Welcome to the African American Studies Program (AASP)
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Dr. Sharon Austin, Director of African American Studies Program and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida |
A Message from the Director
August 2011
It gives me great pleasure to serve as director of the African American Studies Program (AASP) this year. Each semester, our newsletter provides information about our course offerings, program activities, and news relating to our faculty, staff, and students. Since the recent departure of our former director, Dr. Stephanie Evans, I have continued to try to accomplish her goals while also thinking of new ways to strengthen our program, serve the campus community, and the greater Gainesville community. We have a number of exciting projects in mind for the 2011-12 academic year. Our primary goals are to:
Enhance the curriculum by adding new courses so that we can increase our enrollment. The program currently offers a minor and we are in the pre-proposal stages for a major. The African American Studies Program now offers courses in anthropology, communications, English, history, political science, psychology, and religion. We also are offering an independent study for students desiring to conduct research under the direction of a faculty mentor and an are developing an African American Studies internship for students who have obtained internships and wish to receive three hours of credit toward their minor.
Honoring those who paved the way for us while also educating the campus and Gainesville communities. To this end, AASP has invited news anchor, Don Lemon of CNN News to give the Ronald C. Foreman Lecture. Several of our students are also participating in the “Reflections of a Harlem Professor: Student Research from the UF James Haskins Collection” project honoring the late distinguished UF English professor, Dr. James Haskins. Professor Haskins wrote over 200 books and used literature as a tool to promote African American culture. Five of our students, Angela Thorpe, Jeannette Pepin, Yoldine Valerie, Ashley Clemons, and Teshara Burton have written papers examining his research.
Developing Partnerships with other campus groups. In September 2011, the African American Studies Program worked with the Black Graduate Students Organization (BGSO) to sponsor some of the activities of the Black Alumni weekend. We are also working with the BGSO, the Black Political Science Association (BPSA), and the Black History Month Committee to bring speakers to our campus and have made alliances with the Harn Museum and the Samuel C. Proctor Oral History Project.
Making contacts with others outside of the university. African American Studies students will be able to receive credit for the Hip Hop and French Culture course that is offered by Dr. Benjamin Hebblewaite as part of the 2012 Paris spring break program. I along with one of our affiliates, Dr. Jacob Gordon, have applied for funding to bring some of the top scholars in history and political science to our campus during the summer of 2012.
Increasing opportunities for our students. The African American Studies Program remains committee to informing our students about career, funding, and internship opportunities as part of our mission. We are also applying for a fellowship from the Andrew Mellon Foundation to enhance research opportunities for all of our students.
The African American Studies Program has the potential to continue its growth and evolution. Our mission is to increase our service to our students while contributing to the overall mission of the university. For more information on our program, see clas.ufl.edu/afam. I look forward to working with you all.
Dr. Sharon Austin
