The mission of the undergraduate program in African and African American Studies is to provide students with an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of people of African descent as a central component of American culture. Courses in the major promote research across disciplinary and departmental boundaries as well as provide students with research training and community service learning opportunities. Courses of study are drawn from anthropology, art, art history, economics, education, drama, history, languages, linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology among others. The program provides an intellectual background for students considering graduate school or professional careers. We aim to provide students with an outstanding, rigorous, and engaging intellectual experience in which students acquire analytic skills grounded in a traditional discipline as well as interdisciplinary skills of investigation and research. African American Studies offers training of special interest to those considering admission to graduate or professional schools and careers in education, literary studies journalism, law, business, international relations, politics, psychology, anthropology, social science, theatre, performing arts and cultural studies, among many others.