The Program in African and African American Studies (AAAS), established in 1968, was the first ethnic studies program developed at Stanford University and the first African and African American Studies program at a private institution in the U.S. The AAAS program provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of peoples of African descent as a central component of American culture, offeri
ng a course of study that promotes research across disciplinary and departmental boundaries as well as providing research training and community service learning opportunities for undergraduates. It has developed an extensive network of Stanford scholars who work in race studies specific to AAAS and in concert with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. AAAS encourages an interdisciplinary program of study drawn from fields including anthropology, art, art history, economics,education, drama, history, languages, linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology. The program emphasizes rigorous and creative scholarship and research, and fosters close academic advising with a faculty adviser, the AAAS Associate Director, and the Director.
