Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies Department

The Africana, Gender, and Identity Studies Department combines facets of religion, women and gender studies, and Black world studies to create an interdisciplinary and intersectional academic department. Students learn to analyze, critique, and fully understand experiences of identity in history and modern life. AGIS is a place for all students to expand their perspectives and apply important ideas to their everyday lives.

The new combined department continues to offer courses and degree programs in Black World Studies and Women and Gender Studies. All academic areas in the AGIS Department are interdisciplinary, combining social sciences, literature, queer and race theory, and humanities to provide a holistic view of the world.

Department Features

  • Students are encouraged to develop their analytical, comparative, transnational, and media literacy skills. They will gain understandings enriched by historical and cultural perspectives.
  • Courses in the department are designed to help students enhance and integrate skills beyond the classroom and campus to their everyday career, public, and personal lives.
  • AGIS provides a variety of OWU Connection research, internship, and travel opportunities linked to student and faculty passions in the social sciences and humanities.

Available Majors

Black World Studies

Black World Studies deals with the integrity, continuity, and vitality of the international black experience. Students will learn different perspectives on the history and culture of Africa and its diasporas in Central America, North America, South America, the Caribbean, and elsewhere.

Black World Studies Major

Women's & Gender Studies

The Women's and Gender Studies major is an interdisciplinary program that examines how historical and current constructions of gender impact society. Students examine women's issues, the role that constructions of gender play in shaping our thinking and social institutions, and the relationship between gender and other aspects of identity, including race, class, age, religion, and sexuality.

Women's & Gender Studies Major

Available Minors

Black World Studies

Requirements

Introduction to Black World Studies, 1 African category course, 1 African-American category course, 2 electives

Meet Our People

OWU is people. Brilliant, engaging, passionate, friendly, genuine people. Meet some of them here.

Dawn Chisebe

Chief Diversity Officer; Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies

Dawn Chisebe is is a professor of Black World Studies with a focus in African history. She also teaches courses in Women and Gender Studies, such as Black Feminisms.

Rita Trimble

Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies

Professor Trimble offers survey and upper-level courses on gender and sexuality. Her most recent research is centered around the evolution of LGBTQ+ identities, discourses, and politics among young adults. 

 

Richelle Schrock

Associate Professor in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies; Department Chair

Richelle Schrock is a professor of Women and Gender Studies with an expertise in international feminisms.

Randolph (Randy) Quaye

Marian Y. Rudd Professor in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies

Professor Quaye teaches courses focusing on Africana Studies. His most recent research is centered around health and development internationally from a sociological perspective.

Ali Skandor

Part-Time Instructor in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies

Professor Skandor teaches courses in Swahili and is involved in travel-learning programs at OWU.

Headlines

Events

Spectrum Resource Center

The Spectrum Resource Center supports LGBTIQA individuals, their families, friends, and allies by providing resources and education on related issues. The center offers reference materials, sponsors campus programming, creates safe zones, and integrates LGBTIQA topics into curricular and co-curricular learning.  

SAGE House

The Sexual and Gender Equality House (SAGE) recognizes that people's experiences differ based on identity and background. As a community, members organize programming that supports women and the LGBTIQA community. SAGE promotes diversity, challenges oppression, and provides a safe space and resource for those advocating gender equality on campus.

Tanzania Program

In OWU's semester-long Tanzania Program, you study African cultures as you travel throughout Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The program is affiliated with the University of Dar es Salaam and, depending on your goals, may include an internship with a professional, social service, or research institution.

Melvin Van Peebles Symposium

The Melvin Van Peebles Symposium at Ohio Wesleyan University is a biennial gathering that celebrates the legacy of alumnus Melvin Van Peebles by shining a spotlight on Black artistry, culture, and creative disruption.

Women's & Gender Resource Center

The Women's & Gender Resource Center provides an array of women- and gender-centered programming and information about University and community services of interest. The center's lounge houses a library of books and magazines relevant to women's and gender issues.

Lance Johnson

Graffiti artist Lance Johnson layers words and bold colors to create a vibrant, hopeful canvas. Dancer Candice Flows joins him, becoming a living canvas that celebrates community and creativity.

Department Contact Info

Location

Elliott Hall 211
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
P 740-368-3982
E AGIS@owu.edu

Department Contacts

Chair: Richelle Schrock
Associate Professor in the Department of Africana, Gender, & Identity Studies
Elliott Hall 211 | 740-368-3871 | rdschroc@owu.edu

Academic Assistant: Deborah Lovell
Elliott Hall 205 | 740-368-3906 | djlovell@owu.edu