Mission: Enhance knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Africa.
Vision: To nurture a community of individuals committed to impactful engagement with and on the African continent.
The Center for African Studies offers both graduate and undergraduate certificates designed to provide students with opportunities for the interdisciplinary study of Africa as they pursue their respective degree programs. The certificates deepen students’ knowledge and enhance their understanding and appreciation of Africa through a wide range of courses on diverse topics such as African cultures, business, development, economics, education, environment, history, languages, politics, and religions.
To accomplish our mission, CAS draws on a wealth of experience of Africanist faculty and visiting scholars whose research, teaching, and service focuses on Africa-related topics from a broad range of disciplines and professions.
We focus on the following:
- Teaching Africa-related courses that enhance understanding of the history, culture, politics, development, social transformations, the environment, and globalization.
- Enriching student learning through exchanges, study abroad, service learning, and internship opportunities - not only in Africa, but also locally - working with institutions that have some emphasis on Africa-related activities.
- Sponsoring a wide variety of program activities (lecture series, symposia, conferences) on topics that are critical to Africa and pertinent to improved understanding of the African experience.
- Building institutional partnerships and exchanges that enhance collaborative research on problems of critical concern to the continent and finding innovative solutions.
- Serving as a public resource on Africa for the K-12 schools and the wider Pittsburgh community.
