As a primary objective of the institution’s new strategic plan, the College of Charleston is building an African American Studies program as befits its unique location and the history of the Carolina Lowcountry.  Working with key institutional partners, including the Avery Research Center and the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World as well as the 16 affiliated faculty, and pending final approval, the program expects to launch a new major in African American Studies in Fall 2013 to accompany an existing and successful minor.
 
The African American Studies Program invites applications for an experienced full-time faculty member in African American Studies to begin August 16, 2013. We seek an academic leader who has achieved national distinction as a scholar and teacher meriting a tenured appointment at the rank of associate professor or higher. The successful candidate will hold a doctoral degree in African American Studies or a related discipline and will teach exclusively in African American Studies.  Area of specialization is open, but preference may be given to applicants with scholarly and teaching expertise in one or more of the following areas, as they relate to African American history and culture:  art, art history, music, ethnomusicology, or performance studies.  The minimum salary for this position is $80,000. The teaching load is 3/3; demonstrated teaching ability and an active research agenda is required. A Ph.D. is required. Candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, graduate transcripts, letters from three academic referees, and a short writing sample (no more than 20 pages) by October 26, 2012 to: Dr. Conseula Francis, African American Studies, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424.
 
The College of Charleston is a selective institution with a strong liberal arts and sciences tradition located in historic downtown Charleston, SC.  Founded in 1770, the College has a rich history with an enrollment of approximately 10,000 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate students.  The College of Charleston is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty. We welcome applications from women and minority groups, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the college’s teaching and research missions.  Screening begins on October 26, 2012 and continues until the position is filled.

The AAST 300 course in Hip Hop: Evolution & Impact gained national recognition last year when it was included in a list of 5 colleges which offer college credit for courses focused on the business, sociology and music of Hip Hop.  Read more at:

http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2011/11/04/getting-a-higher-education-in-hip-hop/

The blogger learned of our unique course through a post from our Media Relations office: http://news.cofc.edu/2010/07/14/college-offers-unique-course-in-hip-hop/

Enjoy a short video highlighting student perspectives and experiences during their Study Abroad trip to Barbados with Professors Roneka Matheny and Robert Chase.

http://youtu.be/kNVJTIzC3Cs?hd=1

The College of Charleston will host one of the most important feminist scholars of the last several decades on Friday, August 31, 2012, at 2 p.m. at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theatre. bell hooks will present “Writing Beyond Race,” a presentation exploring what it means to live a life that combines political passions and personal commitments.  The event is free and open to the public.

To read the full article, please follow the link below:

http://news.cofc.edu/2012/08/29/top-feminist-scholar-to-speak-at-college/

Within living memory, there was a time when inter-racial marriages were considered illegal.  Follow the story of Mildred and Richard Loving as they fought the state of Virginia to uphold their marriage. 

Avery Research Center will host a reception (5:30pm) and screening (6pm) of this documentary on July 26. 

For a full event description and details, visit: http://avery.cofc.edu/the-loving-story-documentary-screening-and-reception-thursday-july-26-2012-at-530pm-avery-research-center/

Summer 2012

Fall 2012

Call for Nominations

The African American Studies Program is now accepting nominations for the 2011-2012 Awards Ceremony, which will take place on April 10, 6:30-8:00, at the Avery Research Center. The awards and their descriptions are below. 

African American Studies Student Service Award
This award recognizes the outstanding service of a CofC student to improve the campus or broader community with respect to issues around racial equality and social justice.

African American Studies Creative Expression Award
This award recognizes the active involvement and accomplishments of a CofC student in promoting African American cultural and/or artistic life.

African American Studies Outstanding Underclassman Award
This award recognizes outstanding performance by an underclassman in an AAST course at CofC.

Eligibility:  To be eligible for these Service and Creative Expression awards, students must have taken at least two courses at CofC that count toward the AAST minor.  To be eligible for the Outstanding Underclassman Award, students must have taken at least one course at CofC that counts for the AAST minor, and have fewer than 60 earned hours.

Students may self-nominate, or faculty/staff may submit nominations for candidates.  Nominated students will be asked to submit an unofficial transcript.  Nomination letters must include a detailed explanation of how the student specifically meets the award criteria.  A review committee will select the finalists and the awards will be presented at the AAST Graduation and Awards Ceremony.

Nominations can be emailed to Dr. Conseula Francis (francisc@cofc.edu) or dropped off at 9 Glebe Street with Lauren Saulino.  Please be sure to include the student’s name and the award the student is being nominated for.  Nominations are due by March 26.

 Word, Shout, Song:
Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language
Avery Research Center ~ Now until April
This semester the Avery Research Center features the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibit on the life and work of linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, Father of Gullah Studies. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

 Film: You Got To Move ~ Feb. 2 ~ 5:30 ~ Alumni Center, 86 Wentworth Street
You Got To Move is a documentary that follows people from communities in the South their various processes of becoming involved in social change. The event honors Bill Saunders, a former worker in a mattress factory who now runs a community radio station in Charleston, South Carolina, and was involved in creating a hospital workers’ organization at MUSC, which organized a 100-day-long hospital workers’ strike in 1969.

Brown Bag Lunch Discussion ~ Feb. 6 ~ 1:00 ~ 9 College Way Conference Room
Join us for a discussion of Danielle McGuire’s At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance.

Get to Know the AAST Faculty ~ Feb. 8 ~ 4:00 ~ Multicultural Center
Did you ever wonder what Dr. Powers named his new puppy? Or why Dr. Francis loves comic books? Or what Prof. Matheny’s favorite horror movie is? Come have some snacks, meet the African American Studies faculty, and kick off Black History Month.

Film: Woke Up Black ~ Feb. 9 ~ 6:00 ~ Avery Research Center
Woke Up Black focuses on five black youth, along with their struggles and triumphs as they start their journey into adulthood. The film places at its center the voices of Black youth– their ideas, attitudes and opinions that are often overlooked in today’s society.

 Brown Bag Lunch Discussion ~ Feb. 10 ~ 12:00 ~ Tate Center 132
Join Professors Jon Hale and Robert Chase for a discussion of the prison system and high school activism.

Lecture: African American Women, Sexual Violence, and the Jim Crow South
Feb. 16 ~ 6:30 ~ Alumni Center, 86 Wentworth Street
Danielle McGuire will deliver an Organization of American Historians Lecture based on the research for her book, At the Dark End of the Street. This is the third lecture in the 2011-2012 AAST Emerging Scholars Lecture Series.

 Struggles and Accomplishments of our African American Veterans
Feb. 17 ~ 6:00 ~ Patriots Point
A panel of scholars and veterans will discuss the experiences of African Americans in the military since WWII. A $10 donation is suggested.

Film: More than a Month ~ Feb. 19 ~ 4:00
Park Circle Film Society
More Than a Month is a feature documentary that follows Shukree Hassan Tilghman, an African-American filmmaker, on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this challenging, complex, and often comedic journey, the film explores what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in “post-racial” America.

 Black History Trivia Bowl ~ Feb. 22 ~ 4:00 ~ MYBK 100
Come test your black history knowledge in a fun-filled competition. Bring a friend and play as a team.

 Lecture: Obama and the Place of Race ~ Feb. 23 ~ 4:00
Avery Research Center
Harry and Michelle Elam will examine four distinct “scenes” involving President Obama that illustrate the 21st century play of race and examine why and to what end race and ethnicity is performed in specific moments and places, especially when these moments have tremendous domestic and global impact.

Not Just in February Forum ~ Feb. 29 ~ 4:00 ~ Stern 201
Our final Black History Month event will be a panel discussion featuring faculty and staff talking about issues involving African Americans and race that we should all be thinking about long after February is over.