Africology & African American Studies

Education

• JD, Law, University of Michigan, 1974
• MA, History, University of Michigan, 1971
• BA, History, Wittenberg University, 1969

Interests and Expertise

Professor Woods formerly served as the first head of the department of African American studies at EMU and, until recently, interim department head. He has also served as the Michael O. Sawyer visiting professor of constitutional law and politics at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University and as a legal services attorney in Cincinnati, Ohio. Professor Woods previously was an interim president of the Michigan Council of Black Studies and has been a consultant to school systems on various aspects of desegregation and diversity enhancement. He is on the board of directors of the African American Culture and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County, and is a consultant to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. From 2002–2004, Professor Woods was the director of the Eastern Michigan Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Communities. A member of the board of directors of Wittenberg University, he has lectured internationally and has published articles on refugee policy in the horn of Africa and on African American vernacular English.