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Faculty

Africana Studies Coordinator

Peter Leman

Associate Professor
English

4117 JFSB
(801) 422-3383

peterdleman@gmail.com

Executive Committee

Ben Crookston

Associate Professor
Public Health
MPH Director

2137 LSB
(801) 422-3143

benjamin_crookston@byu.edu

Aaron C. Eastley

Associate Professor
English

4119 JFSB
(801) 422-1695

aaron_eastley@byu.edu

Spencer James

Associate Professor
Family Studies

2095 JFSB
(801) 422-6682

spencer_james@byu.edu

Daren Ray

Assistant Professor
History

2117 JFSB
(801) 422-0510

daren.ray@byu.edu

Affiliated Faculty

Andrea Busby

Assistant Professor
School of Family Life

2083 JFSB

andrea_busby@byu.edu

Carter Charles

Assistant Professor
French and Italian

270N JFSB
(801) 422-2045

carter_charles@byu.edu

Robert Colson

Associate Professor
Comparative Arts and Letters

3036 JFSB
(801) 422-1855

robert_colson@byu.edu

Ryan Gabriel

Associate Professor
Sociology

2033 JFSB
(801) 422-3461

ryangabriel@byu.edu

MacLeans Geo-Jaja

Professor
Educational Leadership and Foundations

306-P MCKB
(801) 422-6072

geo-jaja@byu.edu

Jeff Glenn

Assistant Professor
Public Health

2032 LSB
(801) 422-9754

jeff_glenn@byu.edu

Leslie Hadfield

Professor
History

2135 JFSB
(810) 422-8013

leslie_hadfield@byu.edu

George Handley

Professor
Comparative Arts and Letters

3027 JFSB
(801) 422-7151

george_handley@byu.edu

Christopher Jones

Assistant Professor
History

2109 JFSB
(801) 422-1838

christopher.jones@byu.edu

Jordan Jones

Assistant Professor
Spanish and Portuguese

3151 JFSB
(801) 422-3252

jordan_jones@byu.edu

Matthew Mason

Professor
History

2131 JFSB
(801) 422-3408

matthew_mason@byu.edu

Kristin Matthews

Professor
English

4160 JFSB
(801) 422-5295

kristin_matthews@byu.edu

Liz McGuire

Assistant Professor
Political Science

780 KMBL
(801) 422-1866

liz_mcguire@byu.edu

Rex Nielson

Associate Professor
Spanish and Portuguese

3149 JFSB
801-422-2176

rex_nielson@byu.edu

Brian Roberts

Professor
English

4153 JFSB
(801) 422-1376

brianrussellroberts@byu.edu

Jacob Rugh

Associate Professor
Sociology

2030 JFSB
(801) 422-4466

jacob_rugh@byu.edu

Sherinah Saasa

Assistant Professor
Social Work

2173 JFSB
(801) 422-4687

sherinah_saasa@byu.edu

Rebecca de Schweinitz

Associate Professor
History

2127 JFSB
(801) 422-1594

rld@byu.edu

Joseph Stuart

Assistant Professor
History

2105 JFSB
(801) 422-8283

joseph.stuart@byu.edu

Becoming Affiliated Faculty

Affiliated faculty have training and expertise in Africana Studies, research Africana Studies topics, and teach courses with Africana content. Their participation ranges from promoting and participating in program events, teaching and mentoring students, attending program coordinating meetings, to leading study abroad and other experiential learning programs.

Faculty become affiliates of the Africana Studies program through the invitation of the program coordinator, following the approval of the executive committee and the candidate’s home department chair. Interested faculty should submit to the program coordinator a copy of their CV as well as a brief statement of interest (no more than one page) discussing their qualifications, interests, and goals for participating in the program. See further information in the procedural document for adding affiliated faculty and executive committee members. (Those with limited experience who are not yet qualified but interested in being involved are encouraged to engage in Africana Studies events, teaching, and scholarship to build up that experience to become an affiliate.)

Governance

The major is governed by an interdisciplinary Executive Committee of faculty from at least two disciplines that meets as needed. An interdisciplinary Committee of the Whole, made up of a larger group of faculty from various disciplines, approves the work of the Executive Committee and makes major curriculum changes. Most of the assessment of the major is done by the major coordinator through competency exams and surveys of graduates. The Executive Committee and the Committee of the Whole review the results of these exams and surveys and make recommendations for needed changes. The results of the assessment work are communicated annually to all faculty affiliated with the major. At that time the faculty comment on the assessment results and those same results inform decisions regarding the curriculum structure of the major.