This year, Northwestern University's Program of African Studies (PAS) will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a yearlong series of events. The celebration commemorates the program's international prominence as a center for fostering the production of innovative scholarship, training African specialists, and developing of new ways of thinking about Africa.
At the Forefront of African Studies
Since its' inception in 1948, PAS' seven successive directors have helped build PAS as a hub for faculty, students, and community members interested in the study of Africa. Their accomplishments include:
- Garnering grants that helped increase educational and research opportunities for Northwestern students and African scholars from the continent.
- Increasing interdisciplinary education opportunities by creating an undergraduate minor, a graduate student certificate program, and Afrisem, a graduate student seminar. In addition to inviting guest speakers to address special topics, Afrisem provides students the opportunity to develop, present, and draw advice on papers and research proposals.
- Developing numerous awards to support student research, both on campus and in Africa.
- Supporting visiting African scholars from the world over. These scholars teach courses, conduct research, hold workshops, and, more generally, contribute to the feeling of connectivity with current research in the field.
The Program of African Studies continues to thrive with a vibrant community of academics who enrich not just the University, but the world of African Studies. Today, it remains on the vanguard, advancing knowledge of Africa and the Diaspora, strengthening Northwestern's involvement in the continent, and promoting cooperative approaches to increase international understanding.
