African American Studies
Dr. Michael Williams
Director
Welcome to the African American Studies Program!
Welcome to the African American Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Our Program provides for individuals of all backgrounds a humanistic lens and course of study for analysis of the black experience. Research, teaching and related academic and social activities focus on African American history and culture and the attendant complexities of "race" relations in Texas, the American southwest, the nation and the Diaspora. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to engage in our colloquia, film and lecture series and other programs presented throughout the academic year. Our programs and courses offer students opportunities to engage with scholars and community members from all backgrounds who possess the singular goal of engaging social, political and global issues leading to the expanse of knowledge, worldviews and perspectives on the African and African American experience throughout the Diaspora. The program also offers courses leading to the minor in African American Studies.
“History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be.” –Dr. John Henrik Clarke