A Note from the Director
"In recent years scholarship in the area of African American history has expanded dramatically and universities have devoted both human and financial resources to meet the expanding interest. As one of the beneficiaries of this trend, our graduate program is fortunate to have attracted a corpus of talented scholars, who have distinguished themselves as teacher-scholars in this area. The concentration in African American history focuses scholarly attention on the struggles African people in America have mounted against racism, their resultant achievements and the implications of both for the evolution of the United States. It is an interdisciplinary course of study with most non-history courses being offered in the area of African American literature, in the English Department. This collaborative effort allows for maximal exploration of the experience and for exposure to multiple research methods and orientations. To allow students to pursue a special interest, the requirements of the concentration can be met through a combination of formal classes and independent study.

"The College of Charleston is the logical place to pursue African American history in that our city has played a role in virtually every crucial aspect of that experience, from African enslavement, to the Civil War and Emancipation to the Civil Rights Movement. There are also many significant local archives and libraries which are accessible to our students. Finally, Charleston is increasingly a city where public recognition of the importance of the African American experience is in evidence."

Bernard E. Powers, Jr., Professor of History