Department of African American and Africana Studies, University of Maryland

The Department of African American and Africana Studies (AAAS) in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland, College Park is recruiting a tenure-track Assistant Professor. The department is seeking to strengthen its capacity in political economy, racial wealth gap, and economic history. Candidates with interest in comparative/global/diaspora scholarship are particularly welcome. Apply at https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/120618.

Link in our bio.

Sign up for AASP479A - Special Research in African-American Studies; Advanced Field Research in African American Politics taught by Reginald Pulley and Dr. Periloux Peay.

This course is designed to guide students through the process of conducting advanced research on political and societal phenomena that impact the Black community. Students will receive hands-on experience conducting field experiments, deploying in-person and virtual surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups, and analyzing data.

Meets July 8, 2024 - August 16, 2024
Class time/details on ELMS
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Sign up for AASP498E - Special Topics in Black Culture; A Critical Understanding of Hip Hop Culture and its Impact on Society taught by Solomon Comissiong.

A critical exploration of Hip Hop and how it transcends race, socioeconomic background, culture, and gender.

Meets July 8, 2024 - August 16, 2024
Class time/details on ELMS
Register now in Testudo!

Sign up for AASP498R - Special Topics in Black Culture; Race and Sports taught by Tasha Harris!

This course delves into the multifaceted relationship between race, sport, and gender, exploring the historical and contemporary dynamics of race and sport. Students will examine how race and gender intersect with sport, challenging social norms and shaping political movements. Through the lens of critical race theory, we will analyze the role of athletes in addressing issues such as race, oppression, advocating for social justice, and politics. Topics include social justice movements in sports, the historical impact of race on sports, the impact of Name, Image & Likeness on Black student-athletes, and real-life stories of collegiate and professional athletes, illustrating the cultural agency of Black athletes amidst ongoing racial oppression in sports. The course integrates Critical Race Theory and Critical Sports Studies to deepen understanding of race, gender, sports, and social activism.

Meets July 8, 2024 - August 16, 2024
Class time/details on ELMS
Register now in Testudo!

Sign up for AASP498Z - Special Topics in Black Culture; Black Women in Popular Culture: From the Blues to Beyonce taught by Renina Jarmon!

Black women are often hidden figures in American culture. However, from rap and pop music to films and novels, Black womens creative contributions to popular culture has been immense. To understand Black women's cultural contributions is to understand American history because Black women's history is American history. This course uses films such as Lemonade and Eves Bayou, and music by Billie Holiday and Sexyy Redd to explore how Black women have created their own identities and cultural forms while also reshaping the landscape of American popular culture. This class will discuss Black Identity, Black love, Black intergenerational trauma and healing, cultural appropriation, feminism, the Black family, respectability politics, colorism, as well as race and social media discourse.

Meets July 8, 2024 - August 16, 2024
Class time/details on ELMS
Register now in Testudo!

Congratulations to all our graduating students!

Happy Monday! AAAS is continuing with our highlighting of graduating seniors in the department; today, we celebrate Madeleine Oum-Ray. Madeleine is an AAAS major with a concentration in public policy. She plans on continuing in higher education after commencement, either attending graduate school for nursing or public health. Congratulations from all of us in AAAS, Madeleine!

Throughout the month of May, AAAS will be highlighting our graduating seniors! Chaviva Nicholas is a CCJS/AAAS double major, whose research specifically focuses on capital punishment and race within the criminal justice system. After graduating, she plans on attending law school with a focus in criminal law. Congratulations from all of us in AAAS, Chaviva!

AASP498Z: Black Women in Popular Culture; from the Blues to Beyonce, is an online course that will be available during the Summer II Session, from July 8 to August 16. The course, taught by Renina Jarmon, a doctoral student at the university, is an exploration of Black women's roles in shaping American media and history through entertainment and activism.

As always, students can enroll in this elective course through the advising appointment link in our linktree. Summer Session II registration opened February 20th and closes on July 11th.

Continuing on our AAAS Summer 2024 Elective Highlight, AASP 498E, or Special Topics in Black Culture; A critical Understanding of Hip Hop Culture and its Impact on Society, will be available for sign up on session I, which is from May 28th until July 5th. The course is an online class with the goal of exploring the sociocultural impact of Hip Hop, as well as how Black history can be understood through the medium. The class is being taught by Solomon Comissiong of the Nyumburu Cultural Center.

If this course seems interesting to you, schedule an advising appointment with the link in our Linktree! Registration for Session I courses opened February 20th, and closes on May 31st.

This week, AAAS will be highlighting electives available to take during the 2024 Summer session (which spans from May 28th to August 16th, and includes both 3 and 6 week long classes). AASP 498R, or Special Topics in Black Culture: Race and Sports, is a sociological examination of race and gender's intersectional roles in the sports world throughout history. The course will be available to take during session II of the Summer semester, which runs from July 8th to August 16th, and it is taught by Tasha Harris, who currently serves as the Assistant Director and Academic Counselor for UMD's Men's Basketball Team. Harris is currently pursuing her PhD in special education.

If this course seems interesting to you, schedule an advising appointment with the link in our Linktree! Registration for Session II courses opened February 20th, and close on July 11th.

Early Registration for AAAS majors is open! Mandatory advising is required for AAAS majors but is optional (and available) for minors and those enrolled in certificate programs. For non-urgent requests please allow 48-72 hours for a response. A listing of Approved Courses for all major tracks, thematic areas, and certificate and minor programs is in progress and will be posted to the AAAS course page and emailed to AAAS students as soon as possible. To sign up for an advising session with Marshal Washington, please visit the link in our Linktree.

Join us on Thursday, May 2 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union's Grand Ballroom for the second BSOS Research Showcase. It will focus on race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, immigration status, and more.

Two faculty in our department, Dr. Chinyere Osuji and Dr. Joseph Richardson, will be presenting at this event!

We hope to see you there! ☺️

The Department of African American and Africana Studies is proud to congratulate our very own Marshal Washington, who is BSOS's 2024 recipient of the Outstanding Staff: Service to Students Award! Of the winners, BSOS said Dean Susan Rivera says, "Our entire community is proud of these outstanding faculty and staff members. They are generous with their time, talents and expertise, and our college is truly grateful for their service and guidance." Congratulations, Marshal, and thank you for all you do!

The department has scholarships which are available for the 2024-2025 school year. All AAAS students pursuing majors, minors, or certificates are eligible; if you are a department-affiliated non-major/minor, you may be eligible if nominated by a faculty member. Applications are due by April 30th, so apply for them using the link in our bio today!

Are you considering medical school and are currently an AAAS student? Attend this virtual session to learn from a AAAS '20 alum! Al-Hafis Adegun is a rising fourth-year medical student at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In 2020, he received a Bachelor of Arts in African American studies from the UMD with departmental honors. He will be leading an informal Chat to share why he decided to pursue medical school, his undergraduate experience and lots more!

Please join us on Wednesday, April 10th from 12:30pm - 2:00pm for our upcoming Brown Bag - "African Soldiers in French Wars: 1939 – 2003" Presented By Dr. George Kintiba. This lecture will occur both in-person and over zoom. You can registered at http://go.umd.edu/BrownBag-Kintiba24.

Please join us on Wednesday, March 27th from 12:30pm - 2:00pm for our upcoming Brown Bag - To and Fro Jim Crow: A modern family narrative of race, education, identity, and freedom in the United States by Dr. Robert Graham. This study seeks to add complexity to the African American story so that we might continue to craft a peaceful, free, culture-sustaining way forward. Dr. Graham’s lecture will occur both in-person and over zoom.

It’s ! 🎉

We hope you consider donating to the Friends of African American Studies Funds! Please donate at https://go.umd.edu/aaasgd24

Join us this Thursday for a session in the John B. Slaughter Endowment Lecture Series on Thursday, March 7th from 3:30pm - 5:00pm. Dr. Imani Owens is an Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University. She will be presenting her book, "Turn the World Upside Down." The lecture will take place in Shoemaker Building, Room 2102.

AAAS’s Dr. Joseph Richardson, MPower Professor of African American Studies, will be co-hosting the first inaugural PROGRESS distinguished speaker series. From 1-2:30 pm on March 6, Dr. Barrie and Dr. Hitchens will be giving speeches on topics related to firearm violence reduction and policy, community, and research-based solutions. To register for the virtual event, please follow the link provided in image 3.

It is the last day of Black History Month! We had an amazing month highlighting lesser-known films and books that people haven't heard about but should. We hope that we inspired you to read and watch! To end things off, our last feature of the month is the 2018 Dark Comedy Film- Sorry to Brother You. The film follows Cassius Green, a telemarketer, who gains financial success after discovering a magical key. While he is moving up at his job, his friends are unionizing against the company. The film explores many themes, such as classism, racism, unionizing, and capitalism using humor.

Moonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkin, is a 2016 film drama that follows Chiron's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Chiron, also known as the nickname Little as a child, was brought up in drug-infested Miami, Florida. The film follows many themes, such as Black masculinity, poverty, sexuality, drug abuse, and community. This film won the 2017 Academy Award Winner.

To Sleep with Anger is a 1990 black comedy film written and directed by Charles Burnett, who has been called by the New York Times "the nation's least-known great filmmaker and most gifted Black director." The film stars Danny Glover as Harry, a longtime friend of married couple Gideon and Suzie, who visits the couple, causing issues between their children and their marriage. The film was recognized by the Library of Congress in 2017 and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It is available for purchase on Youtube and Apple TV.

It's the last week of Black History Month, and to kick things off, we're featuring The Watermelon Woman, a romantic comedy-drama film released in 1996. The film was written and directed by Cheryl Dunye. She also stars in the film as the protagonist Cheryl, a 25 year old Black le***an completing a documentary in which she seeks to uncover the identity of a 1930s African American movie star, credited in a film only as "the watermelon woman." In the process, Cheryl discovers her own identity. The film was recognized by the Library of Congress in 2021 and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It is available for streaming on Youtube, Apple TV, and through a Prime subscription.

Stir Crazy is a 1980s comedy film, directed by Sidney Poitier, an Afro-Bahamin-American, about two friends who get framed for a bank robbery. This film was a huge success. It was the first comedy by a Black director to gross more than $100 million at American and Canadian box offices.

Source: The New York Times (Links can be found on our website)

Killer of Sheep was written, produced, and directed by Charles Burnett as a thesis for his Masters of Fine Arts. It is about a man named Stan who works at a slaughterhouse, and how his job affects his well-being and life outside of work. While it is through Stan's point of view, that film also depicts the Black and low-income community in Los Angeles.

Cotton Comes to Harlem is a neo-noir, action-comedy film released in 1970. Based on Chester Himes's novel of the same name, the film is regarded by some as the first of the blaxploitation films that grew in popularity in the decade, with themes like self-determination highlighting the Black Power movement's influences on literature and art. The film is available to stream on a variety of platforms, including Prime and Apple TV, and the novel is available through the University of Maryland's library system.

Sankofa is a 1993 international film from filmmaking-couple Haile and Shirikana Germina. The critically-acclaimed feature follows Mona, an African American model, as she reconnects with her ancestry. Mona spends the film living as Shola, one of her African ancestors who was enslaved on Lafayette Plantation in the Southern United States. Emphasis is placed on identity, rediscovery, religious and cultural influence, and transformation. The Germinas continue to produce films, as well as share stories and art made by and about Black identity through their book/video store and cafe, also named Sankofa, which has been open in DC since 1998. The film is available to stream on Netflix.

The Department of American Studies (co-sponsored by AAAS and many other amazing departments) at the University of Maryland, College Park is delighted to announce the 2024 Savneet Talwar Lecture, "FULL: A Conversation on Black Girlhood, Fatness, Beauty and Becoming" featuring Dr. Mecca Jamilah Sullivan of Georgetown University and Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson of the University of Maryland.

The event will take place on Thursday, February 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ulrich Recital Hall in Tawes Hall. All are welcome. Learn more here: https://english.umd.edu/events/full-conversation-black-girlhood-fatness-beauty-and-becoming