Students socialising at an event

Events

The KASC Outreach Program seeks to promote the understanding of Africa by offering diverse services that help to increase knowledge about Africa.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Flyer for  the KASC virtual symposium

UPCOMING SYMPOSIUM

The inaugural installment of this new initiative will feature presentaions from early career researchers at the four institutions that collaborated for our recent Global Humanities Institute in Tanzania.
Flyer for 2022 MAAAS Conference

UPCOMING CONFERENCE

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every aspect of humanity and has focused attention of scholars and researchers from all fields on questions of public health and well-being. Accordingly, the 2022 meeting of MAAAS will bring together a variety of ideas and disciplines to explore the past, present, and future of public health and well-being in Global Africa in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ANNUALLY RECURRING EVENTS

Poster advertising the annual graduate research workshop

GRADUATE RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Kansas African Studies Graduate Research workshop (GRW) is designed help graduate students make progress on their research. We welcome submissions from graduate students from any field and all stages in their research trajectories. After their presentations, graduate students will receive feedback about their paper from fellow students and KU faculty.
Poster Advertising KU African Language Festival

KU AFRICAN LANGUAGE FESTIVAL

Organized by the Department of African and African-American Studies (AAAS) and the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC), The KU African Language Festival is also supported by the KU School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, International Programs and many other units such as the Center for Global & International Studies, Office of Multicultural Affairs, International Programs, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. This event provides an opportunity to showcase language skills of students studying African languages at KU and engage with the KU and Lawrence/Kansas City communities.
A group of students sitting around a stone table and bench

LANGUAGE TABLES

Historically, we found our commitment to diversity to be a compass that enabled us to navigate through uncertain times. This guidance resulted in a variety of courses we have offered. Not only have they been rooted in traditional approaches but in innovative ones too, as shifting times offered new theories and methods. We have been quite strategic in diversifying our faculty hires, attracting the best and brightest new talent to enter the profession as well as seasoned veterans. These have been augmented by welcoming distinguished visiting professors, lecturers, and readers.
A group of people sitting around a table with drinks and writing implements

FOOD & FILM SERIES

Historically, we found our commitment to diversity to be a compass that enabled us to navigate through uncertain times. This guidance resulted in a variety of courses we have offered. Not only have they been rooted in traditional approaches but in innovative ones too, as shifting times offered new theories and methods. We have been quite strategic in diversifying our faculty hires, attracting the best and brightest new talent to enter the profession as well as seasoned veterans. These have been augmented by welcoming distinguished visiting professors, lecturers, and readers.

ANNUALLY RECURRING EVENTS

Poster of a Book Talk Series Event

Book Talk Series

The Kansas African Studies Center (KASC) is excited to announce a new book talk series. This engaging series will feature renowned authors and scholars who specialize in African studies, providing a platform for in-depth discussions on their latest works. Each session will include a presentation by the author, followed by a Q&A session, allowing attendees to engage directly with the experts. This series aims to foster a deeper understanding of African cultures, histories, and contemporary issues, making it a valuable opportunity for students, faculty, and the community to expand their knowledge and perspectives. Join us for thought-provoking conversations and an enriching intellectual experience.

SELECT PAST EVENTS

Two Black men sitting in the shade

RWANDA COMMEMORATION EVENTS

Throughout the month of April 2019 KASC & partners across KU and the Lawrence community hosted events to commemorate the victims and survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This conflict resulted in the deaths of up to perhaps one million Rwandans. Rwanda’s own national commemoration and day of mourning, called Kwibuka, which translates as “remembrance,” is held annually on April 7th.
A poster advertising the 24th annual Mid-America Alliance for African Studies

MAAAS CONFERENCE

The Mid-America Alliance for African Studies is an organization for the promotion of African Studies in mid-America. MAAAS seeks to encourage scholarship and teaching in African Studies regionally and sub-regionally through conferences, seminars, workshops, faculty and student exchanges and promotion of African language teaching, among other endeavors. MAAAS is open to all with an interest in scholarship and teaching within an African Studies focus!
Photo with "Kiswahili" written boldly in the middle

STARTALK ACADEMY

The STARTALK Academy program is a four-week intensive summer day camp for 7th – 12th graders. Students learn the Kiswahili and Arabic language and culture through student-centered and performance-based activities and then participated in the STARTALK Academy Showcase at the end of the program to demonstrate their learned language skills.

ALL OTHER PAST EVENTS

Some of our recurring events include the Ujamaa series, Annual MAAAS Conference and the Graduate Research Workshops

Courses