African American Studies component examines the historical, cultural, political, economic and social development of people of African descent. Our focus on African America is as part of the African Diaspora. It situates the specific forms of expression and resistance from people of African descent in North America in the context of a wider black world; including societies in the Caribbean, South and Central America. As a part of the Ethnic Studies department African American studies at UCR is particularly strong in comparative analysis. Students learn about African American and black diasporic history and culture in relation to those of Latino, Asian, Native American and other underrepresented populations of North America. Our focus is on social justice: on the histories of slavery, colonialism, segregation, economic exploitation and the continual forms of resistance black people have developed in the struggle for civil and human rights. As an interdisciplinary field, students are trained in the research skills needed in traditional disciplines: history, literature, politics, sociology, psychology, law, and to develop their own independent analytic abilities of investigation. The major is intended to be in-depth and comparative as well as multidisciplinary.

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