Additional Resources

African American Leadership Forum - UROC

A movement of African American leaders and stewards across six metropolitan areas – the Twin Cities, Portland, Seattle, Des Moines, Tacoma, and Omaha – that is committed to the revitalization and sustainability of a vibrant African American community.

African Development Center of Minnesota (ADC)

The mission of the African Development Center (ADC) is to grow businesses, build wealth, and increase reinvestment in the African communities of Minnesota.  Through workshops and consultations on financial literacy, business development, and home ownership, ADC provides culturally competent services to Minnesota’s African community.  Minnesota is home to over 100,000 African immigrants.  According to The Minneapolis Foundation, 13 percent of Minnesota’s foreign-born residents in the 2000 Census were from Africa – a higher percentage than in any other U.S. state. Most Africans have come to Minnesota over the past generation as refugees fleeing civil strife in Somalia, Liberia, and the Sudan. Other relatively large African populations recently arrived include Nigerians, Ethiopians, and Eritreans. ADC is dedicated to the economic empowerment and success of African immigrants. To that end, ADC partners with a range of organizations, including University of Minnesota Extension.

African Language Materials Archive (ALMA)

The African Language Materials Archive, or ALMA, is a multi-partner project focusing on the promotion and documentation of literature and literacy in the languages of Africa. It further serves to assist African language authors and publishers in publicizing and distributing their work.

African Voices of Paris / Voix africaines de Paris

The African Voices of Paris / Voix africaines de Paris project examines what it means to be African, French, or both, in an increasingly globalized world and how, specifically, the cultural, intellectual, and economic contributions of Africans and French people of African origin have shaped Paris. The core of this project is a series of four short, documentary-style films (French, with optional English subtitles) about the diverse experiences of four individuals of African origins living and working in Paris.  A companion website offers additional resources for multi-modal pedagogy on African migrations and related issues in France today.

Arabic Without Walls

The University of California Consortium on Language Learning and Teaching and the National Middle East Language Resource Center offer Arabic without Walls, an innovative distance-learning program that will allow anyone, ranging from high school students to senior citizens, to study Arabic—no matter where they live.

Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility: East Africa Network

The East Africa Network is growing from strong University of Minnesota collaborations in Uganda that focus on pressing global health challenges. We develop partnerships in the region that lay a sustainable foundation for interdisciplinary research and education with a culture of reciprocal engagement.  Two such partnerships are the Uganda Hub and the Mfangano Community Health Field Station.  The Uganda Hub was established in August 2015 to lay the foundation for sustainable engagement. The major partners in this collaboration are Makerere University, Infectious Diseases Institute, Mulago Hospital, and University of Minnesota.  The Mfangano Community Health Field Station is a community-rooted enterprise launched in collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Maseno University, and the Organic Health Response (OHR) of Mfangano Island in Kenya.

Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC)

Opened its doors in 1966 to provide primary care service to children and low-income families in South Minneapolis. Students in the center engage with a global patient population and will be able to learn first hang about global health issues. CUHCC’s patient population comes from over 12 different racial and ethnic groups that span five continents.

Department of African American and African Studies (AA&AS)

The Department of African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota began in 1969 with the establishment of the Department of Afro-American Studies.  Politically conscious Black students demanded that the study of Black people in the United States and the worldwide African diaspora be taught in a systematic way and be housed independently. The department's creation, therefore, arose largely from the will of Minnesota students.  In turn, the department strives to serve Minnesota students and the larger community.  AA&AS provides its members, visitors, and the wider community the platform to explore, appreciate, and engage with the diversity of histories, realities, and experiences of African, African American, and African diasporic lives.  AA&AS faculty are award-winning teachers and engaged scholars tied to grassroots initiatives that critically and boldly reach across global and US histories, cultures, social structures, and economic systems.  Courses span the humanities and the social sciences and include instruction in two African languages, Somali and Swahili.

Department of Medicine: Global Medicine

Global Medicine has a long tradition of providing educational programming for an active and engaged global population in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. We are particularly proud that many of our community initiatives are resident-led and resident-driven, because we believe that community involvement is a key component of global health training.  Global Medicine maintains the Refugee Clinical Listserv for health and public health professionals who are involved in the clinical care of refugee and immigrant populations.  Among Global Medicine's international partnerships is the Africa-based Tufundishane Collaborative.  Tufundishane (tu-fun-deh-SHAWN-ay) is a Swahili word that means "let us all teach one another."  The Collaborative aims to facilitate a collaborative, reciprocal teaching and learning opportunity for University of Minnesota residents and physician trainees (called assistant medical officers) in Arusha, Tanzania.

Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA)

EOAA is committed to eliminating individual and systemic barriers that inhibit individuals and groups from attaining equal access to the University of Minnesota employment, education, programs, and services. In service to both the University of Minnesota and the broader community, we provide expertise and system-wide leadership for the University in the following areas: Advocacy, Policy Development, and Issue Identification, Education, Discrimination Consultation and Investigation, Community Connections, and Compliance.

Givens Foundation for African American Literature

For more than 20 years, the Given Foundation for African American Literature has been the only organization in the Twin Cities exclusively dedicated to advancing and celebrating black literature and writers. Our literary arts residencies, African American Author Series, and programs for writers illuminate the cultural resources and creative imagination found within African American literature to enrich cultural understanding for diverse audiences of all ages. Key programs include the NOMMO Author Series, Black Writers Retreat, and Givens Black Books.

Global Pediatrics

Our focus has been on ensuring the best possible health for children worldwide through our programs in research, education and clinical care. Among our earliest initiatives at the University of Minnesota was the establishment of a global health track for pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents, which graduates residents with global health certification. We published and have implemented the first competency-based residency curriculum in global child health in the US. Our research focuses on the interactions between infection, nutrition, and neurodevelopment, and we conduct research studies in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and the United States.

GPS Alliance

The Global Programs and Strategy (GPS) Alliance is the central international office for the University of Minnesota system. The GPS Alliance is the driving force for the University of Minnesota in globalizing teaching, learning, research, and engagement. They support the University’s mission by working closely with campuses, colleges, units, faculty, and staff, students, and the community to comprehensively internationalize the University of Minnesota.

Institute on Community Integration

Through collaborative research, training, and information sharing, the Institute on Community Integration improves policies and practices to ensure that all children, youth, and adults with disabilities are valued by, and contribute to, their communities of choice. It works with service providers, policymakers, educators, advocacy and self-advocacy organizations, researchers, families, and individuals with disabilities around the world to provide state-of-the-art information and practices that support the community inclusion of individuals with disabilities. The Institute also helps immigrants and the Somali community.

Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change

The Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) is a University of Minnesota campus-wide center that seeks to foster an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural community of faculty and students committed to supporting and advancing research, education, and collaborative initiatives related to global change, with a focus on the global south (Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as communities in North America). ICGC provides intellectual and financial support for more than sixty graduate and professional students.  Beyond its major graduate fellowships, the Center also provides enabling small grants to graduate and professional students for international internships and pre-dissertation fieldwork in the global south.

International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW)

The International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) was organized in 1985 at the World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya, to promote recognition of women’s human rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the CEDAW Convention). IWRAW now is the primary international nongovernmental organization that facilitates the use of international human rights treaties to promote women’s human rights and right within families.

Language Center

The College of Liberal Arts Language Center supports the teaching and learning of languages with technology. Facilities include four computer classrooms, a multimedia lab for students as well as checkout equipment and a library of DVDs and videotapes.

Language Courses in African Studies: Search OneStop

One of the priorities of the ASI is to support the teaching of African languages less commonly taught in U.S. colleges and universities. The University of Minnesota currently offers four such languages: Arabic, Portuguese, Somali, and Swahili. Use the University’s OneStop site to find courses.  For ready reference, here is a list of select language courses.

Arabic

  • ARAB 1101: Beginning Arabic I
  • ARAB 1102: Beginning Arabic II
  • ARAB 3101: Intermediate Arabic I
  • ARAB 3102: Intermediate Arabic II
  • ARAB 3290: Arabic Language Teaching Tutorial
  • ARAB 3811: Egyptian Colloquial Arabic I
  • ARAB 3812: Egyptian Colloquial Arabic II
  • ARAB 3900: Topics in Arabic (includes Jordanian Colloquial Arabic)
  • ARAB 4101: Beginning Arabic I for Graduate Student Research
  • ARAB 4102: Beginning Arabic II for Graduate Student Research
  • ARAB 4121: Intermediate Arabic I for Graduate Student Research
  • ARAB 4122: Intermediate Arabic II for Graduate Student Research
  • ARAB 5040: Readings in Arabic Texts
  • ARAB 5101: Advanced Arabic I
  • ARAB 5102: Advanced Arabic II

Portuguese

  • PORT 1101: Beginning Portuguese
  • PORT 1102: Beginning Portuguese
  • PORT 1103: Intermediate Portuguese
  • PORT 1104: Intermediate Portuguese
  • PORT 3001: Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
  • PORT 3002: Business Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
  • PORT 3003: Portuguese Conversation and Composition
  • PORT 3501W: Global Portuguese: 1300-1900
  • PORT 3502W: Global Portuguese: 1900-present
  • PORT 3800: Film Studies in Portuguese
  • PORT 3910: Topics in Lusophone Literatures
  • PORT 3920: Topics in Lusophone Cultures
  • PORT 4101: Beginning Portuguese for Graduate Student Research
  • PORT 4102: Beginning Portuguese for Graduate Student Research
  • PORT 4103: Intermediate Portuguese for Graduate Student Research
  • PORT 4104: Intermediate Portuguese for Graduate Student Research
  • PORT 5520: Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies
  • PORT 5530: Brazilian Literary and Cultural Studies
  • PORT 5540: Literatures and Cultures of Lusophone Africa
  • PORT 5910: Topics in Lusophone Cultures
  • PORT 5930: Topics in Brazilian Literature

Somali

  • SMLI 1221: Beginning Somali I
  • SMLI 1222: Beginning Somali II
  • SMLI 1225: Accelerated Beginning Somali I
  • SMLI 1226: Accelerated Beginning Somali II
  • SMLI 3227: Intermediate Somali I
  • SMLI 3228: Intermediate Somali II
  • SMLI 4227: Intermediate Somali for Graduate Research I
  • SMLI 4228: Intermediate Somali for Graduate Research II

Swahili

  • SWAH 1221: Beginning Swahili I
  • SWAH 1222: Beginning Swahili II
  • SWAH 3225: Intermediate Swahili
  • SWAH 3226: Intermediate Swahili II
  • SWAH 3425: Advanced Swahili
  • SWAH 4221: Beginning Swahili for Graduate Research I
  • SWAH 4222: Beginning Swahili for Graduate Research II
  • SWAH 4225: Intermediate Swahili for Graduate Research
  • SWAH 4226: Intermediate Swahili for Graduate Research

Learning Abroad Center

The Learning Abroad Center (LAC) is the University of Minnesota's comprehensive resource for study, service learning, intern, volunteer, work, and travel experiences worldwide.  The LAC conducts several study abroad programs in Africa.

Libraries

Welcome to the award-winning University of Minnesota Libraries, one of the University’s and the state’s greatest intellectual assets. Our expert librarians can connect you with the resources you need . . . from the millions of volumes held in our general collections to the treasures of our archives and special collections, from tools to enhance your productivity to programs and services to help you expand the reach of your research. Whatever you're looking for, look to us to be your partners in learning, teaching, and research.  For a gateway to resources in African Studies, see this research guide.

Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA)

MINCAVA is a leader in innovative violence-related education, research, and Internet publishing. Professional and student staff and MINCAVA conduct original research, develop extensive collections of translational research materials, provide higher education on family violence prevention, and disseminate information globally. MINCAVA staff work on projects often funded by federal, state, and foundation sources in collaboration with national and global advisory, as well as local community-based and national advocacy organizations.

National Society of Black Engineers

Mission: to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively.

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota is a nationally ranked Top 10 institution. Our school offers a superior array of advanced degrees and is home to numerous world-renowned research and training centers. Our faculty members are among the leading experts in public health today. They are regularly sought after by national and international media to provide perspectives on some of the world’s most troubling public health problems, such as infectious disease, smoking, and obesity. Working together, our faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to preventing disease, encouraging better health and promoting the common good.

Tandem Plus

The Tandem Plus program provides opportunities to practice language skills and explore cultures. Partners meet informally, but on a regular basis, and spend half of the time speaking English and the other half speaking the student’s native language. Once matched, partners determine when, where and how often to meet. Program matches are made shortly after the start of each semester.

UCLA Center for World Languages

The UCLA Language Materials Project (LMP) is an online bibliographic database of teaching and learning materials for over 100 less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). The LMP, which is funded by the US Department of Education International and Foreign Language Education office, was created in 1992. The LMP is a unit of the UCLA Center for World Languages. Both the LMP and the UCLA Center for World Languages are affiliated with the UCLA International Institute.

Women and Girls of Color Initiative

As a participant in a National Collaborative to advance equity through research, coordinated by Wake Forest University and inspired by the White House Council on Women and Girls, the University of Minnesota’s Women and Girls of Color Initiative aims to increase research opportunities for women of color, as well as the number and breadth of studies related to improving the lives of women and girls of color.