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Student Spotlight: Zack Dow, AFAM Undergraduate Minor

Please join us in celebrating the achievement of undergraduate UGA student Zack Dow for the following publication in The Classic Journal Issue 8.1: “Emancipating Tomes: Literacy, Identity, and Resistance in the Autobiographies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X.” You can read this article here.

Zack is a third year History and English double major with a minor in African American Studies. Keep reading for some of Zack’s reflections on courses within African American Studies.

  1. What has been your favorite AFAM course? Why?

I'm currently taking History of Black Art and the Museum with Dr. Tracey Johnson, which is my favorite AFAM course yet. AFAM courses, in my experience, are especially interactive, and the students who take them seem to be more passionate than those in many of my other courses. This, coupled with the generally more interactive nature of 4000 level courses and the fresh, intersectional subject matter of Dr. Johnson's course make for an incredibly engaging, thought-provoking, and exciting course. What I enjoy most about class discussions is that we are not confined to one discourse, to one perspective; the intersectionality of AFAM means that every reading gives way to conversations that draw from previously taken courses and that comment on adjacent issues, not just what is covered in a particular article or lecture, which makes AFAM feel incredibly comprehensive, adaptable, and applicable.

  1. Why should students consider taking courses within African American Studies?

AFAM as its own discipline indispensable; African diaspora and its myriad and complex manifestations in the United States require a field for themselves. However, I believe that to look at AFAM as something separate from larger and more popular disciplines is to falsely assert that these disciplines are by themselves complete. AFAM is simply telling the entire picture. As a History student, I cannot claim to study history without an equal understanding of black history as white history - so too with English. Yes, AFAM needs to be its own discipline, but we must not look at AFAM as an appendage to history or English or sociology, etc., etc. Thus AFAM is the only way to truly achieve a complete education in my given fields of study, and as unfortunate as it is that non-AFAM specific courses do not sufficiently cover the matters of Black people, AFAM as its own discipline is all the more rewarding and deserving of study to students of all fields.

Congratulations, Zack! We are proud of you.

Prospective students interested in the programs, major, minor, or graduate certificate in African American Studies should connect with our office to schedule a prospective student meeting. Read more on the tabs above regarding contacts for undergraduate students and graduate students.

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Study within African American cultural history provides a basis for understanding political, social, and economic relations throughout human history.