Agya Boakye-Boaten, Ph.D.

Professor of Africana Studies and Interdisciplinary, International Programs; Dean of Social Sciences

Contact Information

  • aboaten@unca.edu
  • 350-4564
  • 216 C Phillips Hall

UNC Asheville Africana Studies Chair Agya Boakye-Boaten Receives Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship

Agya Boakye-Boaten earned his B.A. in Social Work/Administration and Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon.  He earned a M.A. in Political Science (International Relations), and an M.A. in International Affairs (African Studies) from Ohio University. He was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Studies, with an emphasis in Cultural Studies in Education at Ohio University as well.  He has taught various interdisciplinary courses including the Contemporary World, African American Experience, and various courses in African and Africana Studies. Agya is an International Scholar as a lifelong member of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society, a seasoned musician, and a master drummer. His research interests include alternative education for street children, how to build intellectual and creative capacities of students using alternative education strategies, and the use of education as a medium for the promotion of democracy, and Modern Day Slavery. Additionally, he is interested in post-colonial construction of African philosophical thought, effects of colonialism on African aesthetics, and the transformation of indigenous cultures through global engagement. Currently, he is the Director of Africana, Interdisciplinary/International Studies Programs and Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Education

  • Ph.D., Ohio University
  • M.A., Ohio University (2004)
  • M.A., Ohio University (2003)
  • B.A., University of Ghana-Legon

Presentations

  • Cultivating 21st Century skills through International Service Learning: The Ghana Street Children Literacy Initiative. World View; Partners program for Buncombe County Schools. Asheville, NC. (2014)
  • Modern Day Slavery and Child Trafficking and Child Labor in Ghana: What Has Culture Got to Do with It? The National Association of African American Studies & Affiliates National Conference. Baton Rouge, LA. (2014)
  • Internationalizing Teacher Education through Service Learning: Lessons learned from Connecting Pre-service Teachers with English language learners via Online Instruction Using Skype.  The 5th International symposium on Service-Learning in Higher Education, Service Learning Across the Globe: From Local to Transnational. Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. (2013)
  • Modern Day Slavery and Child Labor in Ghana; what has culture got to do with it? Interdisciplinary Conference on Diversity and Multiculturalism in the Global Educational Community. University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.  (2013)
  • Read, Write, Think, and Engage: Enhancing Student Learning in the 21st Century College Classroom! The 2013 National Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC. (2013)
  • Cultivating Pre- Service Teachers as Knowledgeable Global Citizens through the pedagogy of Service Learning.  The 11th Annual Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education, Louisville, KY.  (2013)
  • Internationalizing Teacher Education through Service Learning Abroad. International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education (ICSLTE) conference June 21-23, 2012 at Duke University in Durham, NC.  (2012)
  • Learning Extends Beyond the Classroom Walls: How  an International Service Learning Program Cultivates Pre-service Teachers as Knowledgeable Global Citizens. Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching at Greensboro.  (2012)
  • Building an Academic Program; Lessons from a Liberal Arts College. The 23rd Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching – West Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning. Pomona, California.  (2011)
  • Internationalizing the Curriculum: Bringing the World into the Classroom. Some Practical Ideas. The Annual Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching at Greensboro.  (2011)
  • Preservice Teachers Go Global: How an International Service Learning Program Cultivates Pre-service Teachers as Knowledgeable Global Citizens. Presenter (invited) at the 4th International Symposium “Service-Learning in Higher Education: Connecting the Global to the Local “University of Indianapolis, Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Indiana Campus Compact, and Stellenbosch University.  (2011)
  • From the Classroom to the Streets: Empowering the 21st Century Student through the Ghana Street Children Literacy Initiative. Presenter (Invited) at the 3rd International symposium: Service Learning in Higher Education-Educators, Communities, and Students at Athens, Greece.  (2009)
  • Empowering the 21st century student through service learning: Developing students as servant-leaders through the Ghana street children literacy initiative. Presenter (Invited) at the annual conference of the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching at Greensboro, NC, USA.  (2009)
  • Voices from the Streets: Experiences of street children in Ghana ­– Paper presented at the Annual Midwestern Educational Research Association Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.  (2007)
  • Street Children in Ghana – Paper presented at the Annual Midwestern Educational Research Association Conference, Columbus, Ohio (2005)
  • Alternative Education for Street Children in Ghana – Presented at the Institute for the African Child’s 6th Annual Conference: Children at Work, From Farm to Street in Africa, Ohio University (2005)
  • Alternative Education for Street Children in Ghana – Presented at the Annual Research Conference of the College of Education, Ohio University (2005)
  • Brown 50 Years After – Presented at the Annual Research Conference of the College of Education, Ohio University (2004)
  • Addressing the Issues of Gender, Race and Class in the United States – Guest Lecturer, EDCS 400, Ohio University, sponsored by Dr. Francis Godwyll (2004)
  • The Roles of Music in Traditional African Societies – Dempster Middle School, Delaware, Ohio (2004)
  • Promoting Child Welfare through African Drumming – Garrison Elementary School, Washington, DC, sponsored by the Washington DC Commission on Arts (2003)
  • The Role of Music and Dance in the Social Structure of Africa – Ohio University (2002)
  • Functions and Uses of Music in Africa – Ohio University (2002)
  • Traditional Drumming and Dancing in Africa – Dempster Elementary, Delaware, Ohio (2002)
  • Traditions and Cultures in Africa, The Role of Drumming – Harris Elementary, Freeport Ohio (2002)
  • Learning Drumming and Dancing in Africa – Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2001)
  • Learning Drumming and Dancing in Africa – Hope Charter School, New Jersey (2001)

Recent Publications

Book

  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2012). Understanding the Street Children Phenomenon: A Study of Street Children in Ghana.  Germany: AkademikeVverlag.

Edited Book

  • Boakye-Boaten, A. & Ferguson, S. C. (Eds). (2010). “I’m Buildin’ Me a Home” An interdisciplinary Reader and Workbook for African American Experience. Tapestry Press.

Book Chapter (All Peer Reviewed)

  • Boakye-Boaten, A. & Ruffin, T. (Expected publication 2015), Towards an Inclusive Education in Ghana: A Matter of Human Rights.  In. A.L. Jotia & D. Jankie (Eds.), Multicultural Education Discourses: Breaking Barriers of Exclusion in Selected African Contexts edited by Professors at the University of Botswana.
  • Ruffin, T. & Boakye-Boaten, A. (2015).  Internationalizing teacher education through e-service Learning: Connecting pre-service teachers with English Language Learners via online instruction using skype. In P.L. Lin, M.R. Wiegand, and A. Smith-Tolken (Eds.), Service Learning in Higher Education: Building Community Across the Globe, (pp. 95-105). Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis Press.
  • Boakye-Boaten, A., & Ruffin, T. (2012).  Pre-Service Teachers Go Global: How an International Service-Learning Program cultivates pre-service teachers as knowledgeable global citizens with enhanced cultural competence.  In P.L. Lin & M.R. Wiegand (Eds.), Service Learning in Higher Education: Connecting the Global to the Local (pp. 101-115). Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis Press.
  • Boakye-Boaten, A., & Ruffin, T. (2010).  From the Classroom to the Streets: Empowering 21st Century College Students through the Ghana Street Children Literacy Initiative. In P. Lan Lin (Ed.), Service-Learning in Higher Education: Educators, Communities, and Students (191-202).  Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis Press

Articles

  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2011). Surviving in the Streets; the Story of a Street Girl from Ghana. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 1 No. 18, pp244-250
  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2010). Changes in the concept of Childhood: Implications on Children in Ghana. The Journal of International Social Research- Issue 10 (Winter 2010)
  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2008). Street Children: Experiences from the Streets of Accra. Research Journal of International Studies - Issue 8 (November, 2008)

Under Review- Submitted for Publication

  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2014). Dysfunctional Family system; a major causality of street children in Ghana.
  • Boakye-Boaten, A. (2014). Modern Day Slavery and Child Trafficking and Child Labor in Ghana: What Has Culture Got to Do with It?

Conference Proceedings

  • Ruffin, T., & Boakye-Boaten, A. (2013, November).  Internationalizing Teacher Education through E-Service Learning: Connecting Pre-service Teachers with English Language Learners via Online Instruction Using Skype.  Proceedings of The 5th International symposium on Service-Learning in Higher Education, Service Learning Across the Globe: From Local to Transnational.  Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
  • Boakye-Boaten, A. & Ruffin, T. (2011, September).  Pre-service Teachers Go Global: How an International Service Learning Program Cultivates Pre-service Teachers as Knowledgeable Global Citizens. In P. Lin (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Service-Learning. Ningbo, China: University of Indianapolis.
  • Boakye-Boaten, A., & Ruffin, T. (2009). From the Classroom to the Streets: Empowering 21st-Century Students through the Ghana Street Children Literacy Initiative.  In P. Lin (Ed.), Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Service-Learning. Athens, Greece: University of Indianapolis.