The African Studies Center at Michigan State University is perhaps the most comprehensive of its kind in the country. The Center coordinates teaching, research, and public service programs related to Africa throughout the university. A wide variety of courses on Africa are taught in various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional fields. The Center offers instruction in 25 different African languages and offers opportunities for faculty and students to teach, study, and do research in Africa. The Center also provides programs and services for about 200 African MSU students from over 30 different countries.
The African Studies Center is the largest area studies program at MSU. It was designated as a National Resource Center on Africa by the U.S. Department of Education and receives a portion of its funding under Title VI of the Higher Education Act.
The following are examples of current ground breaking research and development work conducted by MSU faculty:
- Historical studies of Islam in Mali and Senegal were published recently. A highly-regarded biography of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as significant articles on the economic role of women in Southern Africa have been produced by professors in the MSU History Department.
- The Agricultural Economics Department has developed what the Rockefeller Foundation called "the largest aggregation of individuals focusing on African agricultural development anywhere."
- An economics professor is director of a major international research project concerning small-scale enterprise and industry in rural Africa, conducting field surveys in Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Zambia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Malawi.
- A team led by an MSU anthropology professor discovered an "African Stonehenge" calendrical system, a major breakthrough in East African archeology. In addition, two MSU anthropology professors are leading research on public policy and socioeconomic change in Malawian fishing villages.
- MSU Human Medicine and Health Science faculty members have developed a leading center for the study of malaria, onchocerciasis (river blindness), and schistosomiasis in Sudan and Malawi. Also, Community Health Science faculty members are involved in important research on the causes and prevention of malaria in tropical Africa.
- MSU political science professors are doing path breaking research on political transitions in Africa, including a major study on democratization in Zambia. Furthermore, important work includes evaluation of the political implications of structural adjustment policies and of spontaneous voluntary repatriation of refugees.
- Sociology research concentrates on the ecological crises of East African lakes and on the construction of race in the African Diaspora.
- Geographical research focuses on dryland farming strategies to cope with food insecurity.
- MSU linguists are experimenting with pioneering methods to improve the instruction of African languages in the United States.
History of Art research evaluates the influence of interactions between Sub-Saharan West Africa and the Islamic Middle East and the West.
African Studies Center, Michigan State University
100 International Center, East Lansing, Michigan USA 48824-1035
Phone number (517) 353-1700, Fax Number (517) 432-1209
African Studies Center Email ASC
African Studies Center - Michigan State University
http://www.africa.msu.edu/ - Any questions or comments on this site contact the WebmasterLast Updated: July 2002