Position: Assistant Professor, Fixed Term
Field: Precolonial Africa, Archaeology, Technology
Region: Southern Africa
Office: Old Horticulture 208A
Office Hours: Tu/Th 10-11:30 A.M. and M/W/F 12:30– 3 P.M.
Email: cornel84@msu.edu
Akil A. Cornelius Jr. joined the Department of History as an Assistant Professor (Fixed-Term) in Fall 2024. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Washington College, an M.A. in Peace & Conflict Studies from Norwich University, and a Ph.D. in African History from the perennially top ranked graduate program at Michigan State University. Prof. Cornelius is a cultural historian whose research centers on themes related to warfare, violence, technological change, and religiosity in Africa before the colonial encounter. A native of the Bronx, New York, Cornelius has previously served as a military and national security analyst for the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the National Counterterrorism Center, and other nodes of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Courses Taught:
HST 201: Historical Methods & Skills
HST 364: South Africa: From Shaka Zulu to Mandela