Every academic year, the Department of African & African American Studies offers the following awards to students who have achieved remarkable accomplishments in areas such as academic excellence and community service.
Universally recognized for his scholarship, historian John Hope Franklin has many accolades to his name. This award is to honor those who have demonstrated the highest commitment to access and excellence in American education.
This award is given to the student in the department with the highest cumulative GPA.
Eligibility:
A student should
- be in the senior year
- be currently pursuing a major in AAAS
In 1996, Karla FC Holloway was appointed head of African American Studies at Duke. She worked to double the course offerings, to establish a graduate certificate, and to have Duke’s African American Studies program become the first in the nation to have independent tenure lines.
Karla Holloway is a James B. Duke Emerita Professor of English, African American Studies, and Professor of Law at Duke University. Her classrooms and scholarship focused on literature, law, and bioethics. She is the author of two fiction novels, eight academic books, and many articles and essays.
This award recognizes excellence in student research and writing in the the fields of African & African American Studies (AAAS). Faculty and students may nominate research papers or projects, as well as critical and creative pieces, in any written form, from AAAS classes and classes cross-listed with the department.
Eligibility:
- For The Graduate Writing Award, a student should:
- Have written the paper or dissertation chapter for an AAAS owned or cross-listed course with an AAAS faculty member (primary, joint, or secondary)
- For The Undergraduate Awards, a student should:
- Be in their senior year
- Be currently pursuing a major in AAAS
- Have written the paper for an AAAS owned or cross-listed course with an AAAS faculty member (primary, joint, or secondary)
To complete the application, please use the following:
Following the establishment of the Black Studies program at Duke University in 1969, Walter C. Burford was named the next year as its inaugural head. He came to Duke with a diverse background of education and experience in counseling, social work, and religion.
This award is given to students in the department who have made a significant contribution through leadership and engagement to the Duke University community, and the larger community of Durham. For example,
- A commitment to community service during their time as Duke
- Leadership and/or engagement in a new project(s) to improve the university community efforts to expand on existing programs
- A commitment to the connecting and extending academic studies to social action, and engaging with those beyond the University walls
Eligibility:
A student should
- be in the senior year
- be currently pursuing a major or minor in AAAS