The Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Collaborative (CRGC) is a vibrant and inclusive community of faculty and students that explores diverse voices, histories, and experiences through socially engaged scholarship.

The collaborative houses six interdisciplinary programs that offer bachelor's degrees, minors, and certificates:

African American and African Diaspora Studies

(major, minor)

American Studies

(major, minor)

Arab World Studies

(major, minor, undergraduate certificate)

Asian Studies

(major, minor, undergraduate certificate, graduate certificate)

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

(major, 2 minors in Women's and Gender Studies or Sexuality and Queer Studies, graduate certificate)

Our courses discuss race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, culture, religion, and more from a critical perspective. We encourage our students to research complex problems and explore interdisciplinary interests.

Collaborative faculty members are distinguished teachers and researchers from a number of departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, and from other schools at the university. Our professors work closely with DC community leaders and institutions to bring real-world learning experiences into the classroom. Many of our students complement coursework with internship and employment opportunities in DC's political, social, and cultural institutions, and some students study abroad to gain an international perspective on their areas of interest.

Our flexible curriculum teaches students to become critical thinkers, innovative researchers, and skilled communicators. Our alumni enter the workforce with a social awareness that serves them well in the increasingly diversified workplaces of our globalized economy. In gaining a deeper understanding of their world and themselves, our students are prepared for a wide range of careers in communications, education, the arts, the non-profit sector, and government and public policy agencies.

CRGC upcoming Events 
 

 

October 22

Voices of Youth: Challenges and Resilience in the Immigrant Community

This panel, moderated by AU alum Angela Gonzalez who currently works for the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, will share the stories, challenges and accomplishment of three to four young adults in the DMV area who have faced a number of challenges given their immigration status. For any questions, contact Marcy Campos at mfcampos@american.edu. Light refreshments provided. 
No tickets required, you are invited! 

Location: Letts Formal Lounge 
Time: 6-8 pm

October 23

Texts and Traditions IX- The Book in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions

Featuring: Prof. Martyn Oliver, Philosophy and Religion & Arab World Studies; 
Prof. Joel Daniels, Philosophy and Religion; Prof. Lauren, Jewish Studies.

Texts and Traditions is an annual event where a panel of expert colleagues discuss issues of shared concern across the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Past topics have included Abraham's sacrifice of his son, the Afterlife, Jesus, Moses, and the concept of Justice.

Presented by Arab World Studies & Philosophy and Religion - Panera will be served. https://www.american.edu/cas/philrel/news/texts-and-traditions.cfm

No tickets required, you are invited! 

Location: Butler Board Room
Time: 3:30-5 pm

October 30

African American & African Diaspora Studies presents: Coronation Day Celebration

89th anniversary celebration of the coronation of His and Her Majesty, Empress Menen Asfaw and Emperor Haile Selassie I at American University. The program will include a Marley-centric presentation of the actual 1930 coronation footage. We will present and interrogate relevant scholarship on the coronation, with students and panelist participation.  Our panelists include:

Fetlework Daley-Ethiopian/Jamaican Advocate and community liaison

Dr. Rãs Wayne A. Rose Ph.D-Historian

Dr. Deena-Marie Beresford- Library Scientist 

Dr. Jake Homiak-Anthropologist 

No tickets required, you are invited! Ethiopian food will be served. 
Location: Letts Formal Lunge 
Time: 7:30-9pm

November 5

American Studies presents Native American Heritage Month : Nikki Pitre & the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) lunch and learn

This presentation introduces some of the issues facing native youth today, discusses the work of the organization, and explains why they are passionate about these issues. Sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office.  

Tickets required. EventBrite tickets here Please e-mail mmorin@american.edu to be placed on the waitlist.   
Location: Butler Board Room 
Time: 2:30-4 pm

November 20

American Studies presents Native American Heritage Month : Indigenous Lives in the DC Area Panel

Come hear Ashley Minner, Dr. Elizabeth Rule, and Dr. Gabrielle Tayac talk about indigenous lives in the DMV area. 

Ashley Minner is a community based visual artist from Baltimore, MD. She is an enrolled member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina.  A folklorist who teaches in the Department of American Studies at University of Maryland Baltimore County, she is in the PhD program at UM College Park. She frequesntly presents on Baltimore’s Lumbee Community. She is an artist, storyteller, folklorist.  

Elizabeth Rule received her PhD in American Studies this May from Brown University. Her dissertation subject is "Reproducing Resistance: Gendered Violence and Indigenous Nationhood." She also received her master's degree from Brown, and her bachelor's degree from Yale. She was recently the Assistant Director for the AT&T Center for Indigenous Politics and Policy at George Washington University. Beginning in Fall 2019, Elizabeth Rule will spend two years at AU in the CAS Postdoctoral Fellow for Academic Diversity program. Her Spring 2020 course is AMST-320 American Indian Law & Legacies, taught Wednesday evenings 5:30 - 8 pm.  

Dr. Gabrielle Tayac, a member of the Piscataway Indian Nation, is an activist scholar committed to empowering Indigenous perspectives. She is proud to serve in the elevation of Native women and girls as the Director of Legacy Collections at the Spirit Aligned Leadership Program. Gabi earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Harvard University, and her B.S. in Social Work and American Indian Studies from Cornell University. Her scholarly research focuses on hemispheric American Indian identity, multiracialism, indigenous religions, and social movements, maintaining a regional specialization in the Chesapeake Bay.

No tickets required, you are invited! 

Location: Battelle Atrium
Time: 12-1:30 pm