USC African American Studies Program

USC African American Studies Program African American Studies Department at University of South Carolina Much has changed in the world since 1971.

The interdisciplinary program in African American Studies at USC was established in 1971 to broaden the University's curricular offerings to include analysis of the many aspects of the African American experience, including social, political, religious, artistic, intellectual, and historical. The intervening decades have brought a massive and still-growing body of new scholarship on the life and c

ulture of peoples of African descent in the western world. Increasing public interest in the African American experience has spurred radical changes in popular culture and American society. Greater awareness of black intellectual traditions has enriched current studies. More extensive access to scholarship across the African Diaspora has reconfigured the possibilities for all black scholars. These changes are evident in increased student demand for courses about African American and African Diaspora life and meaning. Today, students of diverse ethnic backgrounds are attracted to the study of another aspect of the American experience. Most often, better-prepared students are those who have knowledge of African American cultures, which enhances job opportunities in the corporate world, the public service arena, and public school education.

It’s not too late to enroll in an AFAM summer course📚📓📖📔
05/11/2026

It’s not too late to enroll in an AFAM summer course📚📓📖📔

The African American Studies Department's first Sankofa Symposium was held on Saturday. "Reflecting Upon One Hundred Yea...
04/13/2026

The African American Studies Department's first Sankofa Symposium was held on Saturday. "Reflecting Upon One Hundred Years of Black Studies Toward Strategies of Renewal and Resistance." AFAM faculty shared their research that focused on the symposium theme through various formats. Bravo AFAM Bravo❗️ Looking forward to next years.

“Before Bondage” panel discussion Tuesday evening was phenomenal. Dr. Melanie Holmes asked the questions to WIS News 10 ...
04/02/2026

“Before Bondage” panel discussion Tuesday evening was phenomenal. Dr. Melanie Holmes asked the questions to WIS News 10 anchors Intisar Faulkner and Billie Jean Shaw. The panel was inspired by their February documentary (that needs to be viewed throughout the year). Michael Allen, Dr. Todd Shaw, and Dr. Kendall Deas added to the panel to discuss the history and culture based around Gullah Geechee culture of South Carolina. Bravo‼️

04/01/2026
Dr. Nancy Tolson enjoyed talking with artist David McGee and curator, Katia Zavistovski on 'Take on the South' podcast. ...
03/10/2026

Dr. Nancy Tolson enjoyed talking with artist David McGee and curator, Katia Zavistovski on 'Take on the South' podcast. The talk was on McGee's upcoming exhibit "The Griot and the Nightingale" which opens March 14th at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

On this special episode, Dr. Nancy Tolson sits down with Houston-based artist David McGee and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Curator Katia Zavistovski as they...

03/07/2026

You Can With AFAM‼️ A day with AFAM major Pagelyn Smalls 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The morning of the breakfast to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was pretty cold outside but inside the Russell House Ba...
01/19/2026

The morning of the breakfast to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was pretty cold outside but inside the Russell House Ballroom the radiance of warmth and wisdom that came from the speaker, Dr. Sarah Lewis as well as the award recipients filled our hearts and minds. Congratulations Shalaia Myers for receiving the Undergraduate Student‼️

Congratulations to Dr. Franklin Gause, a distinguished AFAM major, on receiving his Ph.D. in Educational Foundations fro...
12/16/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Franklin Gause, a distinguished AFAM major, on receiving his Ph.D. in Educational Foundations from USC. Dr. Gause holds positions as faculty member, Site Coordinator, and Program Director of the Call Me MiSTER Program in the Teacher Education Department at Coastal Carolina University. You truly can with AFAM‼️

12/14/2025

Shalaia Myers received her AFAM graduation cords today. Congratulations again Shalaia may you continue to soar❤️🖤💚

12/12/2025

Dr. Todd Shaw and I bumped into Shalaia Myers, AFAM’s second December graduate this year. We thought it was a great time to publicly congratulate her. Soar, Shalaia, Soar✈️

12/09/2025

Congratulations to USC African American Studies Program professor Deena A. Isom.

She recently won two academic book awards from the American Society of Criminology and the Mid-South Sociological Association. They honored her recent book, "Gratuitous Angst in White America," which provides a novel perspective of race and the criminal justice system.

Learn more about her work: https://bit.ly/3Y676q7

Address

817 Henderson Street
Columbia, SC
29201

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+18037777248

Website

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