Central to the Harvard department's method is its multidisciplinary focus. Gates' own background is largely in literature, as are Harper's and Sollors.'

Matory was appointed in Anthropology and Afro-American Studies, John F. Kain is Professor of Economics and Afro-American Studies and Appiah's grounding is in philosophy.

And the growth is far from over. According to the Rosovsky-Gates 1989 plans, Gates says the department will make five more appointments within the next few years.

Joint appointments in comparative literature, music, social sciences, history and art are all planned, as well as the arrival of Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, a specialist in religious history who will join the department next year.

"I say these things to myself like a mantra," says Gates of the planned professorships.

Students of Afro-American Studies say they feel the concentration is developing in a positive direction, adding that since the department is still relatively small, there is a personal feeling between concentrators and faculty, Afro-American Studies also has no graduate program, making undergraduates even more central.

"The department is in a period of development, and any time a department goes through a period of development it's bound to frustrate some with going too slow and frighten some with going too fast," says Ian. H. Solomon '94, who is concentrating in Afro-American Studies.

The principal example of input from below changing the concentration's direction came last October, when students told a visiting committee the department needs a more significant commitment to the social sciences.

Roger A. Fairfax '94 says that the department's lack of social science offerings forces many students to go outside the department to get what they need.

"The key is to hire faculty members. If you bring in faculty members they will be able to pursue their own interest like government or economics," he says.

"I feel the need to be a joint concentrator because of the lack of offerings in the social sciences," Fairfax says.

There are not as many social science classes as I would like," says E. Franklin Miller '94, a joint concentrator with Government. "A lot of Afro-American Studies as it is now doesn't apply to a lot of the issues facing Afrcian Americans today."

Kain chairs a committee which is exploring the question of a greater commitment to the social sciences and current political issues, and Appiah says he is sure some change will result.

Other students say the information presented in the Afro-American studies curriculum inherently requires the discussion of a lot of controversial social issues.

"If it's an Afro-Am class the subject matter is very controversial," says Kaiama L. Glover '94, an Afro-Amercan Studies and History and Literature concentrator. "People insert a lot of social issues that they wouldn't if evaluating texts in other classes. It adds to the intensity.