Black Diaspora and African American Studies

History

The establishment of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies program at UC San Diego is rooted in the work and support of Dr. Joseph Watson, former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UC San Diego. The Black Student Council, with Dr. Watson's help, was integral in initiating the idea of a Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program. However, it wasn't until Dr. Cecil Lytle proposed the transition of the Contemporary Black Arts Minor to the African American Studies Minor in 2005 that the expanded study of the Black Diaspora and African American experience was solidified.  

Mission

The Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program examines Black life in the United States and abroad through interdisciplinary, diasporic frameworks. This approach provides students with robust analytic skills to examine the ways in which Black people's multifaceted realities and powerful legacies have shaped and continue to evolve within the current national and international contexts.

Vision

Graduates of the Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program will be theoretically and methodologically grounded in selected disciplinary frameworks that can translate into endless career possibilities such as academia, public policy, law, and STEM. The Black Diaspora and African American Studies Program cultivates critical, problem-solving tools with which students can engage in a range of challenging issues within multiple professional and social contexts.