Collaborate & celebrate
At the Center for African Studies
We work collaboratively with our constituents to investigate, narrate and celebrate global African life and cultures.
Upcoming Events
- Established through the generosity of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumnus, former US Ambassador Eric Whitaker '78 and ’81, these funds recognize and encourage undergraduates with demonstrated engagement with African Studies to pursue careers in public service. The 2024-... Read full story Spring 2025 Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship and Grant Awards
- Last week, 6 UIUC students under the unwavering mentorship and guidance of Prof. Vieux Toure of CAS and the Department of Linguistics travelled to Washington DC to participate in the two-day Model African Union program at Howard University. These students were Simeon Onaolapo, Tobi Adewunmi,... Read full story Successful trip to Washington DC to participate in the "International Model African Union"
- CAS is delighted to announce that two UIUC undergraduate students, Emily Brooks, and Nina Stepaniants, have been awarded tuition scholarships for 2023-24. These scholarships are possible through the generous support of UIUC alumnus Ambassador Eric Whitaker, and... Read full story 2023-24 Ambassador Eric Whitaker Scholarship Awards in African Studies
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Preparing the next generation of students in the new global age
The Center works with other units to promote the study of Africa as widely as possible. Such efforts include arranging visiting appointments for scholars on Africa, providing for visiting lectures, mentoring students, developing teaching aids, and organizing seminars, conferences, and symposia where people can exchange ideas. Browse our library of signature talks.
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Explore our graduate programs
The graduate program in African Studies includes a two-year master's program, a joint MA in African Studies and an MS in Library Information Science, as well as a graduate minor open to all master and doctoral students. The program exposes students to many facets of Africa and to many ways of looking at various issues relating to the continent from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Introduction to Modern Africa
Modern Africa has sustained the world's most rapid and profound changes following centuries of the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. The African continent saw its social systems, economic structures, political organizations, and religious and cultural practices profoundly transformed by centuries of European imperialism.
Seminar Abroad: Benin
This course seeks to investigate current and past approaches to the "Africa development problem" and challenge preconceived notions of development and globalization in the context of Benin; students will examine impacts on local individual actors and the variety of ways in which these realities are navigated.
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Global Impact
The Center for African Studies is part of the Illinois Global Institute (IGI), which was established in 2019 as the home of the university’s area and global studies centers and thematic programs.