Department of African American Studies’ Assessment Report

The Department of African American Studies is currently involved in a review of its mission and curriculum to determine whether they, in their current formulation, best serve the needs of prospective majors and minors of the twenty-first century. Although the self-study has not yet been completed, members of the Department have reached consensus on the following as a general statement of the Department’s mission: The Department of African American Studies’ mission is (1) to provide Ohio University students with information and knowledge necessary for obtaining an understanding and appreciation of the history and accomplishments of Africans and African-decended peoples as well as an understanding of the reciprocal influence of African Americans upon general American culture and European American culture upon Americans of African descent; (2) to provide a curriculum that will attract majors and minors who will pursue a course of study culminating in the Bachelor of Arts degree and who will be armed with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue graduate or professional study, or secure employment in a field in which knowledge of African and the African Diaspora will enhance their employability; (3) to contribute, by means of research, to the body of knowledge about African and African-descended peoples.

Based on the experiences of other African American Studies Departments and the growing recognition of African-based and African-influenced cultural products, African American Studies at Ohio University, provided the means for realizing its mission, can make a significant contribution to preparing students for further study and professional careers as well as for living in a world in which they will interact with peoples and cultures different from their own.

Progress Toward Accomplishing Goals

Preparatory to devising and implementing the means for assessing its goals, the Department must complete its self-study. The study will enable the Department to determine, first, the extent and nature of changes required to carry out its mission and, secondly, where, given available resources, it can realistically expect to be in the near future.

As an integral part of our self-study, we have initiated contact with African American faculty in other departments and colleges to find out whether they would be interested in an affiliation with African American Studies. The response to the inquiry was gratifying. Many individuals stated that they welcome the opportunity either to teach courses in the Department of African American Studies they are trained to teach and are interested in teaching but currently do not have the opportunity to teach, or to cross-list with African American Studies courses that they now teach or might develop in the future.

The means that the Department will use for assessing the effectiveness with which it achieves its mission will depend, or course, on the results of the self-study. Generally, however, it is clear at this point that they will involve a series of measures designed to ensure that majors and minors will graduate with the knowledge, skills and competencies outlined in our mission statement. As indicated in previous assessment documents, options cover a broad spectrum, ranging from a senior project tailored to the concentration of individual students, culminating in a paper, to a senior-level examination that all majors must pass, to a senior seminar with a paper as the end product, to conducting a survey of graduates to determine the extent to which their preparation served their academic and employment needs.

The Future

What lies immediately ahead is the completion of the self-study. When that is finished, the Department will determine whether a shift in focus or a restructuring of what is currently in place with better serve the needs of Ohio University students. In either case, the means for implementing a comprehensive curriculum is essential to the Department’s survival as a significant contributor to the intellectual and cultural life of Ohio University students.