Towards an Understanding of Africology

Since the landmark year of 1968 when the first Black Studies department was established at San Francisco State University, more than three hundred other departments, programs and centers have surfaced on various campuses of the nation. Towards an Understanding of Africology is a pedagogical and research tool designed to educate students and to enhance general awareness of the significant role of Black Studies in the academy, and in so doing, to help clear up lingering cynicism about the desirability and legitimacy of the discipline. Serving as a comprehensive text for introductory undergraduate and introductory graduate-level courses in Black Studies, Towards an Understanding of Africology: *Tackles the What Can One Do with a Black Studies Major? question*Employs the terms Africology and Black Studies interchangeably. In employing Africology in reference to Black Studies, the author observes that the term reflects cutting edge definitions of the scope and epistemological framework of this broad field of inquiry.* Includes a new chapter on Barack Obama's emergence and re-election as the first black president of the United States, as well as extensive revisions and updates to previous chapters.*Examines the functional value of Black Studies in the age of multiculturalism and cyberspace educational technology. *Discusses the evolution, scope, philosophical and theoretical foundation of Black Studies.