The African Studies Program at Ohio University, is a designated Title VI National Resource Center for Africa supported by U.S. Department of Education funding. As such the Program provides students, scholars, and members of the broader community opportunities to develop their understanding of this important world region. Facilities for research and language instruction, as well as formal degree studies are available through the program. Graduate students may earn a Master of Arts degree with a major in African Studies through the Center for International Studies.
The African Studies Program grew out of the excitement emanating from the decolonization of the continent in the mid-1960s and the awareness of the important role Africa could play in world affairs. Today the multi-disciplinary nature of the program allows the student to build a course of study reflecting Africa's contemporary reality. Themes include the socioeconomic development of the continent in the context of Africa's grand cultural and historical traditions. Students may also view the study of Africa as an excellent case-study of the process of social change in the developing world.
Africa and Ohio University
Ohio University has a long history of participation in research and development projects across Africa. The nations in which faculty members have worked include Chad, Cote D'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe and across North Africa. Most recently the university has been engaged in research and educational development projects in Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Ohio University looks forward to continuing its eminence in the fields of African and Africa-related study and research. Ohio University's Alden Library has extensive Africana holdings and is the North American Depository for documents from Botswana and Swaziland.