MSU Celebrates New Academic Learning Space for Department of African American and African Studies

Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters held an official opening Nov. 17 for a new space dedicated to the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) — the first department of its kind at MSU. “The Ascension of AAAS” event celebrated the 8,400-square-foot renovated space as well as the new bachelor’s degree offered by the department. Located on…

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Professor Brings Black Religion and Spirituality Expertise to Religious Studies Department

Associate Professor Tamura Lomax is going back to her roots to the discipline that first inspired her scholarly work. In January 2023, she will begin teaching classes as a faculty member of Michigan State University’s Department of Religious Studies. A scholar, author, and activist, Lomax never left Religious Studies, it’s always been an important part of her life, but now…

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New Space Maximizes Vision of African American and African Studies Department

The newest department in Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters will have a new space on campus to call home.  On Thursday, Nov. 17, from 3-5 p.m. on the second floor of North Kedzie Hall, the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) will officially open the doors to its renovated, 8,400-square-foot space during a ribbon-cutting event,…

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MSU Students, Faculty, and Alumni Complete Latest Installment of East Lansing Mural

Underneath East Lansing’s Division Street Parking Garage, students, faculty, and alumni of MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) worked together to paint the third installment of the “Life is a Groovy Opportunity” mural with a goal of finishing in time for the 2022 East Lansing Art Festival.  Completed on May 21, the first day of the festival, the latest installment of the mural is…

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Working to Reconnect Lansing to the Arts and Humanities

A new collaboration between MSU’s Red Cedar Writing Project and the Capital Area District Libraries (CADL) will reconnect communities to the arts and humanities through a new set of library programs. Pioneering this project is Trixie Smith, Director of the Red Cedar Writing Project, who won the National Writing Project’s (NWP) Building a More Perfect Union National Endowment for the…

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Professor of Hispanic Studies Receives William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

Rocío Quispe-Agnoli, Professor of Hispanic Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gender and Sexuality Studies, is a 2022 recipient of Michigan State University’s prestigious William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award, which honors faculty members for a comprehensive and sustained record of scholarly excellence in research and/or creative activities, instruction, and…

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Lessons from a Flipped Classroom with Jon Keune

Jon Keune, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, is exploring non-traditional teaching methods in one of the oldest fields of study. In a quest to see how changes to teaching style can affect student engagement, Keune is exploring transformational classroom models within the College of Arts & Letters. He has been experimenting with the “flipped classroom model” in his REL 340…

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Campus Partners Collaborate to Combat Islamophobia and Antisemitism

The rise in anti-Muslim and antisemitic attacks over the last several years has prompted two campus leaders and faculty members to join forces to educate the Spartan community about the harm caused by Islamophobia and antisemitism. Yael Aronoff, Director of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel and Professor in James Madison College, and Mohammad Khalil, Director of the Muslim Studies Program and Professor…

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MSU African American and African Studies ‘Unicorns’ Drive Black Futures Beyond Survival Into Wellness

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) was initially founded as a Ph.D. granting program in 2002. On July 1, 2019, AAAS became a department. In Spring 2020, MSU appointed Ruth Nicole Brown the inaugural chair.

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New BA Degree in African American and African Studies Now Offered at MSU

For the first time in Michigan State University history, undergraduate students can major in African American and African Studies.  This semester, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters launched the Bachelor of Arts degree in African American and African Studies through the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) that was founded in February 2019.  Ruth Nicole Brown, AAAS Professor…

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