BA in African American and African Studies in Charlottesville United States | University of Virginia

Established in 1981, the Carter G. Woodson Institute emerged from calls by students and faculty for a stronger African-American and African Studies curriculum and improved minority recruitment efforts at the University. The University of Virginia's Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies honors Carter Godwin Woodson, a Virginia native often called 'the father of black history'. Historian Armstead L. Robinson, the Institute's first director, set two primary goals: (1) to strengthen African-American Studies research and teaching across the University's academic units and (2) to create a research hub that would advance scholarship at this prominent southern institution.
From its beginnings as the Carter G. Woodson Institute, the Department of African American and African Studies has fostered cross-disciplinary research and global perspectives on African American and African experiences. The Institute oversees undergraduate degree programs in African American and African Studies (AAS), including both major and minor options. Beyond these core programs, the department introduced an African Studies minor in 2007. For advanced research opportunities, students can pursue the Distinguished Majors Program (DMP), which involves thesis work guided by faculty advisors.