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.
A group of Michigan State University faculty and students from the Department of Theatre in collaboration with the Wharton Center Institute for Arts & Creativity led an effort to bring the Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) to Michigan, a national high school competition that celebrates the diverse perspectives and worldviews of the Black community by bringing works of contemporary Black…
The world of language teaching has faced enormous challenges in delivering quality education due to the abrupt transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major challenges is the difficulty of using traditional textbooks in the new reality, and Arabic language programs are no exception. Two Assistant Professors of Arabic at Michigan State University, Sadam Issa and…
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…
The 2022 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, which runs through May 15 at Michigan State University's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, is the culmination of a three-year program in which artists explore their creative practice under the supervision of a faculty guidance committee. The exhibition serves as evidence of their achievements and continuing artistic and scholarly promise with each…
Committed to raising awareness about critical issues and the academic or community-based work being done to solve them, Sharieka Shontae Botex, a third-year Ph.D. student in MSU’s Writing and Rhetoric program, created the Shaping Society Through Scholarship and Action event, which featured Black women scholars and their community-focused work as well as the important work of local leaders and community organizers.…
The Cube, which is housed in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) and offers publication resources for the Michigan State University campus community and beyond, has won a 2021-2022 Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant (CEIG) to support three of its projects. CEIG funding is awarded to projects that aim to create a more inclusive educational and work environment for all. The Cube…
The Michigan State University Department of Theatre presents Ike Holter’s Hit the Wall, a story of the Stonewall Uprising and the generation that disrupted the marginalization and invisibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. The production runs from March 18-20 and 22-27 in the Auditorium Building’s Arena Theatre. Masks are optional but encouraged for audience members. It’s the summer of ’69, and…
Diana Cisneros, a junior majoring in Linguistics, won the Most Out-Of-The-Box Award at MSU’s fifth annual Social Justice Art Festival (SJAF) for her painting, titled Mikia Nemi Tunal Tit (The Fire of the Sun Is Dying). The Most Out-of-the-Box Award is given to the artist or performer with the most unique artistic concept or creative medium. The winning piece is…
In the midst of student protests over racism nationwide and on campus, Barry D. Amis helped found the Black Student Alliance at Michigan State University in 1967 and served as its first president. He has notebooks filled with news clippings and photos from his years as a student activist. “What we did at the time at MSU was groundbreaking,” said…