Introduction

Welcome to the Global African Studies Program (GASP) at Seattle University. It’s a program designed to enhance the quality of education that our students receive. It aims to expand our students’ horizons, taking meticulous care to impress on them the importance of the intellectual and cultural history of the global African presence in the general scheme of world affairs. As part of its mission to promote independent critical thinkers informed by the humanities and social justice, GASP works primarily from the African American experience outwards to the African Diaspora and, ultimately, the source-head of all things African: the African continent. With the aid of courses, conferences and presentations on topics ranging from "Race, Space, and Place" to the experiences of peoples of African descent in the Catholic Church, through the Town and Gown lecture series to partnering with various local organizations in the community including but not limited to Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, Elliot Bay Bookshop, Seattle Arts Museum and the Seattle Public Library, we strive to make a difference in the education of the twenty-first century global citizens who have allowed us to touch their lives by signing up to be our students.

As an institutional citizen of Seattle and the larger northwest region, the Program will, in the future, continue to deepen its positive impact on the state of general knowledge of the African American experience and that of the global African experience. We hope that this website answers some questions. For those that remain unanswered, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for visiting.

          "Independence Arch" in Accra, Ghana.