Message from the Chair, Cheryl L. Keyes

Greetings! I am excited to welcome all of you back to the campus and especially those of you who are new to UCLA. In spite of the last two years when the university was forced to teach classes online owing to the pandemic, UCLA continues to maintain its position as the No. 1 public university in the nation by U.S. News & World Report six years in a row.

UCLA Department of African American Studies plays a major role in embracing scholarly excellence and a leadership role in advancing and promoting conversations around community activism, community engagement and, more importantly, critical systemic issues of our time in regards to Black life around the world. Engaging the community at-large around issues is more important than ever. It is for this reason why the Department of African American Studies will continue to play a role via thoughtful public programming and events. With its world-class faculty, the Department of African American Studies offers students a wide-range of courses that provide historical, conceptual, and theoretical foundation for understanding Black global experiences. I am most pleased to inform that our department has revised its BA degree program that is in effect this academic year. Additionally, we have further updated our MA curriculum. I do encourage each of you to explore UCLA Department of African American Studies online to learn more about our stellar faculty, esteemed students, course offerings, and our noteworthy achievements! We look forward to seeing you soon!!!!