African American Studies
BA Major, Minor
The African American Studies program at Emory combines academic rigor with social responsibility to examine how African Americans have helped shape the nation. Emory's undergraduate program was the first of its kind in the Southeast, embracing Atlanta's roots as the birthplace of the civil rights movement.
You’ll learn about:
- The global African diaspora
- The challenges and achievements of African American communities across the U.S.
- And gain a deeper understanding of the cultural, historical, and political movements that inform both the present and the future.
Outcomes
African American Studies majors bring much needed social and cultural awareness to every sector of the workforce. They contribute to community development, foreign service, journalism, media relations, news analysis, politics, and multicultural consulting and serve their communities in for profit, nonprofit, and governmental sectors.
Recent graduates work at IBM, Northwestern University, New York University, Booz Allen Hamilton, Georgia State University, and the South Carolina Democratic Party.
They have also gone on to pursue advanced degrees at such prestigious institutions as University of Michigan, Georgetown University, and University of Maryland Law School.
Examples of Classes
The Civil Rights Movement
Explore the struggle for African American equality through the lens of the Civil Rights Movement’s development, successes, failures, and legacy.
Black Love
Examine contemporary notions around the powerful and controversial presence or absence of love in the lives of Black people in North America through sources ranging from religious and literary texts to neurobiological and social science studies.
Race and Racism: Myths and Realities
Research
Communications Fail
The Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project
Chelsea Jackson Political Science and African American Studies double major, on being selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in England“I want to see how race and politics play out in other countries' criminal justice systems. Having a broader perspective and more ideas to consider means I can be a better activist and propose better solutions.”