The African Studies Program is a Title VI National Resource Center with outreach activities partially supported by the U.S. Department of Education. Outreach activities include not only K-12 school presentations and teacher-trainings, but programming for community groups, lectures for other colleges and universities, analyses on current issues by faculty for the media, and expertise extended to businesses and the government. Our faculty specialists from across the disciplines in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and professional schools are ready to share their knowledge and experience of the African continent and its diasporas. To create an Africa-based program, contact associate director Tavy Aherne of the African Studies Program.
To quickly access all of African Studies outreach resources, as well as those of other regions of the world supported by IU, visit Access Global. Activities can include performances, presentations, workshops, and more that can educate students of all ages on African cultures and languages.
Program options
In consultation with you, our faculty and graduate student experts can prepare and present a variety of programs to meet your specific needs. We work with you to develop presentations that can take a variety of forms including lectures, consultations, interviews, interactive engagement and performances. Examples of possible programs include:
Interactive performance options
- Musical Performances from across the continent, including in partnership with Lotus Foundation
- African Storytelling
- Proverbs in Africa
- Ghanaian Drum and Dance
- East African Song and Dance
- African Communication through Textiles/Fashion
- South African Gumboot Dancing
- Other foci created to meet your needs
Thematic presentations
- Africa in Global Perspective
- Africa and Global Climate Change
- Sustainable Development and Africa
- Africa in World History
- African Politics
- African Arts
- Languages of Africa
- Breaking down Myths of Africa
- Other topics created to meet your needs
Professional development for teachers & faculty
The African Studies Program, in collaboration with the IU Wright School of Education, offers year-round teacher-training workshops as well as summer institutes. These professional development opportunities focus on incorporating Africa content into the curriculum, and professional growth/development points are awarded. In addition to serving K-12 teachers, we also collaborate with other IU area centers on thematic workshops for administrators and Higher Education faculty. Please contact our outreach coordinator, associate director Tavy Aherne, for more information.
Teaching resources
The African Studies Program also provides a variety of teaching resources for educators at all levels. These range from broader introductions on teaching about the continent, to faculty created PowerPoint presentations, teacher generated lesson plans, and links for further information. Please contact our outreach coordinator, Tavy Aherne, associate director for more information.
Lending library
The African Studies outreach program has a lending library of print, video, and teaching materials available to faculty, staff, and students regardless of institutional affiliation. Please contact our outreach coordinator, Tavy Aherne, associate director for more information.
Online resources for current news on Africa
African is a Country podcasts:
All Africa provides comprehensive coverage of a wide array of news and topics across the African continent.
This website is maintained by IU’s African Studies librarian and features links to top continent-based and international reporting on Africa.
Available without a subscription, this extensive list of African newspapers was compiled by Columbia University Libraries and AFRINUL, a special project of the Africana Librarians Council of the African Studies Association of the United States and the Cooperative Africana Microform Project at the Center for Research Libraries.
Global Speakers Service
Spreading the word
The African Studies Program along with the other area studies centers at IU’s Hamilton Lugar School are eager to bring news of the world to our community, to spark interest and connections. Through our Global Speakers Service (GSS), we can arrange for IU faculty, advanced graduate students, and international students to make presentations at schools, colleges, and adult education classes, government organizations, churches, businesses, social clubs, libraries, museums, service clubs, and retirement communities within 50 miles of Bloomington.
This innovative outreach program is cooperatively organized by the African Studies Program, the Global Center and other world area studies centers across the IUB campus through the International Outreach Council.