The Mission of the Africana Studies Program is to develop a nationally recognized program in Africana Studies, one that provides the highest quality of teaching and research. The Africana Studies program also seeks to facilitate the development of an Africana community at Texas A&M University for students from all racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. We do this by
- offering a variety of courses for undergraduates in studies of the African Diaspora
- exposing students to theoretical approaches different from those traditionally found in college curricula
- regularly bringing a variety of speakers to campus to share their expertise in Africana Studies
History
The Africana Studies program at TAMU was developed by Albert Broussard, Finnie Coleman, Larry Yarak, Kimberley Brown, Larry Oliver and Dr. Patrick Muana, under the direction of the late Woodrow Jones, Jr. (Dean of Liberal Arts 1994-2001) and the first African American dean at Texas A&M University.
The program was officially launched in 2004 and administered by the following faculty:
• Alain Lawo-Sukam, Associate Professor of Hispanic and Africana Studies (2020-present).
• Michael Collins, Professor of English (Coordinator, 2017-2020)
• Violet M. Showers Johnson, Professor of History (Director, 2012-2017)
• Larry J. Oliver, Professor of English (Acting Director, 2011-2012)
• Kimberly N. Brown, Associate Professor of English (Director, 2007-2011)
• Dr. Patrick K. Muana, Assistant Professor of English (Director, 2004-2007)
Africana Studies was an independent program from 2004-2017. It became a unit under Interdisciplinary Critical Studies led by Prof. Mindy Bergman (2017-2020) and Prof. Leroy Dorsey (2020-2022) as Executive Directors. As of fall 2022, the program became part of the newly created Department of Languages and Cultures.