African and African American Studies Student Blogs from Europe

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Hannah McGhee

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Hannah McGhee, a junior in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is studying Italian language and race relations in Italy in spring 2014. She is chronicling her experience at Il Mio Semestre all'Estero, a blog that helps her to stay connected with her peers in Arkansas and engage students across campus.

McGhee will be studying at the Universita degli Studi della Tuscia in Viterbo, a 12^th century town about 60 miles north of Rome. Her coursework will not only help improve her Italian language skills, but will also intersect with her interest in race relations as she completes a bachelor of arts in journalism with a minor in African and African American studies. The African and African American studies program awarded her a study abroad scholarship to support her academic experience.

“We were extremely pleased to be able to support Ms. McGhee in her dream to study abroad in Italy,” said Calvin White, Jr, program director and associate professor of history. “She is one of the program’s many students who have made a commitment to study the importance of race in our global community. We are proud to see students like Hannah excel in the classroom and make African and African American studies one of Fulbright College’s fastest growing programs.”

“The African and African American Studies program is especially interested in ensuring that our students receive a truly global education,” said James Gigantino, assistant professor of history and chair of the program’s scholarship committee. “Following the model of Sen. J. William Fulbright, African and African American studies has financially supported its students through study abroad scholarships for the last five years. Students like Hannah have studied in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Cameroon and Tanzania, as well as participated in the program’s own faculty-taught study abroad in Ghana, held every other summer since 2010.”

McGhee is originally from Memphis, Tenn., and came to the University of Arkansas in 2011. She has been named to the Dean’s and Chancellor’s List and maintains a strong record of extra-curricular engagement in addition to her classroom success. McGhee is a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and served as their new member coordinator in 2013. She was a student ambassador in 2012 and an ambassador to the Razorback football team in 2013, and she encourages health and fitness by serving as a yoga instructor and certified personal trainer.

The African and African American studies program expands on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education. Through interdisciplinary study, students may explore the legacy of the African diaspora and African-descended people’s global experiences and the importance of race with a focus on Africa, the United States and the Caribbean.

The program coordinates the “Ghana: From Kingdom, Slavery, Colonialism, Independence, and Modern Development” course every other summer through the university’s Office of Study Abroad. During their pre-departure studies and their three weeks in Ghana, students discuss Ghana’s involvement in the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, colonialism, pan-Africanism and the modern world. The summer of 2014 will mark the program’s third trip to Ghana.