mother, and beloved daughter and sister. Nina had a welcoming spirit and smile. Her easygoing personality and the pictures of her children in her office invited casual conversations about our lives outside of work. As the Student Affairs Program Coordinator, Nina was often the first point of contact for our students, and she went out of her way to accommodate their needs and requests. Her patience was noted by many.