Newswise — A daylong symposium on the state of Africana studies will bring leaders in the field to The Johns Hopkins University from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 5. The symposium will take place on the university's Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.
The symposium is the first of two events celebrating the creation of the university's Center for Africana Studies, established in fall 2003 in response to interest from students and faculty and as part of the university's efforts to "diversify the intellectual footprint on campus," said Daniel Weiss, the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
Undergraduates may pursue a major or a minor from the center, which has a threefold focus " African studies, African-American studies and the study of the African diaspora.
The second event is a free lecture by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, in Shriver Hall Auditorium, also on the Homewood campus. (All tickets for this event have been reserved.)
Exploring the theme "Intellectual and Institutional Directions in Africana Studies," the panelists at the March 5 symposium will discuss the shape and role of such programs in university settings. Speakers include Professor Kim Butler, Department of Africana Studies, Rutgers University; Professor Manthia Diawara, Institute for African American Affairs, New York University; Professor Farah Griffin, departments of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University; Professor Eileen Julien, director, David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora, University of Maryland, College Park; and Professor Tufuku Zuberi, director, Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania.
The day will begin with a welcome and introductions of the speakers. The workshop will be divided into two roundtable sessions. At each session, each speaker will give a brief presentation on the session topic, followed by general discussion among the speakers and members of the audience. The first session, New and Promising Intellectual Directions in Africana Studies, runs from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. After lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., the second session, Institutionalizing Africana Studies in the University, runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the symposium, which is intended for the Johns Hopkins community and is not open to the general public.
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