African Studies Center

Administration

  • Timothy Longman Director
  • James McCann Associate Director for Development
  • Peter Quella Assistant Director

Website

/africa/

The African Studies Center offers an interdisciplinary African studies minor, as well as a minor in African languages and literature. The center is a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center and as such regularly teaches six African languages that fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences language requirement. Fellowships with stipends are also available to undergraduate students who study an African language beyond the first year. The center also coordinates graduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, and encourages research and teaching on Africa. The center’s offices, classrooms, and facilities for lectures and conferences are on the fifth and fourth floors of 232 Bay State Road. They are available to student groups with interest in Africa. Films and symposia are sponsored throughout the year, as are lectures by distinguished visiting scholars, journalists, faculty, and policymakers. Workshops are held on various development-related topics and in the African humanities. The center publishes a historical journal, working papers, and occasional volumes in its African Studies Series, and it contributes to the support of the extensive research collection of the African Studies Library, which occupies the sixth floor of Mugar Memorial Library. The center’s Outreach Program maintains the Teaching Africa Library, a collection of books, realia, films, music, and other materials for loan to Boston-area educators, and sponsors workshops for Africa-related curriculum development.

Advising

Students interested in pursuing a minor are encouraged to make an advising appointment with the center’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Study Abroad

Study Abroad opportunities on the African continent are expanding at BU through the efforts of the African Studies Center and the Study Abroad Office. Currently, two programs are available for students in Rabat, Morocco, to improve their Arabic language skills and knowledge of North African culture. Other summer and semester programs are being developed. Visit the African Studies Center or the Study Abroad Office for more information.