African American Studies

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Program Director
Justin Williams, Ph.D.
williaj47@udmercy.edu
313-993-1099

Minor - African American Studies

Credit Hours: 18

African American Studies at University of Detroit Mercy is a multidisciplinary minor that promotes the understanding of the African-American experience through scholarship, service learning and cultural events. Students taking the African American Studies minor come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, but they share an interest in their own and others’ cultures and see themselves as leaders in a multicultural society.

Students who earn a minor in African American Studies have a richer understanding of African and African-American culture and a keener appreciation of the relationship between race, diversity and society. Students from every college, major and professional school at University of Detroit Mercy can benefit from and contribute to the African American Studies minor.

Through our partnerships within and outside of the University, students have the opportunity to work with faculty from a broad range of disciplines, attend academic and cultural events sponsored by the African American Studies Program, perform community service and internships within Detroit and the surrounding area and pursue international exchange through the Study Abroad Program.

Essence of the Minor

The African American Studies minor provides students with an academic understanding of and concern for the dignity and rich heritage of the African-American experience. Students in this 18-credit minor examine race, culture, and identity through urban, regional, national, and global perspectives. Multidisciplinary methods of inquiry and scholarly research in historical and contemporary theories of race will expose students to the history and culture of Africans, African Americans and Africans in the diaspora.

Curriculum & Course Information ▶

Career Pathways

Students with an African American Studies minor may apply their knowledge to a wide variety of fields including politics and public policy, medicine and public health, law, media, the arts, education and social services. They are activists in their community and the voice of diversity in the workplace.

Stevie Jones
Stevie Jones '17,
history major, African American studies minor

Production Assistant, "FRONTLINE," PBS 

"I’d have to say the Civil Rights Movement travel course is the fondest memory of my education. It’s an experience I still cherish to this day."

Jewuel Boswell
Jewuel Boswell '17,
African American Studies minor

"I decided to minor in African-American studies because I enjoyed the way that my professor taught his classes. As I began to take more classes in the program, I knew what had been missing from my collegiate experience, and I found it in this dynamic program. I believe that I have truly found my niche."


Program Director

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Justin Williams
Associate Professor of History
Director of the African American Studies Program
313-993-1099
williaj47@udmercy.edu

Affiliated Faculty

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Sharde' Chapman
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
313-993-2007
chapmasn@udmercy.edu

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Ann Eskridge
Senior Adjunct Instructor
eskridae@udmercy.edu

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Stephen Pasqualina
Assistant Professor of English
Co-Director, University Honors Program
313-993-2008
pasquasg@udmercy.edu

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Gail Presbey
Professor of Philosophy
Director of the Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive
313-993-1124
presbegm@udmercy.edu


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