Fostering interdisciplinary study by examining how people of African descent have shaped our world.

As a program located in a city with a history of Black sociopolitical movements, AADS provides a forum to engage the complexities of Black life across African diasporas.

The AADS Program at UNCG advances the university’s commitment to diverse perspectives and inclusive learning environments through course offerings, programming, and community engagement.

Eleven different departments and programs provide courses for the AADS major, including Art, Anthropology, Dance, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology, and Women’s & Gender Studies, in addition to our own AADS classes.

The innovative curriculum offers courses that provide critical study on contemporary issues, such as hip hop culture, race studies, and pop culture.

Better yet, African American Studies can fit into almost any plan for future graduate study!

I really like how, in the AADS program, The way that African history is uncovered in the world is a very untraditional way… it’s through oral tradition, and ways that history is not conventionally shown. so we look at art, we look at laws.
-Kendal Walker, UNCG AADS Student

Choose Your Path

BA

Bachelor of Arts

Minor

Undergraduate Minor

Meet our Artist in Residence

AADS’s Mellon Multivocal Humanities Artist in Residence Josephus Thompson III is Greensboro, North Carolina’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, a teacher and lecturer, and founder of The Poetry Project. He works in both educational and corporate settings, focusing on “Education through Correlation”: poetry as a catalyst for literacy, leadership and service.

As host of The Poetry Café, his voice is heard nationally over the airwaves. He showcases talented artists from all over the world in the genres of poetry, hip-hop, and R&B, to name a few. The show also tours nationally and was featured on Amazon Prime.

Josephus III has performed for Oprah, opened for Kanye West and Floetry, shared stages with The Last Poets, traveled to Australia, London, Seoul, Malaysia, The Philippines and South Africa, and crisscrossed back and forth across the United States sharing his gift.

Most recently he has developed The Poetry Field Trip, introducing K-12 students to the power and creativity of poetry; and The Poetry Project Institute, a series of Professional Development workshops created for teachers to provide them with resources and training on the use of spoken word in the classroom. Every day he searches for new ways to use his gifts and abilities to pursue the hopes, dreams, ambitions and purpose of his life. Poet, Host, Recording Artist, Entrepreneur, Teacher, Dreamer, Visionary, Mentor, Brother, and Son.