Overview

The Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies, originally named the Frederick Douglass Institute of African and African American, was established in 1986 to promote the development of Black studies in undergraduate and graduate education and to advance research at Rochester.

Undergraduate Program

The institute offers an interdisciplinary major that encompasses a broad range of undergraduate courses, many of which are offered in collaboration with other departments.

In addition to an undergraduate internship and a distinguished speaker series, we also host a bi-weekly video and film series to discuss video and documentaries capturing Africa's past and present.

Discussing Black Studies

We offer a Work-in-Progress Seminar Series for graduates and faculty to give them the opportunity to present and discuss their ongoing research in the broad area of Black studies.