Mission Statement
The mission of the department is to produce and disseminate knowledge and understanding about the peoples of Africa and its global diaspora particularly in the United States, their artistic productions and economic contribution to universal progress, their shared but also complex and diverse histories, cultures and languages, the place and differential impact of race, ethnicity and gender in the construction of their identities both within African countries and in the global arena.
The department’s research and teaching seek to embody such developments towards providing students with the requisite intellectual skills that will prepare them for scholarly and professional careers in such areas as development work, with governmental or non-governmental organizations and agencies in law, education journalism and other endeavors.
The geographical focus of the department’s teaching and research is the United States (Black America), Africa and the Caribbean, both in the specificities of their respective histories and in the interlocking complexities of their shared experiences. In short the department will combine regional/national, comparative as well as trans-regional/diasporic studies and will bring to bear disciplinary and interdisciplinary tools in the understanding of its object of study.
While the written and printed text - usually in the European languages – remains the principal mode of apprehension of the societies and cultures of Black America, Africa and the Caribbean, the department also recognizes the importance of orality for the study of these societies. Expressions of this ever present theme in these cultures will be pursued not only in disciplines like History and Literature, but also in certain forms of popular, non-literary culture such as film, dance, folklore, which can be explored jointly in the relevant departments at OSU.
Equally important to the department’s mission is the teaching of African languages, vital to a deeper understanding of the cultures of Africa. In addition, these languages represent a ‘heritage’ of African Americans and with their support for ‘study abroad’ programs in the Department, the broader connections between the geographical areas of study of the Department would be enhanced. OSU students can therefore benefit in more ways than one with the study of African languages, including fulfilling their foreign language requirement.
An essential part of the department’s mission involves service to the community in Columbus, throughout the State of Ohio and nationally. Such service will take the form of a sustained program of activity at its Extension Center – in the form of community based research, symposia, seminars on health and local issues, and training in ‘heritage’ languages – designed to benefit the inner city community socially and culturally, and to contribute to the formulation and implementation of progressive public policies with consequences for the black community.
