Meet Dr. Stevenson
Assistant Intructional Proessor, AFAM
Dr. Rik Stevenson brings over three decades of teaching, pastoral leadership, and community engagement to his role in African American Studies. His scholarship centers on the Middle Passage, resistance aboard slave ships, and West African cosmologies. His dissertation, Jumping Overboard: Examining Suicide, Resistance, and West African Cosmologies During the Middle Passage, reflects his commitment to uncovering submerged histories and amplifying narratives of resilience. His interdisciplinary expertise bridges history, religion, and cultural studies, offering students a deeply contextualized understanding of African American life and thought.
Dr. Stevenson is a frequent lecturer and collaborator with local organizations, including the Riley Museum and the United Church of Gainesville’s Racial Justice Committee. His work with the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project and the NAACP reflects his dedication to public history and social transformation.
Research Projects:
The Other Book Project
Research Interests:
Middle Passage Studies & Slave Ship Resistance, African Cosmologies & Transmigration, Marine and Nautical Archaeology, African American Church History & Liberation Theology
Education:
Ph.D. African American and African Studies, Michigan State University
D.Div Southern California School of Ministry
Th.M. (Church History) Fuller Theological Seminary
M.A. (Biblical Studies and Theology) Fuller Theological Seminary
Current Courses:
- AFA 3110 Key Issues in Black Atlantic Thought
- AFA 3354 Race, Religion, and Rebellion
- AFA 3356 African American Religion
- AFA 3350 Black Masculinity
