Learn about the experiences of African-descended people

African Diaspora and the World History

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History


The African Diaspora and the World (ADW) Program at Spelman College is centered on the experiences of African descended people. ADW 111 and 112 courses are required the first year, a two-semester course sequence that speaks to students’ experiences as Black women. Students learn about themselves, their history, and place in the African diaspora and the world. Many alumnae who took the ADW courses refer to them as being the most formative educational influence in their lives.

African Diaspora and The World Founding Members

Contact Info

African Diaspora and the World History

350 Spelman Lane, S.W., Giles Hall
Atlanta, GA. 30314

404-270-5530
zlong@spelman.edu

Mon. - Fri. | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Timeline
1992-93
Faculty Drs. Michael Gomez (history), Jean Billingslea (English) and Jontyle Robinson (art) initiated a new two-semester course to replace World Literature and World Civilization courses.

ADW Committee of 18 faculty from diverse disciplines and including Dr. Johnetta Cole, the then president of Spelman College, actively met and presented the proposed curriculum to the larger Spelman community.

1993
ADW pilot launched in the spring of 1993.

1993-94
ADW 111 and 112 were offered in the fall of 1993 and spring of 1994.

1994-current
ADW courses are offered in different structural iterations.
Revolutionary Origins
ADW courses evoked both fervor and fear…some saw it as “male-bashing,” “white-bashing” and “Christianity-bashing.” These fears were allayed by the faculty’s inquiry-based pedagogical practices.

Pedagogical Goals
  • Center African diaspora knowledge
  • Engage Black women
  • Decolonize Eurocentric systems
  • Inculcate knowledge and pride in Black history and identity
  • Interrogate structural oppressions
  • Understand, analyze and critique concepts, intellectual debates and texts
ADW - FITW Collaboration (2016-2020)
Out of more than 300 applicants across the U.S., Spelman is one of just two colleges in Georgia – and among only three historically black colleges nationwide – named a 2015 First in the World (FITW) grant recipient by the U.S. Department of Education. Spelman received $2.7 million to incorporate new teaching and learning strategies into its curriculum focused on metacognitive learning, a system defined as “thinking about thinking.”

The ADW Program was selected for the First in the World (FITW) grant-funded study to:

  • advance metacognitive pedagogy
  • improve performance in ADW courses, progress towards degree and student GPA

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