AFAM Studies alum Zawdie Sandvliet creates new Black Studies course at University of Amsterdam

Zawdie Sandvliet (GRS ’10), an AFAM Studies Master’s Graduate, has shared some exciting news with our program. After the completion of his degree, he returned to the Netherlands to further his studies and is currently working towards another Master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam.

Last year, the University of Amsterdam held a contest for students to submit new course ideas that they would develop, and Zawdie submitted an idea for an Afro-Dutch Studies course and won. The interdisciplinary course uses African American Studies courses as a model, covering both historical and modern situations and issues of Dutch people of African descent.

Zawdie is currently finishing up the syllabus plan and will serve as a teaching assistant and coordinator as the class — one of the first of its kind — debuts this fall.