Three professors in the Africana Studies Program have been promoted, demonstrating excellent performance in teaching, service and research.
Johnny Bowens is promoted from Lecturer of Africana Studies to Senior Lecturer of Africana Studies; Jennifer Donahue is promoted from Assistant Professor of Africana Studies to Associate Professor of Africana Studies; and Tani Sanchez is promoted from Associate Professor of Africana Studies to Professor of Africana Studies.
Bowens’ interests are in community and civic organizations. He teaches courses including African American Studies: A History of Ideas, Race and Ethnic Politics in the Post-Civil Rights Era, and The Politics of Race and the African Experience.
Donahue specializes in Caribbean literature with a focus on the relationship between narrative, trauma, and sexual politics. Her teaching and research interests include Caribbean and post-colonial literature, Anglophone African literature, and women’s and gender studies.
Sanchez is primarily interested in racial representations in the media and in the study of African American history and culture. Her teaching includes courses in Hip-Hop Cinema, Blacks in Hollywood and Historical Overview of African and African Diaspora Cinema.